Top 10 Popular Bengali Movies on Friendship

Before I begin, a Happy Friendship Day to all my readers. Hope you have plans with your friends and other friendly people in your life. Today, I wanted to write about a few Bengali films that have won the hearts of millions over the ages by portraying the importance of friendship through thick and thin, differences and goof-ups.

Here are my picks:

1. Basanta Bilap: One of the funniest movies ever made in Bengal, this movie is about a group of bachelor men, living opposite a working women's hostel. Both groups cannot stand each other, and mostly pit against each other, either to ridicule or to demean the other. However, through a series of mishappenings, situations change for the better. 

Directed by Dinen Gupta, the movie stars Soumitra Chatterji and Aparna Sen in lead roles, alongside an incredible supporting cast of Rabi Ghosh, Anup Kumar, Chinmay Roy and Sumitra Mukherji. This movie is a laugh riot. The music by Sudhin Dasgupta is amazing.

2. Aranyer Din Ratri: 4 friends leave for a trip to the jungles, where they meet a family and befriend them. Their individual lifestyle, internal struggles, and insecurities are revealed through the conversations and the activities that follow. 

One of Satyajit Ray's most acclaimed feature films, it has an impeccable cast of Soumitra Chatterji, Sharmila Tagore, Shubhendu Chatterjee, Samit Bhanja, Rabi Ghosh and Simi Garwal. A song by actor Pahari Sanyal still lingers in our minds, "Se Dake Amare".

3. Abar Aranye: Directed by Sandip Ray, this film was the second part of Aranyer Dinratri. Three of the four friends meet again in the same forest, accompanied by their respective families. They reminisce about the past and grieve their friend's loss. Meanwhile, their respective family members have their own struggles, which come to light. It stars Tabu, Saswata Chatterji, Jishhu Sengupta, Soumitra Chatterji, Samit Bhanja, Sharmila Tagore, Shubhendu Chatterji and Rupa Ganguly

The movie is slow-paced with some very touching conversations and heartwarming moments.

4. Ami Aar Amar Girlfriends: This is one rare film where the importance of female friendship was shown. 3 friends have their own lives, but they make sure to meet each other through every difficulty they face, share their problems, and try to fix them. The movie, directed by Mainak Bhowmick, is a mix of various emotions with some funny twists.

The film has Swastika Mukherji, Raima Sen, Parno Mitra, Neel Mukherji, Rahul Banerjee, and Vikram Chatterji.

5. Teen Ekke Teen: Another movie on female friendship, this movie is about 3 friends, of different age groups from very different backgrounds, who join hands to start a pickle business. Since their funds are low, they decide to rob a bank with solid planning. 

Starring Sreelekha Mitra, Nilanjana Bhowmick, Konineeca Banerjee, Saswata Chatterji, Badsha Moitra, and Kushal Chakraborty, this film, directed by Moloy Bhattacharya, is an entertaining comedy of errors.

6. Teen Yaari Katha: The director duo of Sudeshna Roy and Abhijit Guha made this film at a time when people hardly took notice of it; until much later, it became very popular on YouTube. It is about 3 friends who share a rented room and try to make a living. Through mischiefs and failures, they maintain their philanthropic pursuits, despite being shunned by everyone.

Parambrata Chatterji, Rudraneil Ghosh, and Neel Banerji play the three friends, and each gives their best in their respective roles.

7. Hawa Bodol: This movie, directed by Parambrata Chatterji, has him and Rudraneil Ghosh playing 2 friends, who, being fed up with their lives, wish to exchange theirs. And once they do that, things turn out to be much more complicated than they assumed.

It is a cute film, and the second part was released much later.

8. Katmundu: This is a big screen adaptation of a TV film, Ek Chut by Raj Chakraborty. The cast was different, barring Rudranil Ghosh, who played the same character in both versions. 

           

3 friends, tired of their corporate lives, escape on a trip to Darjiling by lying to their boss. They encounter some troublesome situations when they discover that their boss is also there with his girlfriend. Abir Chatterji, Soham Chakraborty and Rudranil Ghosh star in this film, along with Srabanti Chatterji, Mimi Chakraborty and Saswata Chatterji.

9. Open Tee Bioscope: Directed by Anindya Chatterji, this film is one of the best at portraying coming-of-age friendship. Starring Riddhi Sen, Dhe Majumdar, Surangana Banerjee, Rwitobrata Mukherjee, Biswanath Bose, Rajatava Datta, Sudipta Chakraborty, and Kaushik Sen, this movie tells the story of Fowara and his friends, their escapades, lessons, and adventures.

The movie features powerful performances from all the cast members. The music is very entertaining too.

10. Chalo Let's Go: A story of 4 friends who open a travel service together, and on their first trip, along with passengers, they come across different challenges. Directed by Anjan Dutt, the movie stars Saswata Chatterji, Parambrata Chatterji, Rudranil Ghosh and Ritwick Chakraborty in the lead roles. The movie is pleasant to watch, with every character going through their own thoughts while their trip faces mixed challenges. The performances of all the actors remain close to the heart.

Neil Dutt's music is the icing on the cake. A must-watch.