Top 4 Bengali Movies Streaming Now

I was going through the news recently, and it was quite disturbing. It was about how Bengali movies are not getting theatres in Bengal. It is somewhat upsetting. I wish more and more people would watch good movies, including Bengali films. With that, here is a list of Bengali films I have watched recently. 

1. Padatik: Mrinal Sen was an institution by himself. Sen's journey commenced in an era of turmoil during the Freedom Movement. The movie by Srijit Mukherji sheds light on the filmmaker's early rise, who liked to call himself a comrade until his last days. The beginning included the actors, Korak Samntha and Chanchal Choudhury, who played the younger and mature Sen, respectively, introducing themselves and explaining how they were chosen for the roles. The sequences, resembling Sen's film, Interview, were quite interesting, as they featured the actors speaking to the camera while commuting on public transport. Here, one interesting thing to note was how Samantha, a young, relatively new actor, sought constant approval from the director between the introductory shots, while the acclaimed, award-winning Choudhury was comfortable with his introduction. Yet both very openly confessed their drawbacks.  

As a biopic, it was interesting to see that the film focused entirely on Sen's career advancement as a filmmaker. Even his personal life and his observations- the conversations with his wife and friends- worked as inspiration in his life, which were later used in his movies. These moments of real-life observation and cinematic shots (real footage from his films) were seamlessly blended by the director.  Chanchal Choudhury is outstanding in every aspect, and so is Monami Ghosh as Sen's better half, Geeta Sen. Korak Samantha has done a great job in portraying the various nuances of the younger Sen. A scene where he breaks down before the mirror, in his inability to make movies and take up a job, is quite impressive. Although the film was released in 2024, I got a chance to watch it now. The conversations between Sen and Ray, again played brilliantly by Jeetu, are quite enjoyable. It is streaming on Zee5.

2. Dhumketu: This film by Kaushik Ganguly had been in the news long before its release because of the return of the very popular Dev-Subhashree on-screen pair. 

It's a hard-hitting story of a man who has to flee his house on account of false murder charges. A sequence of events leads him to join a dreaded terrorist organisation. And he returns years later to seek shelter in his best friend's house. The film then focuses on his reconnection with his family, wife and other important people in his life, under a disguise. It's interesting to see how the director, within a thriller, has brought out the deep emotional turmoil the man faces when he cannot reveal his identity to his family. Dev has again given a great performance. But it is Rudraneil Ghosh who steals the entire show for me. The moments when his terrorist friend releases his frustration by making him dance, play joker and then almost strangle him- his constant changes in physical and emotional expressions were performed brilliantly by Ghosh. More than Dev and Shubhashree's romantic chemistry, what stood out was the chemistry of friendship between Bhanu (Dev) and Jogesh (Rudraneil). It is streaming on Zee5.

3. Saptadingar Guptodhon: If last summer was Eken Babu's, this summer belonged to Sonada, Bengal's Indiana Jones. Yes, he is back to embark on his 4th adventure with Abir and Jhinuk. This time, he is actually kidnapped to find the treasure of Pratapaditya, the king of Bengal. The backstory of the seven boats full of treasures and the outcome are quite interesting. I am unaware of the historical truth, but it sounded good. The visuals are heavily reliant on graphics, especially during the treasure hunt. Some of the sequences are quite exciting. Overall, the film is an entertaining family watch.

Abir Chatterji as Sonada is cool, and so is Arjun Chakrabarty as Abir. It is always pleasant to watch Ishaa Saha on screen. But this time, Rajatava Dutta as Dasanan Daw takes the limelight for what he does best: scaring with his stale humour. Directed by Dhrubo Banerjee, it is streaming on Hoichoi.

4. Nibba Nibbi: I had watched a few of director Tathagata Mukherji's short films long before. Last year I watched Pariya and enjoyed watching it. This year he is back with an absolutely new twist. The movie Nibba-Nibbi is a crazy action thriller about an absolutely eccentric couple, driven by an adrenaline rush, impulse, rage and uncomfortable profanity. Not going into the good or bad, I have never seen something like this in Bengali films before. Some scenes remind you loosely of Natural Born Killers. ( the diner scene)

Deva and Paro kidnap a businessman, and the trio embarks on a bloody journey by car. The constant chase by the police and by Deva's father's goon compels them to commit more crimes and massacres wherever they go. One by one, more interesting characters come forth: a lovelorn elderly ex-husband, a fading film star and his abused secretary and finally a sinister cannibal. It is a full madness of 2 hours-full of gore, violence and profanity. The pair of Deva and Paro (a violent version of Devdas and Paro) is played convincingly by Rishabh Basu and Souraseni Mitra. I would love to watch them in an out-and-out romantic film. In the other roles, Shankar Chakraborty and Shantilal Mukherji do a great job. Zee 5 is high on blood and violence these days. 

I am yet to watch Prajapati 2, so I cannot say much about it.