International Women’s Day 2020: 5 Female Characters That Broke the Mould in Bengali Cinema

Be it Supriya Debi’s in ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’ (1960), Rakhee in ‘Parama’ (1984), or Konkona Sensharma in ‘Dosar’ (2006), Bengali cinema has embraced strong women characters for ages, played to perfection by some of the finest actors. On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, here we take a look at 5 bold female characters from Bengali cinema that will surely inspire you.

Rituparno Ghosh's Kaberi (Konkona Sensharma) in ‘Dosar’ is one of the most modern interpretations of a woman on screen. In the film, Kaberi discovers her husband's extramarital affair after he meets with an accident. Kaberi is devastated while her injured husband, hospitalized, does not mind moving on with his life quickly. He makes his best efforts to repair the damaged equation with his wife. In Kaberi's mind, divorce is the only solution to the wreck that has apparently been caused by the extramarital affair. However, as time passes and she continues to take care of the health of her husband, she gradually begins to get transformed into a friend rather than an insecure wife. Kaberi is one of the few women in Indian cinema to take an objective look at her damaged marriage and eventually strive to give it a chance. According to Konkona Sensharma, Kaberi was one of the most complex characters she has played. She also felt it was a rare opportunity to render such a progressive and modern character.

Aparna Sen's ‘Parama’ explored female sexuality like never before, with the character of housewife Parama (Rakhee) at the centre. A quintessential middle-aged housewife, Parama is hardly aware of herself, never going beyond the roles she plays as housewife and mother in her big joint family. Her worth lies in the meals she makes and the service she provides every minute to every family member.

Many years after she gets completely settled in the household, young photographer Mukul Sharma (Rahul) admires her striking beauty. However, Mukul senses the confines she lives in and unearths the soul beyond her beautiful face. The married Parama finds a new lease of life in an extramarital affair. She even takes up playing the sitar after a long gap. Though Parama knows Mukul is not there for her forever, she dives into the new liberation after some initial hesitance. Eventually, she realizes that Mukul had simply taken advantage of her and she is embarrassed before her husband and her entire family. However, Parama never regrets her decision, even after the betrayal. Instead, she chooses to take up a simple job, despite being the housewife of a prosperous family, only to be able to hold on to the freedom she has recently experienced.

Mrinal Sen's ‘Ek Din Pratidin’ is one of the elite testaments of how women are victimized by patriarchy and how society follows parameters set by patriarchal systems. Here, Chinu (Mamata Shankar) is the sole breadwinner of her family, consisting of her parents, two sisters and a young brother. One day, Chinu doesn't return home though her schedule gets over. Her disappearance not only raises suspicion among her neighbours, cramming up in the same old shabby house they live in, but also within family members who are well aware of her dedicated and sincere nature. The film narrates the incidents that gradually take place that night as the family waits, increasingly impatient and nervous, for Chinu's return. With each passing hour, they start preparing themselves for the worst. Like Sen's other films, ‘Ek Din Pratidin’ creates an air of critique and disturbs the minds of the audience, keeping Chinu's character at the center.

‘Mahangar’ was not only Satyajit Ray's first full-fledged urban film dealing with contemporary social, political and economic issues, but it also showed a new-age urban woman Arati, played by Madhabi Mukherjee, a housewife who takes up a job to support her family struggling with financial pressures. Arati is a rebellious figure as she values her independence and work ethic even when her family can’t take her progress positively. While her family sinks into moral depravity and faces its own doom, Arati's financial independence and social recognition make her more morally sound. At the end of the film, it is her moral courage that inspires her husband, who assures Arati, with due respect, that one day both of them will have jobs to support their family.

Inspired by Shaktipada Rajguru's novel, Ritwick Ghatak's ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’ remains an iconic film on Partition. The film features Nita, portrayed supremely by Supriya Debi, a young woman who sacrifices all her dreams and hopes while being continuously exploited by destiny and by her refugee family. Supriya Debi's intense performance as Nita, who never breaks down until the last scene, when she ardently expresses a wish to live even though life has only ever offered her a relentless struggle, remains one of the most celebrated performances in Indian cinema.