21 Bengali Movie You Won’t Regret Watching

With the rise of OTT platforms, it is getting easier day by day to watch movies in multiple languages. Bengali cinema, with its rich cultural history, has inspired not only people in India but also many across the globe to learn Bengali. Bengali movie is said to be some of the best Indian movies. Once you overcome the barrier of difficulty in reading subtitles you get introduced to a whole range of astounding movies.

It does not come as a surprise that Bengali filmmakers have made a place in the industry with their notable works, especially directors like Satyajit Ray. So why should we limit ourselves to movies made only in the two or three languages we speak? We might have curated a list for you!

Here’s a list of best Bengali movies that you shouldn’t miss out on:

1. Pather Panchali (1955)

This critically acclaimed Bangla movie is known by almost everyone. It is one of the top ten Bengali movies of all time. Directed by the legendary Satyajit Ray, the plot revolves around an impoverished priest Harihar Ray who leaves his rural Bengal village looking for work with dreams of a better life for himself and his family.

IMDb rating: 8.3/10

Genre: Drama

2. Charulata (1964)

Directed by none other than Satyajit Ray again, this Bengali movie has touched the hearts of many. The story is about a lonely wife of a newspaper editor who slowly falls in love with her visiting cousin-in-law, the one who shares her love for literature as well. The movie upheld the importance of human connections.

IMDb rating: 8.1/10

Genre: Drama, Romance

3. Bela Seshe (2015)

Directed by Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee, the plot of this Bangla movie revolves around a married couple, Biswanath Majumdar and Arati Majumdar, who has been together for over 49 years. However, shockingly a few months before their 50th wedding anniversary, Biswanath asks for a divorce from Arati.

IMDb rating: 8.5/10

Genre: Family Drama

4. Rajkahini (2015)

Directed by Srijit Mukherji, this Bengali movie is set in the changing political scenario of India in 1947. Begum Jaan, the mistress of the brothel through which the Radcliffe line that divides East and West Bengal passes, refuses to vacate the building when asked to. She desperately tries to save her business and protect the other occupants of the building.

IMDb rating: 7.2/10

Genre: Drama

5. Aparajito (1956)

Once again directed by none other than Satyajit Ray, this Bengali movie picks up things where it ended in Pather Panchali. The story revolves around Apu’s family after they move to the city of Varanasi from their small village in West Bengal. In Varanasi, Apu’s father falls severely ill and dies, making Apu’s mother resort to working as a maid to feed her children.

IMDb rating: 8.3/10

Genre: Drama

6. Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (1969)

If you are a Bengali movie enthusiast then this movie must be definitely known to you. This timeless classic directed by Satyajit Ray again is a satirical movie that revolves around Goopy and Bagha who get banished from the Kingdom for being poor musicians. However, with their skills, they end up pleasing the King of ghosts who grants them three wishes.

IMDb rating: 8.7/10

Genre: Fantasy

7. Kony (1984)

Directed by Saroj Dey, this famous Bengali movie is based on a book named Kony by Moti Nandi. The story follows a poor girl, a talented swimmer, and her coach, Khidda, and how they overcome several obstacles and put end to social stigmas to participate in the National Swimming Championship.

IMDb rating: 8/10

Genre: Drama

8. Asha Jaoar Majhe (2014)

Directed by Aditya Vikram Sengupta, this film has been critically acclaimed even internationally and won many awards including the National Film Award for Best Audiography.

The Bengali movie revolves around two unnamed characters who are striving to make ends meet in the bustling city of modern Kolkata. The married couple hardly ever see each other because they work opposite shifts and the movie has no dialogue, every message was conveyed by old classic songs in the background.

IMDb rating: 8/10

Genre: Drama

9. Noukadubi (2010)

Directed by the legendary Rituparno Ghosh, this Bengali movie is based on the novel of the same name by Rabindranath Tagore. It is a period drama set in the 1920s.

The plot follows a young law student Ramesh who had his eyes set on Hemnalini but his romance is cut short when his father asks him to marry a widow. Things get worse for him when the newlywed meets with an accident and he realises belatedly that the veiled woman whom he brought home is not his wife.

