6 Bengali Comedy Films to Watch

There was a time when Bengali films used to be loved by almost everyone, both the masses and the intellectuals. That was the Golden era of the Bengali film industry, spanning between the 50s and 70s. From the mid-80s, the downfall of Bengali movies started abruptly with too many mediocre ventures, and this continued till the 2000s, with innumerable remakes of Telegu and Tamil films. Although there were a few exceptions, most good films got shadowed by the so-called "Masala movies". One of the major reasons for the success of old Bengali films was because of the effortless comedic presence of a few actors of that era in most films. There were many successful comedy films by noted comedians like Bhanu Bandopadhyay and Jahar Roy. Even Satyajit Roy roped in comedy actor Tulsi Chakraborty as the main lead in his satirical comedy, Parash Pathar. Tapan Sinha's Golpo Holeo Sattyi, starring comedian Robi Ghosh is still considered one of the best comedies of Bengali films. From the late 2000s this trend of Masala potboilers started to decline, making way for a new type of cinema in Bengal, that directors like Rituporno Ghosh and Anjan Dutt had been working on. This was a blessing for the industry as most people started to accept these movies. These films were mostly original, with good stories and relatable performances. Above all, they were entertaining and appreciated by both the masses and the intellectuals. Cringe, in the name of comedy, was replaced by some nice hearty laughter moments. Today I am listing some comedy films that I have watched and found quite entertaining. 

1. Teen Yaari Katha (2012): Three friends, struggling with livelihood and their individual fights, share a room and bond over their far-fetched dreams. One is the shy good boy, one a goofy no-gooder and another mischievous but with a heart of gold. The film focuses on their individual journey and the moments when they come together for the betterment of others, who largely consider them as absolute failures. The trio of Parambrata Chatterji, Sujan Mukherjee (Neel) and Rudranil Sengupta gives us a very entertaining film. It was released at a time when Bengal was going through the South-remake fever, and got unnoticed by most. However, it became known later, mostly through YouTube and was appreciated by most. Director duo Sudeshna Roy and Abhijit Guha, who has made many entertaining TV movies are the directors of this film. 

2. Jamai Elo Ghore (2019): Zee 5 has some good Bengali content. However, they hardly publicize it. One of the most effortless comedies that I have seen in the past 10 years has to be this film. Sabyasachi Chakrabarty stars in this film along with Samadarshi Dutta and Ridhima. The film is about a retired individual who had toiled most of his life at office and therefore had planned a certain kind of life after retirement where he would make the most out of his time in doing whatever he likes to do. He gets her daughter married and has plans of his own to spend quality time with his wife with whom he could hardly romance due to responsibilities. But everything is ruined when his son-in-law, who he is not very fond of, decides to come and stay with him. Sabyasachi steals the show in the entire film. This is a must-watch family entertainer by Sudeshna Roy-Abhijit Guha.

3. Teen Ekke Teen (2006): 3 women of different age groups form an inseparable friendship. One is a wife of a miser, another hockey player who gets married to a singer, much to her dislike and the other a wannabe entrepreneur. The 3 come together to raise money for their pickle company and decide to rob a bank. This whole thing becomes a huge mess and everything go out of their hands. Sreelekha Mitra, Konineeka Banerjee and Nilanjana Bhowmik star in this hotch-potch comedy. 

4. Goray Gondogol (2012): Director Aniket Chatterji is a well-known name when it comes to comedies. His films remind me of Priyadarshan, where one comes to see many characters who end up in messy and funny situations. This comedy of errors is about a man who is set to marry the lady of his love, but her father has only one condition that his son-in-law should be from a very noted family with elaborate heritage. Our man, an orphan, seeks the help of some anti-socials, and they team up to form that ideal family.  The film stars popular actors like Rajatava Dutta, Kharaj Mukherjee, Locket Chatterji and Rahul Banerji. 

5. Kutmundu (2015): 3 colleagues, tired of their monotonous work life, lie to their boss and go on a trip to Kathmandu. Hell breaks loose when their boss also arrives there, at the same hotel where they are staying. The film stars Abir Chatterji, Soham and Rudranil Ghosh as the trio, along with Saswata Chatterji, Srabanti and Mimi. Rudranil gives us some really funny moments and although the film loses the initial pace at the ending, still it does not fail to entertain.

6. Bibaho Obhijan (2019): 2 friends are absolutely exhausted by their work and family life and go out together for a trip, lying to their wives, only to be kidnapped by a gang of robbers, led by Bullet Singh. Ankush and Rudranil Ghosh star as the 2 friends, and it was quite surprising to see Anirban Bhattacharya in his very new comedy Avtar as Bullet Singh. His performance was a laugh riot and very deserving of the WBFJA award that he received for it.