Bengali movies have a rich treasure of fine actresses who graced the screen over decades and gave us moments of brilliance for multiple generations to savor. Here is a brief ride through those high points discussed across different genres and movies. The journey continues till date.
Gita Dey in Meghe Dhaka Tara
Torn between the struggle for survival of her family and guilt for sacrificing her daughter Neeta’s identity as a woman, Gita Dey as the mother is seen in a pensive mood in a pivotal scene of this movie.
Ruma Guhathakurata in Asite Ashiyo Na
In Asite Ashiyo na, Ruma Gahuthakurata, the grandmother has got back her youth along with her husband in a stroke of magic realism. The expression of a long forgotten romance is evident in her eyes in this song sequence.
Madhavi Mukherjee in Charulata
Charulata’s realization of forbidden love for her brother-in-law Amal is captured in this highly expressive moment when she sits on the swing and removes the opera glass from her eyes and turns her full gaze on Amal.
Sabitri Chatterjee in Mouchak
Sabitri portrays a childless wife in this film and is a mother figure for her brother-in-law Nitish.The entire innocence of her heart and the soft nature of her character is reflected on her face in a comic scene of this movie.
Arundhuti Devi in Bhagini Nivedita
Arundhuti Devi plays Sister Nivedita showcasing the quiet strength of her character and a determination to sacrifice herself in the service of humanity.
Supriya Devi in Meghe Dhaka Tara
A lesser known moment of the film where Neeta learns of her boyfriend’s affair with her own sister. The anguish of jilted love is writ large on her face supported by a powerful background score.
Suchitra Sen in Saptapadi
Suchitra Sen paired with Uttam Kumar played Rina Brown in the cult film Saptapadi.This song sequence is now part of Bengal’s cultural vocabulary.Her wide smile and twinkling eyes almost makes the glow of happiness palpable on screen.
Kaberi Bose in Aranyer Dinratri
Hidden desires of a widow who had no mental connection with her now dead husband.This extra ordinarily written sequence of a widow’s pain is elevated to greater heights by Kaberi Bose’s fine performance.
Karuna Banerjee in Aparajito
Playing Sarbojaya over Pather Panchali and Aparajito, Karuna Banerjee is no stranger to expressing complex emotions. The range of emotions that she displays sort of culminates in this shot where the lonely widow awaits for her son and death in equal measure.
Sandhya Roy in Ashani Sanket
Realizing that the famine will drive her out of the village and push her into the dark abyss of the heartless city, Chutki’s anxiety and resignation to her fate is expressed brilliantly by Sandhya Roy.
Lily Chakrabarty in Jana Aranya
Only Boudi is the moral anchor in this otherwise bleak film where Satyajit Ray studies the morally degraded Bengali middle class. When her son like brother-in-law Somenath gets the much awaited success, only Boudi knows what price he had to pay.
Sharmila Tagore in Apur Sansar
Apu’s question to Aparna says it all – What is there in your eyes? Pure bliss.
Aparna Sen in Samapti
Mrinmoyee has finally entered the sphere of womanhood from being a tomboy.The transition cannot be captured in a single screenshot — it’s so touching. Thing to note is also the economy of expression with which Aparna Sen conveys this mental journey.
Kanika Majumder in Monihara
When her husband goes bankrupt and asks for her jewelry box, the only reason for Manimalika’s existence, Kanika Majumder’s angular face and sharp eyes expresses the feeling of betrayal perfectly.
Jaya Bhaduri in Dhanni Meye
The tomboyish facade of Manasa’s character drops guard in this song sequence and her femininity radiates vibrantly on the screen.
Shabana Azmi in Sati
Playing a single character Uma but in reality representing an entire class, Shabana Azmi gives suffering a strong physical form through her body language.
Debashree Roy in Kuheli
Young Debashree Roy is picture perfect with innocence and carefree nature in this dance sequence that brightens the mood momentarily in an otherwise dark film.
Moushumi Chatterjee in Balika Badhu
A woman’s dream of a happily married life. Mousumi Chatterjee’s signature smile is eloquently used to heighten the emotional connect.
Kajal Gupta in Agnishwar
Kajal Gupta plays a storekeeper’s wife, where the only objective of the character is to put focus on the softer side of Agnishwar, the hero of this film.But in conveying the helplessness of her poverty and love for her children, she steals the limelight.
