Bengali movies that will inspire you to chase your dream

Movies are for entertainment, especially the archetypical films and their typical song and dance fanfare. But, besides its run-of-the-mill content, Bengali cinema often delivers films which not only entertain but inspire the young generation to chase their dreams as well. Being a great source of motivation, these films can make us believe in ourselves and never ever give up on our passion. Here’s a list of some of the most inspiring Bengali films which tell us to believe in our dreams.

Mainak Bhaumik’s ‘Generation Aami’ is a slice of a life drama that motivates you to live your dreams. Starring Aparajita Auddy, Sauraseni Maitra, Shantilal Mukherjee and Rwitobroto Mukherjee in the lead, this movie will surely make you nostalgic about your teenage life. Rwitobroto plays the central character of Apu, who is to some extent over-protected by his parents (Aparajita and Shantilal). He can’t explore life on his own; his mother even feeds him and constantly checks on Apu whether he remembers all his lessons. It speaks on the generation gap between a teenage boy and his parents. It also focuses on the cold war between his dreams and his parent’s expectations. ‘Generation Aami’ has a very familiar plot, in fact many of us have endured this phase in our life.

‘Oscar’ story of an ambitious filmmaker who can go to any extent to fulfill his dream. Shaheb Bhattacharya, Aparajita Adhya, Ayoshi Talukdar, Shakuntala Barua and others play pivotal roles in the film titled ‘Oscar’ which is set against the backdrop of 1983 Bengal. Recently the teaser poster of ‘Oscar’ was launched in presence of the actors and the director of the film. As per the narrative, Achinpur, a small village, has a Rajbari and Rudra Chattopadhyay is the owner of this house and his younger brother Ratul wants to become a writer. One day Ratul’s grandmother reveals that his father wanted to make a film to win Oscar. But he died early and his hopes were not fulfilled. Now, the deal is on, the entire Achinpore Rajbari is set out to make an Oscar-nominated film. This follows a major laugh riot and a lot of commotion & pandemonium in the entire village. Right from a fraud film director, to an aspiring actor to a fake Amitabh Bachchan, all join the fun riot.

It’s the first Bengali sports-oriented film that has delved into the harsh world of boxing, unimaginable. It follows the ups and downs of a simpleton who believes in his ability. Dev essayed out the central character Shivaji Sanyal superbly. You can feel the dedication and hard work onscreen which may even inspire you. This is also the first time, the Tollywood hero was seen flaunting his six-packs. The physical transformation was not so easy. He first had to put on weight and then he was told to reduce those extra kilos to make himself appear as a professional boxer.

'Chalo Paltai' follows the intriguing story of an aspiring cricketer and his father Subhomoy who wouldn't welcome his kid's passion for Cricket and often coerce him to improve his grades. One day the father-son confrontation goes horribly wrong and the young cricketer lands up in hospital. This completely changes Subhomoy's views towards the world and the film finds a positive note at the end as he manages to convince the Bengal’s Chief Minister for reconsidering the age-old education system. His son makes a brilliant comeback as a cricketer as he scored a century in his debut match.

Based on the novel by Moti Nandi, 'Kony' is a National Award winning Bengali classic which tells the story of an underprivileged young swimmer Kony, who stands tall against all odds challenging poverty, politics, social stigmas, and other barriers. 'Koni' also revolves around the struggle of Khidda (Soumitra Chatterjee), the swimming coach, who scouts the talented girl in a slum and guides her to win the National Swimming Championship. The movie is still considered as a perfect example of a coach and player relationship.

Lionel Messi is the spirit of this Bengali film, where the soccer wizard turns out to be a metaphor for Bengal’s passion for football and the young generation. Director Ringo Banerjee tries to capture our almost instinctive love for the game. The passion is reflected in every nook and corner of West Bengal - from villages to towns to cities. Soumitra Chatterjee's grandson Ronodeep Bose and Aryann Bhowmik played the two central characters as para footballers.

The history of Indian football witnessed a red letter day on July 29, 1911, when Bengal's Mohun Bagan club beat East Yorkshire Regiment representing the British emperor. It was the first time an Indian team won the IFA shield. Among the eleven footballers Mohun Bagan fielded that day, ten played the final match and also the entire tournament barefooted against the British team with much better facilities. The 2011 sports drama 'Egaro' revolves around the story of that historical match and the iconic footballers who redefined patriotism by giving the Swadeshi movement a new life.