Happy birthday, Sujoy Ghosh: Notable projects of director-screenwriter
Director Sujoy Ghosh is known for creating memorable, well-fleshed-out characters, using locations as a setting and sometimes as a character, and painting his movies with broad strokes of intrigue in ways very few people can. As we await his next project starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Vijay Varma, and Jaideep Ahlawat, we revisit some of his most celebrated directorial projects on his 57th birthday.
'Jhankaar Beats' (2003)
Jhankaar Beats marked Ghosh's debut in showbiz. Along with directing it, he also wrote this musical drama film headlined by Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Suri, Rahul Bose, Rinke Khanna, and Riya Sen. The film also evokes nostalgic sentiments due to the song Tu Aashiqui Hai, sung by KK and composed by Vishal-Sheykhar. You can watch the movie on MX Player, Disney+ Hotstar, or SonyLIV.
'Ahalya' (2015)
Ahalya is a short film starring Radhika Apte and the Bengali cinema legend Soumitra Chatterjee. It is a modern take on the Hindu mythological story of Ahalya, who was turned to stone by her husband, Gautam Maharishi, due to her alleged infidelity. The film has a brief runtime of only 14 minutes but scores high on the mystery, intrigue, performance, and suspense factor.
'Kahaani' (2012)
Ghosh gifted Hindi cinema with one of its most meticulously crafted thrillers in the form of Vidya Balan's Kahaani, which came out in 2012. Resting on the shoulders of a skillful Balan, the film was set in Kolkata and narrated the story of a pregnant woman Vidya Bagchi who scoured the city in search of her missing husband. It won three National Film Awards.
'Badla' (2019)
It is tricky to adapt a film from one language/culture to another, and the makers need to ensure that the creative sensibilities are not lost in translation. Ghosh achieved this with Badla, an adaptation of the Spanish film The Invisible Guest. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, and Amrita Singh, the murder mystery thriller follows an intense confrontation between a lawyer and a murder-accused woman.
