Ten legendary comedy actors of Bengali cinema

Bengali cinema has been blessed with some of the finest actors who also excelled in comic avatars. The comic roles they essayed were both hilarious as well as quite subtle. Each of their performances was worth watching again and again. There is no surprise that even after decades, people just love their films. These actors proved that laughter is truly the best and eternal medicine for the human spirit. Here we give you a rundown of some popular comedy kings of Bengali cinema.

Rabi Ghosh was like a master at everything whether he made us laugh or cry with his superb antics. His roles were as powerful as the lead characters. He was the true catalyst to any film’s plot. His breakthrough was in Tapan Sinha's ‘Galpo Holeyo Sotti’, and his role in Satyajit Ray’s ‘Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (1968) became a milestone in his career. ‘Abijan’ (1962), ‘Aranyer Din Ratri’ (1970), ‘Hirak Rajar Deshe’ (1980), ‘Goopy Bagha Phire Elo’ (1991), and ‘Padma Nadir Majhi’ (1993) are some of his memorable movies.

“Masima, malpo khamu.” Bhanu Bandopadhyay made masima’s ‘malpua’ a smashing hit at the box-office! Actually, it was the cult comedy ‘Sare Chuattar’ which made him a household name.

The legendary actor made his stint as a stand-up comedian. Back then, he released his comic gramophone record ‘Dhakar Garoane’ from Dhaka. Despite so much popularity in Bangladesh that time, he decided to try his luck in Kolkata film industry. In 1952, Nirmal Dey’s ‘Basu Parivar’ gave him the fame he always dreamt of. ‘Sare Chuattar’ was released in 1953 and after that he became an unstoppable force in the comedy genre. How can we ever forget his brilliant acting as Miss Priyangbada?

You can’t separate another comedy king from Bhanu Bandopadhyay, the one and only Jahar Roy. The Bhanu-Jahar jodi brought to life some memorable comical performances. Jahar Roy was such an elite actor who used to nail every performance, be it a major role or a supporting one. Kamakhya in ‘Sare Chuattar’, Brajahari in ‘Paras Pathar’, Gobordhon Choudhury in ‘Dhanyee Meye’, Bichitrogupta in ‘Jamalay Jibonto Manush’ or the satirical ‘Mantri Moshai’ – he is literally irreplaceable!

For most of the Bengalees, Santosh Dutta and our beloved Lal Mohan Babu from Satyajit Ray’s two Feluda films are just the same. Although he didn’t appear in too many films, his effortless comical acting left a mark in whichever film he acted in. We all fondly remember ‘Sriman Prithviraj’s history teacher, Professor Noni in ‘Mahaprush’ and obviously the nerdy Abalakanta or Puthibabu in ‘Ogo Bodhu Sundari’.

He is the one and only Tenida AKA Chinmoy. This comic genius with his mere presence brought a smile to the face instantly. How can we ever forget him in those hilarious Bengali classics like ‘Basanta Bilap’ and ‘Dhanyee Meye’? He was also seen in a small role in Satyajit Ray's ‘Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne’, in which he played a spy working for the Minister of Halla.

Another iconic comedy king of Bengali film’s black and white era is Nabadwip Haldar. We all still laugh out loud seeing Madan, the chakor of Annapurna Boarding in ‘Sare Chuattar’. Nawadwip Haldar as the hilarious Madan just nailed the role. His pronunciation of the word ‘Babu’ in an amazingly cackling voice with his big-toothed smile still makes us laugh out loud.

He came, he acted, he won – that’s what Utpal Dutt was. He was the true master of every role. He became one of the greatest assets of global cinema and theatre. Although he is widely known for his hilarious roles in Hindi films like ‘Golmaal’, he was also a chilling villain in Bengali cinema. How can we forget his fabulously riotous characters of Hirak Raja and Sriman Prithviraj’s father-in-law!

A brilliant actor, an iconic comic artist and one of the gems of Bengali cinema – he is the one and only Anup Kumar. Son of the legendary Sisir Kumar Bhaduri, he got his first break as a child artist in Dhiren Ganguly’s film ‘Haalkatha’ (1938). In 1964, he was awarded Best Actor award for his brilliant performance in ‘Palatak’. Anup Kumar is much-admired for his comedic roles in films such as 'Basanto Bilap', 'Mouchak', 'Dadar Kirti', 'Protisodh' and others.

An almost forgotten actor from the black and white era, Nripati Chatterjee used to win our hearts with his hilarious antics. In ‘Dhanyee Meye, he gave a brief but superb performance as Gobardhan mama’s masseur and yes-man. In ‘Miss Priyangbada’, he was Shukobi Bigolito Bandopadhyay who fought against the lovebirds along with mama Haridhan Mukherjee.

Tulsi Chakraborty’s down to earth demeanour and unbelievable comic sense is still unmatched, except for his on-screen competitor Molina Debi. An equally gifted artist, we saw in ‘Sare Chuattar’ how she toppled her on-screen husband’s hilarious acting prowess in every way. They will be always remembered as the most loved couple of Bengali cinema.