Durga Puja 2021: These five new Bengali films are all set to draw you back to the theatres

Last year, despite the raging pandemic, Tollywood had churned out a dozen impressive films — that were waiting in the pipeline to see the light of day for quite some time — during the Pujas. Though a fair share of them have been released in phases, this year too, there are a few movies — both fresh from the oven and long-anticipated ones — releasing this Puja that are a must-watch. From fantasy fairy tales and thrillers to sports biopics and sci-fis to romance, here’s a list of the Bengali films that will sort your Pujas out this year. So brace up and head for your nearest theatres with all COVID-19 precautions in place.

GOLONDAAJ

This big-budget Bengali sports saga has been shot on a grand scale and has superstar Dev in the lead role of Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari, the father of Indian soccer. Directed by filmmaker Dhrubo Banerjee, the film is set in the era of struggle for Independence and has all the right ingredients to set your adrenaline on a rush. Apart from Dev, the movie has Alexx O’Nell, Anirban Bhattacharya, Ishaa Saha, Indrasish Roy, Srikanta Acharya and John Bhattacharya in pivotal roles.

BONY

Like last two years, this year too, Tolly star Koel Mallick returns to the big screen during the Pujas with her much-anticipated sci-fi film Bony. Just like Rawkto Rawhoshyo last year, in this film too, one will see Koel fight the world to protect her newborn. The film is based on a gripping story on the human race’s fight against artificial intelligence written by renowned author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay. Directed by actor Parambrata Chattopadhyay, the movie traces the life of a couple settled in Italy and their mysterious newborn baby. It also has filmmaker-actor Anjan Dutt and Kanchan Mallick in pivotal roles.

BAAZI

This big-budget film starring superstar Jeet, Mimi Chakraborty and Sabyasachi Chakraborty is a romance-revenge saga with a gripping plot. Directed by Anshuman Pratyush, this movie traces the life of Jeet, who plays a business tycoon settled in the UK and is fighting for the honour of his father. Torn between love and family duty the film traces how Jeet wins both in the end. The film has been shot mostly in the UK around London and the scenic countryside with great foot-tapping music by composer Jeet Ganguly.

FIR

This riveting edge-of-the-seat crime thriller, starring Ankush Hazra, Bonny Sengupta, Falaque Rashid Roy and Ritabhari Chakraborty in the lead, will surely keep you hooked. The film‘s plot revolves around two murders that take place in three days in Raghunathpur. When a policeman from Lalbazar Special branch arrives at the scene of the crime to investigate the murders, the story goes back to 14 years. With the tagline: Revenge is a dish best served cold, this Bengali noir surely seems to be spine-chilling.

HOBU CHANDRA RAJA GOBU CHANDRA MANTRI

This fantasy fairy tale has taken a leaf from a story by classic author Dakhshinaranjan Mitra Majumder. The movie has been shot on a grand landscape with huge life-like sets and great costumes. Touted as the first Bengali movie to match up to Baahubali in terms of grandiose and graphics, this family film has Saswata Chatterjee, Arpita Chatterjee and Kharaj Mukherjee in the lead and has been directed by Aniket Chattopadhyay.