Ritwik Ghatak: 7 films of the legendary filmmaker that you shouldn’t miss

Think of the history of Bengali cinema and Satyajit Ray's name will instantly come to your mind. However, there is another big name that left behind a rich cinematic legacy - Ritwik Ghatak. While Ray was showered with so many critical acclaims in India and later abroad, it was Ritwik Ghatak's repertoire that captured the imagination of audiences with a steady pace. Here is a list of his best works as a director which every movie buff must watch.

Based on the novel by Shaktipada Rajguru, ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’ is touted to be Ritwik Ghatak’s most celebrated movie. How can we forget the brilliant acting of Supriya Devi in this cult classic? ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’ is perhaps the most touching portrayal of a harsh life in Bengal following the dreaded partition. Ghatak worked as both the writer and director in this film.

‘Komal Gandhar’ explored three interconnected themes, Anusua, the lead character’s dilemma, the infamous divided leadership of Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) and the tragic fallout after the partition of India. Unlike his other works, this one interestingly follows an upbeat mood with the lead pair (Vrigu and Anusua) being reunited ultimately. The music once again added a different flavour to this flick. Though it was a commercial failure, ‘Komal Gandhar’ is still counted as one of Ritwik Ghatak’s masterpieces.

This Bengali film is often regarded as India's first science fiction. ‘Ajantrik’, Ghatak's first commercial film as a director, revolves around a poor taxi driver who has a so-called 'living' car. The unique subject made it one of the earliest Indian films that focused on an inanimate object. ‘Ajantrik’ also received a special entry for screening at the Venice Film Festival in 1959.

This is the last instalment of Ghatak's Partition Trilogy. ‘Subarnarekha’ narrates the life story of three refugees in West Bengal: a Hindu man, his little sister, and a low-caste boy. Basically named after the river Subarnarekha, it was actually produced in 1962 but was released in 1965. ‘Subarnarekha’ was even ranked as number 11 in a critics' poll of ‘All-Time Greatest Films’ conducted by an Asian film magazine in 1998.

Being one of the bold examples of hyperlink cinema, this film portrays the riverside life of fishermen on the banks of the Titas river in Bangladesh. It featured multiple characters in a collection of interconnected stories. In 2007, the British Film Institute termed ‘Titas Ekti Nadir Naam’ as the best Bangladeshi film ever made.

With a unique cinematography, this film saw Ritwik Ghatak himself playing the protagonist – an intellectual and hopeless drunk driven from his home. He travels across the countryside and meets many characters with their own unique stories. It was also one of the first movies to show the glimpse of Naxalite movement just taking shape in Bengal.

It’s the story of an 8-year-old boy who runs away from home and his father (who he imagines as an oppressive demon) to the mythical city of Calcutta and confronts the realities of life in a big city. Many believe ‘Bari Theke Paliye’ was a tour-de-force for the director who was at home both in rural and metropolitan Bengal. This classic coming-of-age movie still holds the audience glued to the screen.