Birthday Special: 5 coming of the age Bengali films directed by Mainak Bhaumik

Mainak Bhaumik’s entry into the Bengali film world happened as an editor for Anjan Dutt’s coming-of-age drama ‘The Bong Connection’ back in 2006. Then he made his directorial debut ‘Aamra’, an ensemble story about the urban young generation falling in and out of love. It was shot digitally on a low budget. This film actually set the tone for a lengthy successful part of Mainak’s filmography that focuses on a kaleidoscopic view of any metro city’s middle and upper class, particularly the young generation and its travails through life, love and relationships. On his birthday, we take a look at the 5 coming of the age Bengali films directed by the extremely talented filmmaker.

Mainak Bhaumik pays his homage to the Ray classic ‘Pather Panchali’ in his own style. It’s quite an engaging and relatable coming of age cinematic display of a teenage boy Apu, who somehow manages to find his escape route through the wings of cousin Durga. ‘Generation Aami’ mainly achieves success because of these two protagonists, their sweet equation and the outstanding performances by Rwitobroto and Sauraseni to give a real feeling. However, It could have been a much better cinematic experience if it kept the drama under control throughout the film and if the elder generation played to the same tonality which Mainak tried to give.

The crackling chemistry between Jisshu Sengupta and Koel Mallick in this movie is eye-popping. ‘Ghare And Baire’ deals with so many subjects like love, passion, friendship, separation, twist, and comedy. In the film, Amit, a band musician, destroys his bohemian dreams of making music in Kolkata and steps into the corporate slavery in Mumbai. He hopes one day he would be able to express his feelings for his best friend Labanya. But he suffers heartbreak when an unconventional Labanya under tremendous family pressure agrees to a traditional arranged marriage to a ‘Probashi Bangali’.

Bengali comedy movies these days don’t enjoy a great commercial success may be due to the current trend of making frame to frame remakes of popular Bollywood comedies. So there is nothing new thanks to Mainak ‘Bibaho Diaries’ is not one such boring comedy rather it entertains you from beginning to end. The rib tickling funny dialogues and superb comic timing of Ritwick Chakraborty, Sohini Sarkar, Biswanath Basu keeps you glued to the seat. It’s a simple rom-com which shows there is a huge difference in the equation between a couple before and after marriage. It’s surely a hilarious reminder that things may not remain the same and couples should digest it all with a pinch of salt.

Films narrating urban stories have always remained a favourite among the Bengali movie buffs. ‘Bedroom’ dives deep into the complicacies of modern day human relationships. It relates the story of three couples (played by Abir-Paoli, Rahul-Parno and Rudranil-Ushashie) and the emotional trials and tribulations that damage their relationships. The dialogues are uniformly smart, witty and natural. While the protagonists often seem to be too contrived, the dialogues keep the viewers hooked. Mainak Bhaumik deserves full credit for his courage to work on an innovative yet realistic topic in ‘Bedroom’.

‘Maach Mishti And More’ (Fish, Sweets and More) can give you the similar satisfaction of curling up under a warm blanket on a winter night with a book of short stories. A host of relatable characters, perfectly imperfect and so real that you feel you known them for long. Be it the slightly Americanized elder son returning to his city feels his status as an NRI will give him an identity, his unhappy wife who doesn’t like to don the sari for the mom-in-law or the youngest son who demands his privacy and independence – everything looks real. And then, there are girlfriends, the charming grandpa and a bunch of others who come out of our daily lives.