5 Bengali Adventure Films

The budget of Bengali films is often quite challenging. So makers generally stick to stories of common people where the set-up can be done within a meagre budget. That is why we have not seen many adventure films in the Bengali film industry. However, in recent years, the trend has changed, and nowadays, filmmakers are taking risks in exploring new locations and, if not, the help of special effects to create such locations and scenes, which is equally expensive. Here are a few adventure films that have been made recently and have won the hearts of cine-goers. 

1. Kakababu Series: One of the major reasons that our childhood Durga Puja vacation was special was because of the yearly Pujabarshiki magazines. The adventures of Kakababu by Sunil Gangopadhyay were among the most interesting tales in those magazines, and as a child, I used to wait every year for his new adventure. Director Srijit Mukherjee has brought nostalgia to today's generation with his Kakababu film series. Prosenjit Chattopadhyay plays the lead role of Raja Roy Choudhury, Kakababu, and Aryan Bhowmick as his nephew/assistant Shantu. There are 3 films in the series - Mishawr Rahasya, Yeti Obhijan and Kakababur Protyaborton. Prasenjit, as Kakababu, has done full justice as the retired Director of the Archeological Department who had lost a leg during one of his missions. Aryan, as Shantu is cute and lovable. The 3rd film, Kakababur Protyaborton, is, in my opinion, the most interesting one, in which the duo explores Africa. The wildlife moments were quite intense and scary. We look forward to more adventures in Kakababu and Shantu.

2. Shankar Series: One of the most read and early adventure books in Bengali literature was Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's Chander Pahar. I remember it being a Rapid reading Bengali book in standard 2. It was a favourite amongst all the students and when superstar Dev brought back the story to celluloid, we were excited. With modest special effects and being filmed in Africa as the story's narrative, the film has become quite successful at the box office. Kudos to Dev for the effort, which definitely was honest and heartfelt. Although the image of Bunip, the imaginary animal, was hilarious, I liked his performance as Shankar, the fearless and athletic Bengali boy who leaves no stone unturned if he sniffs adventure. As a producer, he took a second chance to extend Shankar's adventures through Amazon Adventure. This was a much-improved effort in terms of special effects. Although Chander Pahar was a stand-alone book and Shankar did not go for any other adventure, I think as an enthusiast of Bengali films, I would love makers to explore more, as Dev did with a Shankar series, to attract cine-goers. 

3. Guptodhon Series: Professor Suborno Sen, an acclaimed History professor at Oxford, often visits his home in Kolkata and goes to places in Bengal that have prominent historical significance, especially some hidden treasures. He gets the enjoyable company of Abir, his cousin and Jhinuk, who is Abir's fiancee. Abir Chatterji as Sonada is incredibly good, so is Arjun Chakrabarty as Abir. We get a feel of Indiana Jones during the adventures. There is plenty of Bangaliana in the film, with some wonderful old mansions and much of Bengal's history. Abir looks dapper in every frame, and Arjun adds to the comedic relief, even in tense situations. Ishaa Saha, as Jhinuk is smart and confident. Her bitter-sweet tet-e-tet with her fiance is very cute. There are 3 films in the series- Guptodhoner Sondhane, Durgeshgarer Guptodhon and Karnasubarner Guptodhon. All the 3 movies are equally entertaining. and it is getting better day by day, making the audience wait for more of Sonada. 

4. Jawker Dhan series: Jawker Dhan series was one of Bengali literature's most popular adventure series. Written by Hemendra Kumar Roy, the story is set upon the adventures of Bimal and Kumar, 2 friends ready to explore the world for their thirst for adventure. There are 2 films based on the adventure- Jawker Dhan and SagarDwipey Jawker Dhan. I watched the first film, which was a humble effort from the makers. Despite good actors like Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Rahul Banerjee in lead roles, the film lacked in many areas. The 2nd film had Gourab Chakrabarty and Koel Mullick, along with Parambrata. I have not watched the film but would love to watch it.

5. Alinagarer Golokdhadha: I was unaware of the release of this film till I watched it on TV a few days back. It stars my favourite actor of Bengal, Anirban Bhattacharya as Sohom, a research student whose main interest lies in Bengal's rich history. He, along with his friend Brishti, goes on a mission to solve some riddles and find the sword of Siraj-Ud-Dullah. The film is made by the same director, Sayantan Ghoshal, who directed the Jawker Dhan films, but I found this movie much smarter and more interesting in its take. The performances were also good. I am unsure how it fared at the BO, but it was a good movie.