As the lockdown days are becoming a matter of restlessness for most of the common man, while some others are happy exploring their insights. The days of a competitive world has come to a halt and people are getting some ‘me-time’. And when I say ‘me-time’, it includes your family too. C’mon! 21 days at home, you can’t just stay solo. With Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hotstar, the world movies are just on your finger-tips. But wait, you are still missing something. ‘Hoichoi’ is stocked with some of the classic, mysterious and ruritanian stories that one should surely watch.
Chokher Bali (2003): An award-winning Bengali movie directed by Rituparno Ghosh in 2003. Chokher Bali is based on the novel ‘Chokher Bali’ written by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. The movie stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Binodini and Raima Sen as Ashalata. Both these characters refer each other, as the title suggest, Chokher Bali (someone that hurts your eyes). The other major characters are played by Prosenjit Chatterjee, Lily Chakravorty, Tota Roy Choudhury and Swastika Mukherjee. The disarrayed lives between deceit and adultery is well portrayed by flawless actors.
Buno (2018): Directed by Ahira Mazumdar, this Bengali horror short of 21 minutes is enough to send chills in your spine. The plot shows a man who moves to a jungle with his family. A herd of elephant in a nearby village caused havoc by destroying the properties of the village. So, the government calls him to help expel those elephants from the village to the jungle. Hence, he leaves his wife and daughter at the bungalow amidst the forest and goes for his job. The paranormal incidences of that night and the next day is something that will leave your jaws stuck.
Charitraheen (2018): Directed by Debaloy Bhattacharya, Chartitraheen is based on the novel of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. The web series is based on immorality and infidelity. Based on today’s time, all the characters are portrayed as ‘characterless’ or ‘charitraheen’. The main aim of the series is to take the viewers to a place where there are no barriers of judgement.
Sweater (2019): A Bengali drama, directed by Shieladitya Maulik, the movie revolves around ‘Tuku’, a simple girl whose parents are worried as she doesn’t have any qualities and it’s getting difficult to get her married. The movie carries forward with lot of drama and love issues. Although, with questionable logic, it can be considered as a feel-good movie. Nevertheless, one of the song that will stay in your heart forever is ‘Preme Pora Baron’ by Lagnajita Chakraborty. The song has already won millions of hearts and so will win yours too.
Pather Pachali (1955): A Bengali language drama written and directed by Satyajit Ray, this is a story based on the novel written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. This critically acclaimed movie depicts the tour of a family in the quest for a better future amidst the sheer poverty. The movie is one of its kind as it not only shows the realistic human condition back in early 20th Century of Bengal, but also shows the struggle, strength and spirit to triumph all the obstacles for love and affection for the close ones.
Apur Sansar (1959): The golden age of international art-house film began with Satyajit Ray’s ‘Apu Triology’ comprising of ‘Pather Pachali, Aparajito and Apur Sansar (The World of Apu)’. Apur Sansar was released in 1959 and was based on the story of Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. This award winning movie was the last among the ‘Triology’. The movie is about Apurba Kumar Roy (Apu), an unemployed graduate of Calcutta who aspires to become a writer. Apu marries Aparna in a dramatic situation and the story takes a turn when Aparna dies while giving birth to their child. She leaves Apu in a devastated condition. The story reveals the departure and break in the relation between the father and the son and how they reunite after a long period.
Shobdo Jobdo (2020): Directed by Sourav Chakraborty, Shobdo Jobdo is a Bengali web series streaming on Hoichoi. Featuring Rajat Kapoor, who made his debut in Bengali web series through Shobdo Jobdo, the series also stars Payel Sarkar, Subrata Dutta and Mumtaz Sorcar. Sougata (Rajat Kapoor) is shown as a well-known thriller writer. But the situation gets twisted when his past comes haunting the reality of his present.
Hello Season 1 & 2 (2017): Hello is a Bengali thriller web series streaming on Hoichoi. The series stars Raima Sen, Joy Sengupta and Priyanka Sarkar. The story is about adultery and infidelity among a married couple that turns their life upside down. The second season of the web-series is already streaming.
Mismatch Season 1& 2 (2018): Hoichoi’s original series, ‘Mismatch’, created by Soumik Chattopadhyay is about a couple, Mishka and her husband, Abir. Mishka is terrified of her husband’s fantasies and here, her boss, Aditi intimidates her husband Anirban, That’s how begins a wild journey of the two mismatched couples.
Vinci Da (2019): An Indian Bengali psychological mystery crime thriller film, directed by Srijit Mukherjee, it is a story narrated by Vinci da (Rudranil Ghosh), a prosthetic make-up artist whose life turns upside down when his art reaches the world of crime.
Maati (2018): Directed by Saibal Banerjee and Leena Gangopadhyay, ‘Maati’ is a woman’s journey to her ancestral home in East Bangladesh where she meets the family of her grandmother’s murderer. The movie stars Adil Hussain, Paoli Dam, Sabitri Chatterjee, Shankar Chakraborty, Laboni Sarkar, amongst others.
Ahare Mon (2018): An Indian Bengali film, directed by Pratim D. Gupta stars Adil Hussain, Anjan Dutt, Hemanta Shankar, Ritwick Chakraborty amongst others. This Bengali romantic drama is about people connected by one common thread- LOVE, but each with an unpredictable ending.
Now, it’s time for you to sit back and watch these movies and let us know your views. You may comment and suggest your favorite movies too. Till then, watch your favorite movies back at home and save the WORLD!
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