Pradhan

Dev is the superstar with the Midas touch and he has wrapped up 2023 with another winner in Pradhan, which sees him playing an honest cop who arrives in a North Bengal village that is plagued by various issues and takes charge of the law-and-order situation. Directed by Avijit Sen, the film feels like a breath of fresh air as it juxtaposes socially relevant issues with heart-touching stories of its primary characters played memorably by Dev, Paran Bandopadhyay, Soham, Soumitrisha Kundu and Mamata Shankar. Anirban Chakrabarti won praise for his turn as a corrupt politician.

Raktabeej

It was their first foray into the world of thrillers, and director duo Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee hit it out of the park with Raktabeej. With compelling performances from the cast featuring Victor Banerjee, Abir Chatterjee and Mimi Chakraborty, the film impresses in its execution, attention to detail, storyline, songs and a gripping, elaborate climax. Parallel storylines of the homecoming of a man, who holds an important portfolio, and a blast in a firecracker unit unveiling a threat to his life, unravel seamlessly with the emotional core of a brother-sister bond.

Dawshom Awbotaar

The chemistry between Prosenjit and Anirban Bhattacharya was the icing on the cake in this Srijit Mukherji buddy cop film. In this cop universe, Probir Roy Chowdhury (from 22shey Srabon) meets Anirban’s Bijoy Poddar (from Vinci Da), and together they embark on a journey to catch a serial killer. The winning dialogues full of repartees, the senior-rookie dynamics, the performances of the lead cast, Anupam Roy’s soul-stirring songs, and Soumik Haldar’s eye-catching cinematography received significant praise.

Jongole Mitin Mashi

Koel Mallick returned to the big screen after a gap of two years with Arindam Sil’s Jongole Mitin Mashi, and stole the show in this blend of suspense and action. In the film, Mitin Mashi goes on a vacation with her family to the Saranda forest. There she comes to know of a poaching racket of elephants and swings into her investigative mode.

Kabuliwallah

Mithun Chakraborty’s heartfelt performance is the major talking point in this moving film which is an adaptation of one of Tagore’s timeless and most popular short stories. Directed by Suman Ghosh, the film seeks to offer a fresh perspective on the well-loved story. Kabuliwallah is a story of a middle-aged Afghan man, whose heart overflows with fatherly love for a little girl in the bustling city of Calcutta. The film captures the period that encapsulates the essence of heartwarming connections and the deep significance of love that knows no boundaries, transcending both borders and cultures.

Shesh Pata

Prosenjit was the beating heart of Atanu Ghosh’s Shesh Pata where he plays Balmiki, a formerly well-known writer who lives in obscurity, stripped of dignity and respect. As the drama unfolds, the film provides an insight into his inner world and idiosyncrasies and sheds light on the emotional turmoil of three other characters. Balmiki was wounded, and Prosenjit delivered one of his finest performances to make this character memorable.

Ardhangini

This Kaushik Ganguly film was sensitively told with a lot of dignity about relationships past and present. After Suman suffers a stroke, the two women in his life — Meghna, his wife, and Subhra, his ex-wife — are compelled by circumstances to meet each other. Driven by powerhouse performances from Churni Ganguly, Koushik Sen and Jaya Ahsan, the film revolves around the awkward emotional duel and connection between the two women at a time of personal crisis.

Shibpur

Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Swastika Mukherjee dominated the screen in this gritty film (directed by Arindam Bhattacharya) that is about politically-backed mafia groups and gang wars in the Shibpur region in the mid-’80s, which rocked the stability of the region and forced the then state government to appoint a special force to address the situation. The film follows a political journalist who finds an interesting story of a woman who became a notorious mafia gang leader in 1980s Shibpur.

Mayar Jonjal

Director Indranil Roychowdhury delivered a winner in Mayar Jonjal that at one level examines social behaviours on the fringes of the urban landscape. On the other side it looks at the impossibility of holding things together… in relationships, faith, in human exchanges. It has a larger parable of man’s relationship with his surroundings.

Byomkesh O Durgo Rahasya

Dev turned heads in his portrayal of super sleuth Byomkesh Bakshi on screen for the first time. Dev and Rukmini Maitra's pairing (Rukmini plays Satyabati) came in for a lot of praise. In this riveting tale, Byomkesh, accompanied by his trusted ally Ajit, finds himself entangled in the investigation of the untimely demise of Professor Ishan Chandra Majumder, believed to be caused by a snake bite. Byomkesh sets out to find the secrets surrounding a buried treasure hidden within a fort in this film directed by Birsa Dasgupta.

Aaro Ek Prithibi

The film begins with a tilt-down of the camera from the sky and ends up with the camera gazing at the skies, and in between Atanu Ghosh, with insight and sensitivity, tells a story of a people who are on the run throughout their lives, desperately seeking a place to settle down, and longing to live peacefully and securely. It follows the journey of Pratiksha (played by Tasnia Farin), a young girl who desperately seeks shelter that has eluded her since she was 11. The film also sheds light on how violence permeates modern lives, and the emotional and financial struggle of existence in foreign lands, as faced by migrants who are sensitive and driven by some purpose in life.