IMDb rating: 7.7/10

Genre: Romance, Drama

10. Hirak Rajar Deshe (1980)

Directed by Satyajit Ray again, this Bengali movie is the sequel to the 1969 fantasy musical Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne and is rich with political satire. When both Goopy and Bagha get to know about Hirak Raja’s tyranny, they try to get him on the right path with their magical powers and the help of a schoolteacher named Udayan.

IMDb rating: 8.9/10

Genre: Drama

11. Subarnarekha (1965)

Directed by the famous Ritwik Ghatak, this Bengali movie was produced in 1962 but not released until 1965. The plot follows a man, who opposes the love between his sister and the orphan they had adopted years earlier. Ishwar Chakraborty and his younger sister, Sita, deal with drastic changes that they face in their lives after relocating to West Bengal from East Pakistan following the partition of 1947.

IMDb rating: 7.4/10

Genre: Drama

12. Meghe Dhaka Tara (1960)

Directed by Ritwik Ghatak, this old Bengali movie is a heart-wrenching memorabilia of post-partition, poverty-stricken Bengal. The plot follows a kind girl named Neeta who struggles in West Bengal as a refugee from East Bengal and how she is exploited by her family and everyone around her.

IMDb rating: 7.9/10

Genre: Drama

13. Mahanagar (1963)

Once again directed by Satyajit Ray, this movie upheld the social stigmas when it comes to working women. The story revolves around a middle-class woman, Arati, in Kolkata who takes up the job of a salesperson following financial pressure. But things turn sour at home as her husband grows insecure about her increasing success.

IMDb rating: 8.3/10

Genre: Drama

14. Jaatishwar (2014)

Directed by Srijit Mukherji, the Bengali movie Jaatishwar is clearly about reincarnation. When Rohit goes to Portugal to pursue his studies, he falls in love with a Bengali girl and decides to go deep into the roots of Bengali folk music to learn the language to woo her.

IMDb rating: 8/10

Genre: Drama, Musical

15. Sonar Kella (1974)

Directed by Satyajit Ray yet again, this is a part of the Feluda series and is one of the best detective Bengali movie. Private detective Feluda and his cousin Topshe are hired by a troubled man to take care of his child, Mukul, who is in Rajasthan with a parapsychologist looking for a treasure from his past life.

IMDb rating: 8.4/10

Genre: Adventure

16. Baise Srabon (2011)

Directed by Srijit Mukherji, this thriller Bengali movie revolves around an ex-cop who is hired to track down the serial killer that is terrorizing the streets of Kolkata. The serial killer carries out his murders according to Bengali poetry.

IMDb rating: 8.1/10

Genre: Thriller

17. Antaheen (2009)

Directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, this Bengali movie upholds four intertwined stories that showcase various types of human emotions in today’s cluttered Indian society.

IMDb rating: 7.9/10

Genre: Drama

18. Asur (2020)

Directed by Pavel, the story follows an artist, Kigan, who decides to create the world’s largest Durga idol at Deshbandhu Park. However, bruised egos pose a threat to destroy his mammoth endeavor.

IMDb rating: 7/10

Genre: Action Thriller

19. Praktan (2016)

Directed by Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy, the plot of this Bengali movie revolves around Sudipa and Ujaan, a married couple who got separated due to differences in their ideologies but years later, they bump into each other on a train journey from Mumbai to Howrah.

IMDb rating: 7.7/10

Genre: Drama

20. Moner Manush (2010)

Directed by Goutam Ghose, this Bengali movie showcases how Baul was formed. The plot revolves around Lalon, a Bengali poet, and philosopher, whose family abandons him because of an illness. He is rescued by a Muslim community and later on starts a cult called baul.

IMDb rating: 7.9/10

Genre: Music

21. Hemlock Society (2012)

Directed by Srijit Mukherji, this Bengali movie touched the hearts of many. The plot revolves around Ananda, the founder of Hemlock Society, a school that is known to teach how to commit suicide successfully but is actually trying to make people understand that there is more to life.

IMDb rating: 7.5/10

Genre: Drama