#Rewind2021: Best Bengali movies of the year

Tollywood tried its best to renovate and adapt to the new requirements of a world that is still struggling through the pandemic. Despite the huge COVID impact on film business we saw some interesting and entertaining cinema in 2021. Before we turn the last page on our calendars, here’s a look at the best Bengali films of the year, in no matched order.

Dev’s performance in Golondaaj is maybe his best till now as he gives a captivating performance as the father of Indian football in this Dhrubo Banerjee directorial. The sports biopic gives a Lagaan-esque vibe. Nagendra dreams of defeating the British in their game of football in an era when Indians used to be whipped for touching the ball or even for merely observing a game. The saga shows his grit, heartbreaks and resurrection. His journey is, more often than not, thrilling and engaging. Great performances by almost all supporting actors are also pillars of this film.

Set in the 1930s and 1940s India, this black-and-white period drama by Subhrajit Mitra, makes you nostalgic and hopeful at the same time. From scenes where Apu (Arjun Chakraborty) meets his childhood friend Lila (Arpita Chatterjee) in the train to Varanasi to taking his son, Kajol (Ayushman Mukherjee), to his ancestral home in Nischindipur village, the script has some heart-tugging moments that bring back the audiences/readers' memories of little Apu.

Atanu Ghosh’s film ‘Binisutoy’ sheds light on the void people face in their busy urban lives and the toll it takes. In the film, Kajal Sarkar (Ritwick Chakraborty) and Sraboni Barua (Jaya Ahsan) are two strangers who meet at the audition of a reality game show, and thereafter through some strange turns of events, the journey of these two people grow into an engaging drama of intrigue, surprise and enlightenment. The film’s story penned by Atanu himself sheds light on the eternal quest for an alternative lifestyle.

This one sees Paran Bandopadhyay’s perhaps the best performance till date along with Dev’s yet another captivating performance. The Abhijit Sen directorial delivers sublime humor with a social message on a strong note. It’s a story of a retired person who faced many ups and down in life to fulfill his dream to celebrate his special day in a special way. How he succeeds to do so is the crux of the story. Being a family entertainer, this one surely gave a breath of fresh air to Bengali box office.

‘Bony’, and Parambrata, deserve a round of applause for daring to enter uncharted territory in Bengali cinema. Though science fiction is nothing new when it comes to global cinema or even OTT platforms, it’s certainly a genre Bengali cinema rarely touches. For one, most sci-fi movies call for great visual effects and second, the budget for such productions can be pretty steep, thanks to the CGI involved. But Bony scores quite high in this department. The visual effects are quite impressive.

Anindya Chattopadhyay's film is an honest effort to explore quintessential Bengali sentiments that many films often ignore. It is Pablo’s (Soumya Mukherjee) journey from giddying puppy love to falling in love with a puppy. The film showcases the statuesque colonial heritage on the banks of Hooghly. The grandeur of buildings, the strand, parks and cemetery of Chandannagar make for visually appealing frames, best enjoyed on the big screen. The beauty of the love story is in the backdrop - a small town - away the hustle and bustle of Kolkata.