Bengali cult classics remade in Hindi

Be it the modern-age technologies or legendary filmmakers who have entertained the audiences, Indian cinema have gradually evolved to a vast extent. One notable aspect you can’t deny is the contribution of Bengali filmmakers to Indian cinema. So many Bengali classics have been remade over the years, and the process continues to this day. Here is the list of some of the most famous and notable Hindi remakes of Bengali films.

This is the finest example of how films used to be in the golden age of Bengali cinema. The film had many acclaimed Bengali actors of that time like Jahar Gangopadhyay, Kanan Devi, Tulsi Chakraborty, Asha Debi and many others. It was adapted in Hindi as ‘Majhli Didi’ directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Dharmendra and Meena Kumari played the lead roles. The remake became a cult one and was even sent to the 41st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.

Every cinema lover from the 1970s will no doubt remember the Amitabh Bachchan-Dharmendra starrer ‘Chupke Chupke’ and till today it’s regarded as one of the finest Bollywood films. This classic Hindi comedy is actually a remake of another Bengali hit ‘Chadmabeshi’ that featured Uttam Kumar and Madhabi Mukherjee. The Hindi remake was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Both the movies still make people have their heart laughing out.

This 1956 Bengali film, directed by Kartik Chatterjee, is a movie adaptation of a Bimal Mitra’s novel that goes by the same name. The storyline is based on the backdrop of the British rule in India and deals with the shocking downfall of Bengal feudalism during that period. Featuring Uttam Kumar, Sumitra Devi along with Chhabi Biswas this film is one of the best Bengali films that has ever been made and was later saw a Hindi remake titled ‘Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam’ that proved to be one of the most critically acclaimed Bollywood movies.

Directed by Tapan Sinha, it’s a screen adaptation of a Rabindranath Tagore’s story. The story is about the relationship between an Afghan fruit seller (played by Chhabi Biswas) and a small girl named Mini (Oindrila Tagore). This thought-provoking and classic Bengali film was remade in Hindi too. With the same name, the Hindi version had a league of star casts including Usha Kiran and Balraj Sahni.

Saat Pake Bandha Bengali film, directed by Ajay Kar, starred some of the elite names in the industry at that time like Suchitra Sen, Soumitra Chatterjee, Pahari Sanyal etc. It showed how nature and income can destroy even a healthy marriage life. It was later remade in Hindi titled ‘Kora Kagaz’ directed by Anil Ganguly. The famous remake featured Jaya Bhaduri, Vijay Anand, A.K Hangal and others. The Hindi version also received critical acclamation along with a good box-office response.

The classic novel by Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay has been used for several big screen remakes. The first screen adaptation was the 1942 Bengali drama directed by Pashupati Chatterjee. Then it was remade in Hindi directed by Bimal Roy with the same title. Many believe that it’s the most suitable adaptation of the classic novel. It remains a favourite one among other filmmakers also like the 2005 Hindi romantic drama directed by Pradeep Sarkar.

One of the most memorable Bengali movies in the history, this Tapan Sinha directorial had an ensemble cast of Rabi Ghosh, Bhanu Banerjee, Bharati Devi, Jogesh Chatterjee, Ajoy Ganguly, Chaya Devi and many more. The film was all about a new servant who tries to fix a dysfunctional family and rebuilds the compassion and love in the family. It was later remade in Hindi as the superhit Rajesh Khanna movie ‘Bawarchi’.