International Men’s Day: Bengali cinema’s most desirable male characters in recent times

Like Bollywood, feminism has been one of hit formulas of making successful films in Bengali cinema over the years but there are certain films in which we lost our hearts to progressive male characters. Amidst all those sexism and machismo Bengali film industry serves us in the name of commercial cinema, rarely have we come across films which featured male characters backing the aspirations of women in their life. On International Men’s Day, we look back at some of the popular male characters whom every Bengali girl desires.

In one of his top performances, Abir brought out the vulnerability of his character so well. This one is a gem of a piece! This romantic tragedy directed by Ranjan Ghosh portrayed Abir Chatterjee as Abhijit, a mathematics professor who falls in love with Debjani (Raima Sen) a cardiologist at the peak of her career. The twisted narrative leads one thing to the other and Abhijit's seemed to be perfect life slowly crumbles around him when his obsessive love for wife Debjani swells over just like a hungry tide on the sands of time and it turns out both fatal, both transient.

Abir Chatterjee turns our very own Feluda! When Abir essayed out a young Feluda in Sandip Ray’s 'Badshahi Angti', people were intrigued with the transition in his image from Byomkesh Bakshi. He fits the bill as a star with his much younger image, athletic physic, height and intelligent face; all the essential prerequisites which Satyajit Ray had specified in his iconic sleuth character. In this thriller, Feluda and Topshe (Sourav Das) while on a vacation in Lucknow, gets involved in an attempted robbery of a priceless ring that had a connection with Emperor Aurangzeb and the mystery of the missing ring largely forms the thrilling plot.

Abir Chatterjee’s smart appearance as the protagonist Subarna Sen AKA Sona da, a history professor from Oxford University, in this treasure hunt drama is the main USP to attract the audience. He has played sleuth characters like Byomkesh and Feluda, but as the young and intelligent heartthrob, Abir once again wins hearts. ‘Guptodhoner Sondhane’ is an ideal example of adventure mystery which manages to save itself from falling in the pit termed as ‘blending genre’.

Srijit Mukherji’s ‘Uma’ sees real-life father-daughter bonding transcend on the big screen to become a reel life hit. Sara Sengupta as the titular character is a natural throughout the film. She indeed reflects the innocence and subtle maturity of her character that takes this film forward. Whereas, dad Jisshu Sengupta, literally pours out his soul into this supreme performance as a desperate and doting father. When shooting for ‘Uma’, Jisshu had a difficult time on the sets watching his daughter playing a terminally ill child. Still, as a dashing ‘single father’, Jisshu’s character turns out to be one of the most desirable among women.

A Bengali musician, Amit leaves his bohemian dreams of making a career in music in Kolkata and exiles himself to Mumbai’s corporate slavery. He hopes one day he will be able to share his true feelings for his best friend Labonya. But suddenly, all his plans are shattered when the unconventional Labonya gives in to family pressure and agrees to an arranged marriage in Kolkata. In this film, Jisshu Sengupta excelled in his part of a nerdy young man. Also, his pairing with Koel looked like made for each other. Amit’s nervousness, cute smile, restlessness in love is something to look up to.

Parambrata Chatterjee is at his best in this film. A perfect intellectual Bong you would find in your close circle. With perfectly measured acting and perfectly scaled action, the spellbinding thrill of ‘Bastu Shaap’ will give you goosebumps. Parambrata in his shady character of Kushal once again proved why is he every director’s automatic choice. Director Kaushik Ganguly showed two parallel cinematic visions in tandem, one of which explains the relationship between Parambrata and Raima and the other propels the main story forward keeping Abir Chatterjee at the center. The emotional tension and uncertainties between Parambrata and Raima are handled superbly and is a pleasure to watch. Abir, playing Raima’s husband, is stupendous in adding natural flavour to a former army officer’s character.

Speak of Bengali commercial hits and here you end up with none other than Dev, the Tollywood heartthrob. Despite few sluggish executions in the middle, all the actors in ‘Cockpit’ did justice to their characters to keep the film at the top gear. It’s not extraordinary but the unique content makes ‘Cockpit’ a must watch. Just like his earlier films, here also Dev remains the show winner. His portrayal of a smart, agile captain Dibyendu Rakshit was appreciated by both the audience and critics. The popular actor once again proved that he has the credibility to fit in any role he is being offered.

Be it Byomkesh Bakshi or his recent portrayal of Professor Subarna Sen aka Sona Da, Abir Chatterjee has won many a million hearts as an on-screen detective, although Sona Da is not a conventional sleuth rather he is a history professor. But in Flat No. 609, he plays a romantic tech savvy IT guy who finds himself in a mess while handling the situation at his newly bought flat. The supernatural occurrences bring her wife on the verge of insanity. Will he be able to solve the mystery surrounding his flat, especially as a typical confused young guy? For that, we have to wait for the film’s release.