From ‘Baishe Srabon to ‘Uma’: Srijit Mukherji’s best directorial works in Bengali cinema

Srijit Mukherji remains one of the finest writer-directors to have graced Bengali Cinema in recent past. People who have some idea about Bengali industry know that Bengali movies are largely divided into two extremes - the relatively offbeat content-driven films typically focusing on the festivals and the commercial potboilers which attract the masses. But over the past 10 odd years, there is a resurgence of a blend of these two types. Filmmakers are brave enough to explore different subjects and have been trying to attract the more educated urbane audience. With this process, many of these films earn critical acclaim and some of them enjoy commercial success as well. Most of Srijit’s works have managed to earn accolades despite having their share of detractors and appreciators alike. Here is a list of some his finest works in Bengali cinema over the past few years

Following the success of his first film ‘Autograph’, Srijit’s ‘Baishe Srabon’ encapsulates a heady cocktail of thriller, violence, music along with Bengali poetry. Probir Roychudhury's bitterness and angst couldn’t have been essayed out better than Prosenjit, whose character seemed to be a far cry from the one in ‘Autograph’s mighty yet vulnerable superstar. Prosenjit stunned everyone with his performance as an ex-cop in this psychological thriller directed by Sriji Mukherji. According to the narrative, Prabir, suspended from his duty, works with the chief investigating officer (Parambrata) to nab a serial killer committing murder and leaving couplets from popular Bengali poems as a clue. Prosenjit’s remarkable acting was highly acknowledged by both the critics and audience. ‘Baishe Srabon’ eventually became one of the highest grossing films of 2011.

It’s a gripping thriller that connects the life of four people from Bengali cinema. The central characters- Trina (Aparna Sen), Dipto (Chiranjeet Chakraborty), Shakha (Goutam Ghose) and Joybroto (Parambrata Chatterjee) are called up by a mysterious producer to make a film stitching four short stories with a common theme - death. During their journey to uncover this producer’s identity they expose the real emotions, attachments, regrets and secrets of their past. This Srijit Mukherji directorial manages to breathe a fresh air from the typical Bengali mystery-thriller genre.

Srijit Mukherji’s ‘Uma’ shows how a real-life father-daughter bonding can become a reel life hit. Sara Sengupta as the titular character is natural throughout the film. She reflects the embodiment of her dreams, innocence and subtle maturity. Jisshu Sengupta, Sara's real-life father too, pours out his soul into his superb performance portraying a desperate and doting father. When shooting for ‘Uma’, Jisshu had gone through a difficult time on the sets. Seeing his own daughter Sara as a terminally ill child wasn't easy for a father. The collective desperation to fulfill a dying girl’s last wish while facing petty religious sentiments and self-interest in the narrative can actually restore one's faith in humanity.

‘Jaatishwar’ tells the story of Hensman Anthony (Prosenjit Chatterjee) who was best known as Anthony Firingee in 19th Century Bengal. He settled down in Farashdanga, near the old Portuguese town of Chandannagar. Being a musician with a great admiration for languages, Anthony went on to compose folk songs in Bengali. Anthony also married a Hindu widow named Soudamini and soon became popular in the ‘kavigan’ arena, a tradition of poetic duels. Two different time zones run parallel in the film, the 19th century and Hensman Anthony’s life and the present times that we live in. The film moves across the two time periods in a non-linear fashion. In parallel to the story of Hensman Anthony, there is another story of Rohit Mehta (Jishu Sengupta), a research scholar in Portuguese studies and Mahamaya Bandhopadhyay (Swastika Mukherjee).

This movie is a great example of Srijit Mukherjee's ‘treat to watch’ style of filmmaking. The story highlighted a completely different image of the partition of India. A group of prostitutes played by Rituparno Sengupta, Saayoni Ghosh and Sohini Sarkar in this Bengali epic, who refused to leave their brothel for the creation of Radcliffe Line (a boundary demarcation line between India and Pakistan made on 17 August 1947 ). The honest and striking narrative Srijit used earned the film an 'A' certificate. The content he followed, received positive reviews although there were some factual mistakes. Such was the popularity that the renowned director later made this movie in Hindi also as ‘Begum Jaan’ in 2017 where it was Vidya Balan who portrayed the titular role.

The ensemble cast of ‘Autograph’ includes Prosenjit Chatterjee along with Nandana Sen and Indranil Sengupta in lead roles. This melodrama was Sriijit Mukherji’s directorial debut and he made heads turn with his first film. Many believe it was a tribute to Satyajit Ray’s 1966 masterpiece ‘Nayak (actor)’ which had the iconic Bengali superstar Uttam Kumar. Prosenjit Chatterjee was awarded the 2010 MIAAC Best Actor honour for his outstanding acting in this film. ‘Autograph’ also paved the way for a great association between the filmmaker and the veteran actor. The timing couldn’t have been better as Prosenjit was then in between a transition of shifting his focus from commercial potboilers to more artistic films with author-backed roles gradually.