Classic old-school Bengali comedies to make you ROFL!

The golden era of Bengali cinema gave us some of the greatest comedy films that never fail to impress. No matter how many times one watches, the essence of these comedy masterpieces is such that laughter flows freely with every watch and the amusement stays for long. You may find some of these formulaic but you would also find yourself in these characters and stories. Here we have tried to sum up the Kohinoors among the infinite gems. Scroll down to have a look at these Bengali romantic comedies which you can’t just miss out!

This was the period when Uttam Kumar was intentionally passing on the baton to younger generation. But in ‘Mouchak’ despite a handsome Ranjit Mullick catches the limelight, its still Uttam Kumar who creates larger impression. The legendary actor taught how to make the audiences laugh even with simple performance. It’s one of the rare occasions when the famous comic trio of Robi-Anup-&-Chinmoy acted together and Chinmoy perhaps overshadowed the other two. Arabinda Mukherjee, who already gave the other masterpiece 'Dhanni Meye' (1971), once again showed his mastery over this comedy genre.

This superhit comedy directed by Nirmal Dey had legendary actors like Tulsi Chakraborty, Molina Devi, Bhanu, Jahar and to add to the list the most loved couple of Bengali cinema, Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen. The story revolves around a boarding house. The boarders are quite friendly apart from an elderly boarder known as Rajanibabu. The comic turn of incidents start as soon as a boarder called Rampriti (Uttam Kumar) and the only woman boarder (Suchitra) fall in love with each other. How these events take place with so much comedy is a treat for every movie lover.

It’s one of the classics that Bengali comedy genre has ever produced. ‘Galpa Holeo Satyi’ is hilarious at the same time comes with a strong social message. Directed by one of the finest directors of Bengal Tapan Sinha, the film had one of industries comic geniuses Rabi Ghosh. It even makes people laugh loud, some of whom born after Rabi Ghosh died. Several Indian languages have seen its remake, the most famous was Bollywood hit 'Bawarchi' starring Rajesh Khanna and Jaya Bhadhuri.

You would be a very rare person from West Bengal if you haven’t watched this universally loved film. Satyajit Ray penned the script of this romantic comedy. The story is about the accidental exchange of similar looking suitcases during a train journey. The protagonists Soumitra Chatterjee and Aparna Sen just amazed everyone with their brilliant onscreen chemistry and eventually became cinematic legends.

Chhadmabeshi, the evergreen Bengali classic, with its awesome comedy situations would make you watch the film any day. This film will never get old for the Bengali movie lovers. It’s a romantic comedy flick which still attracts us. Uttam Kumar at his innocent best and Madhabi Mukherjee’s cuteness mesmerizes everyone. The film was remade in Hindi by Hrishikesh Mukherjee named ‘Chupke Chupke’ and it also became a Box Office hit. Dharmendra was seen in Uttam Kumar’s role in this version. Madhabi Mukherjee’s part was portrayed by Sharmila Tagore.

It was the last film of Uttam Kumar. Directed by Salil Dutta, ‘Ogo bodhu sundari’ released after the Bengali Matinee idol’s demise. The film starts with his easy charm that makes us laugh out loud. As his quarrelsome wife, Sumitra too holds the narrative strong. However, it’s Mousumi Chatterjee as Sabitry steals the show. Ranjit Mullick, Haradhan Banerjee and Santosh Dutta all have shined in their respective roles. Dialogues from this film are memorable, such as "ami jate matal,tale thik"(i am drunk, but careful of my steps).

Charmurti is a 1978 Bengali classic directed by Umanath Bhattacharya and famous for having comedy legends Chinmoy Roy, Rabi Ghosh, Santosh Dutta together. It’s basically a great comedy adventure in the wilderness. The adventures of 4 high school students – Teni, Kabla, Pala and Habul will give you so much fun. The four visit Ramgarh to enjoy their vacation in the bungalow of Jhantipahar and the mysterious atmosphere, the ugly housekeeper, and few unnatural incidents ultimately condense the mysterious narrative.

This one is a laugh a riot which never gets old. Two men of 'Jaam Raaj', the God of deads, carries Sidhu (Bhanu Bandyopadhyay) to the jamaloy (the abode of Jaam) mistaking him as a corpse. Sidhu enters the hell alive and changes the decorum of heaven with his revolutionary ideas. He accuses Jaam Raaj and his assistant Chitragupta for being biased to the rich, banishes them from their place, gives the dancers in Indra's court a lesson on present-day dance style, visits lord Shiva and manages to get his dead lover back to life with the blessing of Lord Vishnu.

This adaptation of William Shaespeare's "Comedy of Errors" is a classic example of the finest performances of legendary actors like Uttam Kumar, Sabitri Chatterjee and Bhanu Bandyopadhyay. Unaware of the existence of their identical twins, a merchant and his servant visit a new place and multiple confusions start to arise. Two pairs of twins and all the drama that pop up spontaneously will keep you and your family glued to the TV screen.

Even after years of release, Basanta Bilap remains the most favourite rom-com of Bengali audience. The story revolves around the girls living in a mess named 'Basanta Bilap' and their rivalry with the young men in the same area. While Anuradha (Aparna Sen) the leader of the girls and Shyam (Soumitra Chatterjee) seek for exclusive ways to avenge each other, their friends fall in love with the girls and guys of the enemy camp.