Palan

In Mrinal Sen's Kharij, the child helper Palan dies in a kitchen from toxic fumes. Anjan and Mamata, Palan's employers, are consumed by guilt for having offered Palan such poor living conditions. Kaushik Ganguly's Palan visits the world of Anjan and Mamata 41 years later and puts their lives under the scanner. "Palan’s protagonist is their house. The same place the family has been living in for over 41 years. It is now a dilapidated 100-year-old residence that is barely managing to stay up, stand erect... very much like the couple themselves. They mirror a fully lived life and signs of ageing while still trying to hold on to some reminiscences of their youth but more importantly, the dignity of their existence," wrote actress Sayani Gupta in her t2 review.

Datta

Rituparna Sengupta made her presence felt by playing Bijoya in Datta, based on the novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Directed by Nirmal Chakraborty, the film focused on the socio-economic situation as well as intricate human relationships. "The major strength of the production is its uncluttered feel as also the authenticity of some of the performances. Rituparna Sengupta as Bijoya, the protagonist, puts in a great effort as the Brahmo lady who is the statuesque albeit vulnerable owner of a large estate in a Bengal fragmented by several schisms," wrote film-maker Ashoke Viswanathan in the t2 review.

Kaberi Antardhan

Directed by Kaushik Ganguly, Kaberi Antardhan was a gripping film with compelling performances from Prosenjit, Srabanti, Churni Ganguly, Koushik Sen, Ambarish Bhattacharya, Indraneil Sengupta and Kaushik himself. Set against the backdrop of the Naxal movement, the period thriller is located in the small town of Hatimara, which is surrounded by tea gardens. Hatimara is a pro-extremist small town that has turned out to be a ghetto for the Naxalite movement in the last few years. Prosenjit plays the prolific artist Arghya, who has refused to move out of the disturbed small town for a better life. He is a smart, charming middle-aged man whose life revolves around art.

Fatafati

This middle-class love story of how a woman realises her dreams while not conforming to societal standards of beauty wore its heart on its sleeve. Directed by Aritra Mukherjee, the film revolves around Phullora, a tailor from the suburbs with a gifted sense of design who is ridiculed for being on the heavier side. The film went on to show her journey when she emerged as a fashion influencer despite the odds. Ritabhari Chakraborty, Abir Chatterjee and Swastika Dutta delivered sparkling performances.

Revolver Rohoshyo

Anjan Dutt’s Revolver Rohoshyo was upbeat and light-hearted, replete with wit and humour. The film was about an ordinary crime reporter, Subrata Sharma, who takes up temporary work as a secretary in a detective agency called Danny Detective INC. He is appointed to find a missing person called Tomali. As he enquires as a complete amateur, he stumbles into various dangerous, violent situations and a huge conspiracy.

Bagha Jatin

Dev’s pan-India film told the story of Jatindranath Mukherjee, a freedom fighter and a key figure in India’s struggle for Independence. Released in Bengali and Hindi, the movie shed light on his fearless spirit, unwavering determination and love for his country. Directed by Arun Roy, Bagha Jatin celebrated the spirit of bravery and national pride that defined one of the most important chapters in Indian history.

Shohorer Ushnotomo Dine

Aritra Sen’s film told the story of urban displacement where love stories are cut short. It was a film about unrequited love, homecoming and getting past the misunderstandings between friends. Starring Vikram Chatterjee, Solanki Roy and Debopriyo Mukherjee, Shohorer Ushnotomo Dine presented a fresh take on the coming-of-age love story. Ritoban, a disillusioned PhD student in London, returns to Calcutta after three years and bumps into Anindita, his college sweetheart who is now a successful RJ.

The Eken — Ruddhaswas Rajasthan

This film emerged as the first Bengali superhit of 2023. The endearing investigator Eken Babu, played by Anirban Chakrabarti, is quick-witted, effervescent, a connoisseur of food, and this time, while on vacation in Rajasthan, he comes across circumstances that set off the inquiry for a theft and murder mystery.

Bogla Mama Jug Jug Jiyo

Director Dhrubo Banerjee transported the audience back to the late 1980s with this film. Bogla Mama (played by Kharaj Mukherjee) is a funny, witty, middle-aged theatre fanatic loved by the entire town for his problem-solving skills. Bogla, along with his band of rugged young adults, dives into hilarious adventures only to create further inconveniences. But ultimately, Bogla’s charm always saves the day.

Chengiz

Jeet wowed the audience with his pan-India release, Chengiz, directed by Rajesh Ganguly. Combining larger-than-life scale with realistic aesthetics, the film focuses on the underbelly of the city from the mid-1970s to mid-1990s and explores the world of gangsters where Jeet’s character arrives as an outsider and takes over the city.