Loved 'Jubilee'? 5 Prosenjit Chatterjee films you cannot miss
Prosenjit Chatterjee is a megastar of Bengali cinema and has been relevant for more than four decades. The actor has acted in more than 340 films and is often hailed as the "one-man industry" of Bengali films. Chatterjee's portrayal of Srikant Roy in Vikramaditya Motwane's Jubilee has been receiving praise. We have curated five Bumba Da films, which one should definitely watch.
'Dosar' (2006)
Rituparno Ghosh's Dosar is one of Chatterjee's best performances ever. The film was screened at Cannes Film Festival 2007 and received the Special Jury Award at the National Film Awards. Chatterjee played a grey character and the story revolved around the theme of infidelity. In the film, he is confined to his bed and delivers a stellar performance. The cast includes Konkona Sen Sharma.
'Moner Manush' (2010)
Goutam Ghose's Moner Manush is a biographical musical drama based on the mystic poet Lalon Fakir's life. The film received the Golden Peacock Award at IFFI 2010 and two National Film Awards. Chatterjee played the protagonist Lalon in various stages of the mystic poet's life. The commercial superstar broke away from his typical mannerisms and delivered a daunting performance.
'Autograph' (2010)
Srijit Mukherji's debut directorial changed Bengali cinema. This film is often regarded as the bridge between commercial and art cinema. The film was a tribute to Satyajit Ray's Nayak and Chatterjee played a superstar's role. The film had various meta elements which added the much-needed nudge. Chatterjee's eye movements depicted the dilemma between the real and reel life of an actor with such ease.
'Baishe Srabon' (2011)
Chatterjee played a foul-mouthed suspended cop in this crime thriller and the character of Prabir Roy Chowdhury became a cult classic over time. Chatterjee broke his commercial superstar image and was delivering character-driven roles back-to-back. The reinvention of the superstar started with Autograph in 2010 and this crime thriller changed it all. This decade also saw the rise of middle-of-the-road Bengali cinema.
'Jaatishwar' (2014)
The 2014 reincarnation musical drama is by far his most evolved performance. Chatterjee donned a double role—the 19th-century poet Hensman Anthony and the 21st-century Kushal Hajra. Chatterjee's transformation was praised by all. The film also won four National Film Awards. The nonlinear treatment was also something new in Bengali cinema back then and received a great response from the viewers.
Collaborations with the legend, Rituparno Ghosh
Ghosh is regarded as Chatterjee's guiding angel who made him venture into arthouse films. The duo collaborated on seven films—Unishe April, Utsab, Chokher Bali, Dosar, Khela, Sob Charitro Kalponik, and Noukadubi. Ghosh reimagined Chatterjee as a hero who would do both commercial and arthouse cinema. Ghosh was known for making films on human instincts and his characters had tender treatment on them.
Exciting trivia on Chatterjee's career
Chatterjee has challenged himself in every decade. From films to OTT, the actor keeps reinventing himself. In the past, he has delivered stupendous commercially successful films like Amar Sangi, Sashurbari Zindabad, etc. He rejected Maine Pyar Kiya and Saajan which were monumental films for Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt, respectively. After Jubilee, this decade seems to be all about him exploring the OTT arena.
