Rudranil Ghosh as Banshi to Adil Hussain as Purnendu Pahari: Bengali cinema’s most underrated performances of the decade

The decade is coming to an end and we have already started compiling the best of what Bengali cinema gifted us from 2010 to 2019. However, it’s also the time to recognize the standout movie performances of the decade that were woefully underappreciated, and deserve more recognition. Here on this list we have assembled some of the prolific acting performances that delivered something incredibly special on screen and deserve to be appreciated by more people.

Cinema mostly refers to the aura of dream inside an audience mind, which sail in the dream boat in search of hopes and wishes. Kaushik Ganguly’s quest for that dream with the help of Pranabendu Das or the “Cinemawala” churns out poetry on celluloid. Paran Bandopadhyay as Pranabendu is a late entry in the film and television industry but improved with time superbly, delivering one of his best performances. He is just brilliant, be it the scenes of re-collecting joyous moments of golden days, or the confronting and argumentative scenes with his son Prakash.

At the center of the film stand the three women — Pishima, Somlata, Chaitali — as they fight against patriarchy and social mores in their unique ways. Pishima is vitriolic, Somlata quiet but intelligent, Chaitali couldn't care less about societal norms — or the goynar baksho. Moushumi is superlative. Beneath all her expletives is a lonely, unfulfilled woman, rejected by society, consigned to the periphery of familial existence. At the same time, she's straight out of a Sirshendu Mukherjee book, comical, unpredictable, sharp as nails.

This is a story of isolation and hope, of a writer in exile. The writer is banished for her attack on religious fundamentalism and patriarchy and her cat is suddenly left alone. The film is a satirical and fictionalized take on controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen’s difficult trek through life. Churni Ganguly, the debutant director, herself plays the character of Nasreen, and fits the role perfectly with her cropped hair look. How does a woman deal with banishment from her motherland? That is what the film is all about.

As its protagonist claims, ‘Shabdo’ shows how sound make a film. ‘Khali Dev, Prosenjit, Mithun ke niye thakle hobe?’ asks Tarak, our unlikely hero. And the answer, as this film meant as a tribute to 100 years of cinema shows, is a big no. Ritwick as Tarak, for the most part, dwells in an inner world, embracing inwardness with such vigour that it seems the world doesn’t exist. He towers above all and finds able accompaniment in Ratna aka Raima, who stands with him shoulder to shoulder and offers naively to take over Tarak’s job as the insurance agent once misfortune falls on the family.

‘Chaplin’ made Bengali movie lovers believe Tollywood can also come up with stories that will someday reflect the sentiments of masterpieces like Life is Beautiful. It empathizes with the father-son story of Bangshi Das (Rudranil) and Nimua. It shows the pain of a performer entertaining at birthday parties without ever getting the recognition of an artiste. Rudranil seems to have done an impressive job if one judges him from the point of view that his on-screen character is that of someone who is an imitator of Chaplin. There is a lot to take away from the movie. Therein lies the success of “Chaplin” and the reason why it tugs at the heart long after the movie is over.

This film directed by Aparna Sen explores the unique and deep human bonding at its strongest powered by brilliant performances from Rahul Bose and Japanese actress Chigusa Takaku. Rahul Bose is in stellar form with his village boy look and his Bangla Angrezi as the laidback Snehamoy, a school teacher in a small village in the Sunderbans, finds a penpal in the Japanese girl, Miyage, who runs a grocery store in Japan.

The next generation of Bengali actors like Riddhi Sen and Rwitobroto Mukherjee found their wings in this film executed a realistic portrayal of the golden friendship of childhood. However, the stellar performance comes from none other than Rajatava Dutta. Playing the frustrated football coach-turned Fowara’s (protagonist) mentor Gopeswar Rajatava hinges on his antics and acting and he delivers with all guns firing!

With four storylines Pratim D Gupta’s Ahare Mon is a collage of interconnected love stories. The acting is top-notch. Leading the way is Adil Hussain, who put in a subtle yet superb performance, never for a moment going over the top or showing off. Every minute Hussain is on screen, one wish it was an hour. As Purnendu Pahari, he shares a calm and composed yet sparkling chemistry with Paoli Dam. At less than two hours, this film is crisp, and smart editing cuts out all the flab.

Kia (Ritwika Pal), an autistic 15-year-old, is on a mission to find out who could have killed a pregnant cat? But is it all that easy? What else will she unravel during her search? That’s what Sudipto Roy’s film all about - a 15-year-old autistic girl’s journey. Ritwika does so well imbibing Kia that you will need to look her up to be sure that she’s not an autistic child doing wonders on screen.

The simple yet captivating slice of life is the main USP of Parambrata’s film. The film encapsulates all that’s good amid the little sorrows of life with an earnest effort. It’s Srijato who anchors the film – and here’s a child star in the making. His Bitlu keeps with Bengali cinema’s long tradition of believable and utterly lovable child actors. We are all aware of Satyajit Ray’s child actors, from Apu to Kajol, to Mukul and Pikoo. And it’s no exaggeration to admit that Bitlu, with his sassy attitude and roguish repartee, manages to stand tall on his own in the august company of acting powerhouses like Tanuja, Parambrata and Jisshu Sengupta.