Anirban Bhattacharya: Bengali films of the versatile actor you shouldn’t miss

Anirban Bhattacharya is like those actors who love to go beyond the conventional. He has a taste for swimming against the tide and is quite happy to juggle his film commitments these days. Anirban’s kitty is right now full with some interesting roles in Srijit Mukherji’s ‘Ek Je Chhilo Raja’ and Aparna Sen’s ‘Ghawre And Bairey Aaj’. Over the past two-three years the versatile actor has enjoyed a purple patch with critically acclaimed films like ‘Eagoler Chokh’, ‘Dhananjay’ and ‘Uma’ along with few awards. Here is a list of Anirban Bhattacharya films you shouldn’t miss.

Anirban started as a theatre actor and soon get recognized by renowned filmmakers for his exceptional quality to get into the skin of any character. He did a few brief roles before landing on ‘Eagoler Chokh’ and the suspense thriller made him the next big thing of the Bengali industry. His flawless natural portrayal of a rich entrepreneur Bishan Roy left the audience and critics alike in awe. Despite Saswata Chatterjee stealing the show as Goyenda Shabor, Anirban set the stage for a gripping thriller.

‘Dhananjay’ is no doubt Anirban’s career defining film. Starring Mimi Chakaraborty as the criminal lawyer defending Dhananjay and Anirban playing the titular role, ‘Dhananjay’ is largely based on a convicted with the same name who was hanged on the charges of brutal rape and murder of Hetal Parekh. What stays with us for long is Anirban's riveting performance. He plays the doomed character Dhananjay like a trapped animal with eyes which bleed their plea for compassion throughout the film. Arindam Sil created an intense courtroom drama, perhaps one of the best depictions of court proceedings in recent times; opening up old wounds which even time can’t heal. It aptly recreated the mass hysteria in Kolkata after a watchman Dhananjay allegedly raped and murdered a Gujarati school girl in 1990.

Srijit Mukherji’s ‘Uma’ shows how a real-life father-daughter bonding can become a reel life hit. Portrayal of Mohitosh Sur, the typical right-wing Hindu fundamentalist, who can go to any extent to play spoilsport and stop the farce of a unique yet untimely Puja is something that will attract everyone’s attention. Sara Sengupta as the titular character is natural throughout the film. She reflects the embodiment of her dreams, innocence and subtle maturity. Jisshu Sengupta, Sara's real-life father too, pours out his soul into his superb performance portraying a desperate and doting father.

‘Alinagarer Golokdhadha’, directed by Sayantan Ghosal, follows a typical adventure-heist narrative where the lead characters, Soham and his close friend Brishti hunt for a buried treasure. Interestingly the clues to the treasure are buried in Calcutta’s past, which was renamed Alinagar by the last independent nawab of Bengal Siraj ud-Daulah. Anirban playing Soham, a student of history and Parno as Brishti, the daughter of a decadent north Kolkata royal family are quite convincing. The pair delivers a crackling chemistry. The director carefully bypassed the usual loop holes of exploring the lead pair’s relationship deeper which have destroyed many ambitious thrillers over the past few years.

The Srijit Mukherji directorial, releasing this Durga Puja, portrays Anirban as the brother-in-law (Satya Banerjee) of the titular character, the middle prince of Bhawal estate Mahendra Kumar Chowdhury and brother of Mahendra’s wife Chandrabati Devi. When Chandrabati weds Mahendra and comes to Bikrampur, her brother Satya too accompanies her and stays back. He becomes a close friend of the Raja. This is no doubt one of the biggest challenges Anirban faces as the character has so many shades with potentiality of turning out to be his career defining role.