Posts

I am Proud of You, Girl!

By
Image
It was 7 in the morning, I opened the door to get the milk packet from the bag, hanging from the latch. As I reached out to get it, I was startled to find an envelope, neatly sealed. It bore my name and address but there was no stamp. I assumed it was delivered by courier. I kept it on top of the shoerack, next to the door and went on to finish my chores, my daughter  had her school and since my husband was out of station now, I would have to drop her at 7:30. The day went by and I entirely forgot about the envelope. It was only in the evening, after I returned from my walk, it caught my sight and I immediately grabbed it. I tore it open and got absolutely jawstuck. Oh, is it some kind of a joke? Is someone playing a prank with me? Is it my daughter, who often plays kiddish pranks with me, but not to this extent. Then who can it be?  The reason for these stream of questions and possibilities clouding my mind was due to the queer content of the letter. It read: Dear Reubenna, Before you
Post a Comment
Read more

5 Classic Hindi Films Adapted from Bengali Novels

By
Image
I have never watched Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas, in fact I have not watched any film based on this iconic novel by Saratchandra Chattopadhyay, except for Dev D ( I loved the positive ending). This Sunday, when my husband took charge of the kitchen and explored his way into making the perfect Kolkata Style Biriyani, ( he dons the cap of being the better chef) I had enough time to ponder over the other things in life. Then I started to think what are the novels from which movies have been made in Hindi. The first name that came to my mind was Devdas. So today I am going to list a few Hindi Classic films adapted from Bengali novels that I would love to watch. 1. Devdas (1955): I would definitely love to watch this film with Dilip Kumar playing the titular role. I have chosen this instead of the 2002 version because I felt the originality of the novel might be kept intact in this version. Another reason are the lead actors in the film- Dilip Kumar, I mean who better than the Traged
Post a Comment
Read more

Enjoy this Diwali with 5 Spooky Bengali Films for Kids

By
Image
Isn't this such an incredible year? With Diwali and Halloween falling on the same day, what can get more exciting for the kids!! So, I was wondering if I can prepare a Spooky Treat for the kids with a list of Kid's Horror films from Bengal. Without much drags and brags, let's get into it. Top 5 Spooky Bengali Films for Kids to watch this Diwali 1. Jekhane Bhooter Bhoy ( 2012) : An anthology of 3 incredible short horror stories by Satyajit Ray and Saradindu Bandopadhyay, this film is made as a narration of Tarini Khuro, a character from Ray's children's stories. Directed by Sandip Ray, the film has an ensemble cast of Paran Bandopadhyay, Abir Chatterji. Saswata Chatterji and many more. My favourite among the 3 stories is Bhoot O Bhabishyat, because of the hilarious conversations of the 2 leads, played to perfection by Paran Bandopdhay and Saswata Chatterji. This film is spookily entertaining for kids. 2. Bhooter Bhabishyat (2012):  Considered as one of the best satir
2 comments
Read more

Mushy Mushrooms, Mini Macaroons & 5 Whodunnit Murder Mysteries to Watch on My Breakfast Plate

By
Image
As the mother of a fourth-grade student, my mornings start at 5:30 a.m. daily. Making breakfast and setting up lunchboxes keep me occupied during those hours and since I like to keep it simple for breakfasts, they generally get quite boring, with either bread toasts or chapattis. (common story of a lot of moms). Sometimes our wishes can go to an extravaganza and the longing for a due break with a lavish breakfast consisting of some creamy- buttery mushy mushrooms sprinkled with roasted garlic, some berry-flavoured mini macaroons and to top it all a thrilling, chilling old-fashioned Whodunnit Murder Mystery Movie playing on TV just makes things perfect. Sounds like quite a plateful right? Since we have already made a grand plan of how my breakfast plate is going to look, let's narrow down the list of Murder Mystery movies that can be included in my watchlist. 1. Knives Out (2019): Imagine digging your fork into a plateful of yummy creamy mushrooms, tuning into Daniel
19 comments
Read more

Top 5 Feel-Good Bengali Films with A Message

By
Image
Keeping up with the festive mood, today I am going to write about several movies that have been able to positively affect the viewer's minds. These films are not only entertaining but also convey valuable messages with a subtle and soft approach. Here are a few Bengali films that I have found to fall under the category of Feel-Good movies. 1. Ramdhanu (2014): Much before English Medium this film raised the question of a common middle-class family's struggles to get their child admitted to a reputed English-medium school. The film is a light-hearted eye opener, that never fails to get monotonous due to its spontaneous screenplay and noteworthy performances by Shibprasad Mukherji and Gargi Roy Chowdhury as the couple. The scenes of the child's admission interview that ultimately becomes the interview of his parents, are hilarious. Rachana Banerji in the role of the kind-hearted teacher is very lovable.  2. Haami (2018): Shibaprasad Mukherji and Gargi Roy Chowdhury team up a
Post a Comment
Read more

Top 7 Bengali Family Films to watch this Festive Season

By
Image
Exams are over, and festivities are on. We are all indulging in savoury food and spending fun-filled moments with our near and dear ones. It is a great time to catch up on some good entertaining family films that the kids can enjoy. Today I have tried to make a list of films that are light-hearted and can be enjoyed by the whole family alike.  1. Hirer Angti (1992): Adapted from noted author Shirshendu Mukherji's story of the same name, this movie is acclaimed director Rituporno Ghosh's first directorial venture. The film, just as the story goes, has multiple characters. A stranger visits a house that has a lot of inmates and makes friends with a kid from the family. A diamond ring that belongs to the family is the main attraction of the story, The film is simple, a bit slow for today's time but the overall feel is quite nice. Every time the stranger appears the tune of Rabindranath's song, "Sarate aj kon Atithi"(Who is this guest at autumn) plays in the back
Post a Comment
Read more

Top 7 Bengali Movies on Mental Health

By
Image
Mental Health has been a matter of neglect for many years. Those who were going through mental health issues had mostly been subjected to either inhuman treatment or discarded by families. They were called crazy, lunatic, insane and so on. It is good to see that in recent years people have identified issues of mental health and have started giving importance to that. There are many instances where people with serious mental health issues have been treated and have been made fit to lead a normal life. Since I write about movies in particular, I was trying to brainstorm a few Hollywood films that have dealt with mental health as a topic. The 1st 2 names that come to my mind are A Beautiful Mind and Silver Linings Playbook. When we think we can find countless. However, as a Bengali Film enthusiast, I tried to recall and find out Bengali films that have been made on Mental Health. Interestingly there are quite a few ones, and surprisingly some of them belong to the era where the topic of m
14 comments
Read more