‘Saare Chuattor’ to ‘Basanta Bilap’: Need humour at a time like this? Binge-watch these classic comedies

Comedy has always given swift relief in times of stress or crisis. A good laugh is a good therapy lifting us out of those sadness and depression. Today, when the world feels the strain of a global epidemic, it’s interesting to see how people respond to anxiety with random acts of humour. Well, if you are getting bored with the lock down and social distancing, here’s a list of Bengali classic comedies to lift your mood.

The 1973 Bengali superhit 'Basanta Bilap' managed to tickle the funny bone of a generation of movie buffs. The film saw a battle of ego between a group of four young ladies and men and their rivalry which soon lead to a romance, thus giving some of the best comic sequences ever. Soumitra Chatterjee and Aparna Sen’s brilliant acts accentuated this film's simple storyline and Chinmoy playing one of the friends of Soumitra once again proved why he was called a comedy genius. It’s an out-and-out comedy with many stock characters that hold their own in this story with its many comical twists and turns.

Charmurti is a 1978 Bengali classic directed by Umanath Bhattacharya and famous for having comedy legends Chinmoy Roy, Rabi Ghosh, Santosh Dutta together. It’s basically a great comedy adventure in the wilderness. The adventures of 4 high school students – Teni, Kabla, Pala and Habul will give you so much fun. The four visit Ramgarh to enjoy their vacation in the bungalow of Jhantipahar and the mysterious atmosphere, the ugly housekeeper, and few unnatural incidents ultimately condense the mysterious narrative.

It was the last film of Uttam Kumar. Directed by Salil Dutta, ‘Ogo bodhu sundari’ released after the Bengali Matinee idol’s demise. The film starts with his easy charm that makes us laugh out loud. As his quarrelsome wife, Sumitra too holds the narrative strong. However, it’s Mousumi Chatterjee as Sabitry steals the show. Ranjit Mullick, Haradhan Banerjee and Santosh Dutta all have shined in their respective roles. Dialogues from this film are memorable, such as "ami jate matal,tale thik"(I am drunk, but careful of my steps).

This was the period when Uttam Kumar was intentionally passing on the baton to younger generation. But in ‘Mouchak’ despite a handsome Ranjit Mullick catches the limelight, its still Uttam Kumar who creates larger impression. The legendary actor taught how to make the audiences laugh even with simple performance. It’s one of the rare occasions when the famous comic trio of Robi-Anup-&-Chinmoy acted together and Chinmoy perhaps overshadowed the other two. Arabinda Mukherjee, who already gave the other masterpiece 'Dhanni Meye' (1971), once again showed his mastery over this comedy genre.

Chhadmabeshi, the evergreen Bengali classic, with its awesome comedy situations would make you watch the film any day. This film will never get old for the Bengali movie lovers. It’s a romantic comedy flick which still attracts us. Uttam Kumar at his innocent best and Madhabi Mukherjee’s cuteness mesmerizes everyone. The film was remade in Hindi by Hrishikesh Mukherjee named ‘Chupke Chupke’ and it also became a Box Office hit. Dharmendra was seen in Uttam Kumar’s role in this version. Madhabi Mukherjee’s part was portrayed by Sharmila Tagore.

You would be a very rare person from West if you haven’t watched this universally loved film. Satyajit Ray penned the script of this romantic comedy. The story is about the accidental exchange of similar looking suitcases during a train journey. The protagonists Soumitra Chatterjee and Aparna Sen just amazed everyone with their brilliant onscreen chemistry and eventually became cinematic legends.

This superhit comedy directed by Nirmal Dey had legendary actors like Tulsi Chakraborty, Molina Devi, Bhanu, Jahar and to add to the list the most loved couple of Bengali cinema, Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen. The story revolves around a boarding house. The boarders are quite friendly apart from an elderly boarder known as Rajanibabu. The comic turn of incidents start as soon as a boarder called Rampriti (Uttam Kumar) and the only woman boarder (Suchitra) fall in love with each other. How these events take place with so much comedy is a treat for every movie lover.