7 international award-winning Bengali films you shouldn’t miss

For a long time, Bengali films had the reputation of just being commercial potboilers without hard-hitting substance. Yes, it's true Bengali films had a tendency to stick to those stereotypes, but there are also so many instances when these movies churned out things that not only rose beyond expectations but also took world cinema by surprise. Here is a list of 7 Bengali films that won both awards and international acclaim.

‘Pather Panchali’ (A Song of the Little Road) marked Satyajit Ray’s debut as a director. This masterpiece from Ray is a social drama inspired by a famous novel of the same name, by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay. The film plots a young boy, Apu from a poor family and his daily life in a rural Indian village. The film was produced by the then West Bengal government as the legendary filmmaker ran out of money after only shooting half the movie. 'Pather Panchali' happens to be the first film in ‘The Apu Trilogy’.

One of Satyajit Ray 's finest works, 'Aparajito' won a hand full of awards at that time – Golden Lion at 1957 Venice, Berlin and Cannes Film Fest, it also received the Cinema Nuovo Award and the FIPRESCI Critics Award. Ray grabbed the Golden Gate awards for Best Picture and Best Director at San Francisco International Film Fest in 1958.

‘Aparjito’ (The Unvanquished), the second film in ‘The Apu Trilogy’, closely follows Apu’s family. After Apu’s father Harihar’s demise Sarabjaya works as a maid. In the meantime, Apu grabs a scholarship to go to school. Despite being sad, Sarbajaya sends Apu to Calcutta. He eventually settles in there and starts working for a printing press. Back in the Bengal village, a lonely Sarabjaya becomes seriously ill. Soon, Apu hears the news but when he visits his mother it is too late.

‘Apur Sansar’ (The World of Apu) is the final film in Ray’s ‘The Apu Trilogy’. It won Satyajit Ray 3 international awards – Best Original and Imaginative Film at the 1960 London Film Fest, Diploma of Merit at 1960 Edinburgh International Film Fest and Best Foreign Film declared by National Board of Review Awards (US). It also received a nomination for Best Film at 1962 BAFTA Awards.

The cult classic sees jobless Apu, aspiring to become a writer, marries Aparna and returns to Calcutta. But his wife dies while giving birth to their son and he believes the child responsible for his wife's death. He then leaves his child to his maternal grandparents and starts his journey as a traveller. An old friend reaches out to a vagabond Apu convincing him to get back to his son. Finally, the father and son reunite.

‘Kharij’ (Case is Closed), directed by Mrinal Sen, revolves around the accidental death of an underage servant, and the effect it had on the couple who had hired him. The tragic drama won Mrinal Sen two international honour - Special Jury Prize at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival and Golden Spike Award at Valladolid International Film Fest.

The 1982 Bengali classic featuring Anjan Dutt and Mamata Shankar in the lead, doesn’t accuse anyone, rather dramatically brings out a class divide. The deceased boy's father, Hari always seats himself deferentially on the ground and has no capacity for anger and remains respectful to the upper class even after his son’s shocking death

Despite a below average domestic box office collection, Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s directorial debut ‘Asha Jaoar Majhe’ (Labour of Love) received accolades abroad. It won three awards in the Best Film, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay categories at the New York Indian Film Fest. Aditya also won the Best Director of a Debut Film award at the Venice International Film Festival and Best Director award at Marrakech Film International Fest.

A life that Sengupta narrates in the film focuses on the daily rituals of a man and a woman (Ritwick Chakraborty and Basabdutta Chatterjee), both at home and work, capturing every fine detail. Every move, every reaction, detail make the hypnotic quality of the film a class apart.

This Aparna Sen directorial won the Golden Eagle – Best Feature Film Award at 1982 Cinemanila International Film Fest (Philippines). Jennifer Kendal won the Best Actress Award at the Evening Standard British Film Awards for her outstanding performance in ‘36 Chowringhee Lane’.

The film drives us into the world of an aged Anglo-Indian teacher Violet Stoneham (Jennifer Kendal). Dhritiman Chatterjee portrayed the unusual character of author Samaresh Maitra, who is also the boyfriend of Nandita (Debashree Roy), Violet’s ex-student. Together, they use the Anglo-Indian teacher's home for their own interest and ultimately leave her alone when she wants to celebrate her friendship with the pair. Even as an opportunistic and struggling author, the versatile actor won many a heart.

Indranil Roychoudhury’s directorial debut ‘Phoring’ won the Vincent Ward prize at the 17th Shanghai International Film Festival in 2014.

It’s a wonderful narration of adolescent dreams that manage to create a stir worldwide with its universal statement as it openly deals with masturbation, nightfall and other male fantasies. Phoring, a curious boy in the film, helps us understand adolescence more precisely. It brings back the moments of our lives that we have willfully forgotten. In ‘Phoring’, the boy tries to make peace with his awakening sexuality and his disturbed life at the same time.