Bengali films which have balanced comedy with serious social issues

A comedy film with a serious social message comes once in a blue moon in Tollywood which tickles our funny bone and also forces us to reflect on something serious related to the society we live in. There are few of these beautiful films that we love to see again and again, be it the 1966 cult classic ‘Galpa Holeo Satyi’ or ‘Haami’ in recent times. These films point out our ironic everyday realities with simple yet mind-blowing concepts. Take a look at some of Bengali cinema’s best comedy movies with a strong message to the society.

It’s one of the classics that Bengali comedy genre has ever produced. ‘Galpa Holeo Satyi’ is hilarious and at the same time comes with a strong social message. Directed by one of the finest directors of Bengal, Tapan Sinha, the film had one of industry's comic geniuses Rabi Ghosh. Several Indian languages have seen its remake, the most famous was Bollywood hit 'Bawarchi' starring Rajesh Khanna and Jaya Bachchan. The story is relevant to even today’s society. How a joint family can survive a crisis or how to work out on the family bonding despite so much hate -- the narrative encapsulates so many burning social issues.

Despite being a comedy film primarily, ‘Haami’ revolves around the burning issues that plague the younger generation today. Directed by Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee, it shows how minor issues are often blown up by overly concerned parents and suspicious school authorities. An innocent kiss between two cute kids fuels a whirlwind of controversies which reflect recent disturbing incidents in schools. While Gargi Rowchoudhury as little Bhutu’s mother brings life to a woman character who is aggressively protective about her family. On the other hand, Shiboprosad Mukherjee as Bhutu’s father with his diluted expressions, witty dialogues, and funny antics portrays the ultimate middle-class parent in a simple way.

Truly one of the best things Bengali cinema has witnessed in recent times is this particular movie. The narrative carefully builds up with every minutest detail thoroughly checked and continues till the end. The simple storyline revolves around a haunted mansion in Kolkata. The characters and their enactment by excellent actors with amazing one-liners turn out to be the essence of this movie. The cinematography, editing, and its simple presentation are the USP. The story carefully deals with the adverse effects of an alarming rise of multiplexes and high-rise buildings. The ghosts are here used as a metaphor. Replace them with the common man, the struggling middle class of the society and you would get to see the actual message hidden inside the comic elements.

What will happen when a Bengali middle-class man scared of everything and everyone and repeatedly confronting his middle-class dreams, gets his hand into Aladin’s magic lamp? Saswata Chatterjee delivers his amazing range of acting in both comic and serious scenes in this contemporary exemplum with elegance.

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. Despite being an out and out comedy, it gave the audience some serious relationship goals, be it husband-wife or young love birds. With their witty remarks, hilarious antics, Tulsi Chakraborty and Molina Devi as the elderly couple showed the society how to survive in a long distance relationship, how love can be interpreted even in a heated conversation. The story revolves around a boarding house. The guests are quite friendly apart from Rajanibabu.

This was the period when Uttam Kumar was intentionally passing on the baton to the younger generation. But in ‘Mouchak’ despite a handsome Ranjit Mullick grabbing the limelight, it's still Uttam Kumar who creates a 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 Ghosh-Anup Kumar-Chinmoy Roy acted together and Chinmoy perhaps overshadowed the other two. Arabinda Mukherjee, who already gave another masterpiece 'Dhanni Meye' (1971), once again showed his mastery over this comedy genre but with a little twist. You can’t just categorize ‘Mouchak’ as only a comedy film. The narrative discussed even some serious social issues with a simple touch of satire; like the cold war between the workers in a factory, the helpless situations a father faces to find a suitable life partner for his daughter, the irony in maintaining social status and many more.

'Ogo Bodhu Sundari' Uttam Kumar's last film. 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 Sabitri who 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 film too mocks the high standard lifestyle of the upper class in the society and sends a strong message about the faltering education system.