5 Bengali films that have explored love between different age groups

Most of our films focus on typical evergreen love, trust and loyalty in a relationship. Introducing an extra-marital affair or love between different age groups to the narrative is often viewed as an anomaly, something we fail to understand despite cheating in relationships being a common phenomenon. In most of the films, the heroine ultimately forgives her hero and they enjoy a happily married life. Yet, there are few Bengali movies that have managed to explore the ideology of love outside marriage in a more mature and realistic way.

In ‘Titli’, Rituparno Ghosh pays attention to every detail and beautifully captures the essence of a simple so-called happy family with a compelling story. In this film, Mithun Chakraborty is a popular film star, whereas Konkona Sen Sharma portrays his die-hard fan. Her admiration for the film icon changes when she meets him in person. This is no doubt an interesting narrative. But what makes this film special is the portrayal of a complex mother-daughter relationship, which is further enhanced when we see that the girl's mother (Aparna Sen) was actually her idol's love interest in his early days. The equation changes quickly when a divine love represented by a relationship between fan and stardom faces the ultimate test.

Anjan Dutt’s self-portrayal of an aging, talented musician with a multi-layered personality turns out to be the USP of ‘Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona’. Parno Mittra, who looks super cute in the film, has the necessary vulnerability and attitude of the young generation. Together these two symbolize a relationship that you can’t just describe as simple love. Sometimes Parno’s affection for an aging musician played by Anjan Dutt seems beyond physical love, it’s a purely platonic one. The complex nature of their relationship also proved that age is not a factor when you fall in love.

‘Abohomaan’, directed by Rituparno Ghosh, revolves around a renowned filmmaker Aniket (Dipankar Dey) and his complex relationships. Aniket marries Deepti (Mamata Shankar), an actress after they fall in love while shooting for a film. Deepti has to sacrifice her own career for her husband's and son Apratim (Jisshu Sengupta). The twist comes when Aniket falls for another young actress Shikha (Ananya Chatterjee) who bears an uncanny resemblance to his wife. Deepti starts preparing Shikha for her husband's next film. But Shikha transforms even more like the actress Deepti used to be. The aging Aniket falls in love with Shikha, a girl as young as his son. His family starts to fall apart while facing the complexity of an unconventional relationship.

Legendary Uttpal Dutt, a middle-aged widower, played the role of a westernized railway officer Bhuvan Shome who discovers there is a life in offer beyond the bureaucracy he follows during his duck hunting trip to Gujarat. Suhasini Mulay was seen as a young tribal woman who helps Dutt rediscover the simple joys of life. The young tribal woman helps him through a barren wilderness, takes him home and takes care of him. Bhuvan Shome, deeply ashamed for his arrogance, falls for the tribal woman and his transformation makes it a cult classic. The hunting session of Gouri and Bhuvan Shome is a lyrical exploration of that transformation. This Mrinal Sen film's other notable highlight was the exceptional cinematography by KK Mahajan which captured the wide-open vistas superbly. Mrinal Sen won two National Film Awards for Best Director and Best Film for ‘Bhuvan Shome’.

In this romantic drama, Aditi’s (Rituparna Sengupta) unhappy marriage comes to an end after her husband Pramit cheats on her. On the other hand, a scriptwriter Sayan (Samadarshi Dutta) also goes through a break up as his girlfriend Debjani dumps him. Aditi and Sayan one day meet in Darjeeling in an unusual circumstance. Unhappy with her destroyed marriage, Aditi attempts suicide but Sayan saves her. Despite a big difference in age, they somehow find some solace in each other and start a new journey towards happiness. A few fun-filled adventures also open up their inner feelings. They finally get to know the true meaning of life. Both feel deeply attracted to each other and romance finally brews in between them.