Arati Bhattacharya in Stree
Finding that her former lover is now a servant in the estate, Mrinmoyee’s pathos is a looming shadow on her eyes framed by the bars of the window.
Mithu Mukherjee in Marjina Abdallah
Marjina’s long wait to get her revenge from the dacoits sees her in a theatrical expression in this shot.But it fits perfectly in this fantasy film that tells the old tale of good vs evil.
Mahua Roychoudhury in Dadar Kirti
Saraswati finds a meaning in her life when she hears Kedar sing. The roundness of her face and the softness in her aura is enough to convey it.
Mamata Shankar in Ekdin Pratidin
Mamata Shankar as Chinu doesn’t get much screen time in this explosive film by Mrinal Sen. But towards the end - her defiance and mute questions makes the entire audience uncomfortable.
Chunibala Devi in Pather Panchali
It’s all about clinging to life and evading death for a few more days. Indir Thakuran’s smile expresses so many layers of emotional depth that it demands for an essay to be written on this topic.
Sreela Majumder in Akaler Sandhane
Sreela Majumder plays Durga, the servant doing the daily chores of the shooting crew. Her vision of fiction and reality gradually blurs and in a crucial point she shrieks in fear and pain - a high point in Bengal’s movie history.
Konkona SenSharma in Titli
The talented Konkona SenSharma plays in and as Titli, infatuated by an aged male cinema star.The director makes full use of the energy hidden in her face.
Smita Patil in Akaler Sandhaney
Smita Patil, playing herself in this film evokes a strong sense of melancholy in an outstanding episode that shows farmers getting uprooted from their land.
Roopa Ganguly in Nagordola
Playing a possessive mother who reinvents herself after she is detected with throat cancer, Roopa Ganguly extraordinarily suggests the feeling of indebtedness to her doctor after she recovers from the deadly disease.
Satabdi Roy in Atanka
Satabdi Roy carries the entire responsibility of playing the mind of a victim perpetually in fear in a politically corrupt society in Tapan Sinha’s masterly directed film.
Rituparna Sengupta in Dahan
Physical and emotional pain combines strongly on Romita’s face in this sequence of marital rape in Dahan.
Sudipta Chakrabarty in Bariwali
Bariwali is a film about a lonely spinster. Malati is her round the clock servant cum friend who gradually becomes a sort of alter ego for the heroine.In this shot Malati is asking for forgiveness, played with enormous sensibility by Sudipta Chakrabarty.
Churni Ganguly in BastuShaap
Churni Ganguly’s Antara in Bastushaap is a unique character in the rich history of Bengali movies. Suffering a huge tragedy in the past , she is groping with the present-out of touch with the natural rhythm of life.
Sohini Sarkar in Bibaho Diaries
Royona, a bubbly, idealistic yet realistic and energetic girl falls for an ordinary boy in this charming comedy. Sohini Sarkar captures the tone of the character and the mood of the overall film in this shot where she is being shown to slowly fall in love.
Aparajito Auddy in Haami
There’s no dearth of female teacher characters in Bengali movies.Yet Aparajita Auddy manages to bring her own naturalism as a strict but loving teacher-counselor in Hammi - who has a heart for her students.
Raima Sen in Khela
The beautiful Raima Sen plays Anjali, the assistant of the hero for whom she has a soft corner. Raima uses her expressive eyes to imply a silent love for her crush in this movie.
Swastika Mukherjee in Jaatishwar
The beautifully rendered song of ‘E tumi kemon tumi’ in Jaatishwar is significantly elevated when Swastika Mukherjee’s Mohamaya casts a loving gaze on her new found love Rohit Mehta. The entire complexity of their relationship culminates in this one shot where Swastika’s acting skill excels.
Ananya Chatterjee in Abohomaan
In this complex tale of identity and obsession, Ananya Chatterjee plays Sikha, a central character who is the center of this obsession. Hardly a shot exists where she doesn’t shine - Ananya’s expression often laced with multiple meanings that enriches the story.
Parno Mitra in Ranjana aami aar Ashbona
Parno Mitra’s Ranjana gets the taste of creative rut and it’s frustration in this scene of the movie. Almost at the verge of throwing away her guitar, she restrains herself in a gentle moment of growing up.
