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Since the advent of the talkie era, playback has played a big role in Bengali cinema. From Kanan Devi’s Ami banaphool go to Arati Mukhopadhyay’s Ami Miss Calutta — our films have a song for every emotion. In this segment, BFA tunes in to the music composers, singers and lyricists who made all that happen. The bonus is a chance to listen to the BFA-curated list of hits across seven decades!
'Baby Shikha, Shikha Rani and Chhoto Suchitra meant
Boro Pishi to us'
Having caught film director Agradoot Bibhuti Laha’s attention after hearing her recite a poem, six-year-old Shikha Rani Bag was cast in 1949’s Sankalpa. It started her 14-year and around 40 films career as the leading child artist of Bengali cinema, picking up Jawaharhal Nehru’s nod too along the way. Shikha Rani breathed her last in May this year, leaving behind a legacy from the golden age of Bengali cinema, an over 50-year-old classical dance school and scores of students determined to carry her flame. Here is a tribute by journalist and writer Shamik Bag who shares intimate stories about the life and works of his aunt
The iconic Paradise Cinema has been a cherished part of Kolkata's cine history. Nirmal De’s Sare Chuattor marked its first Bengali screening in 1953, amidst a legacy primarily dedicated to Hindi films. From the triple-layered curtains covering its single screen to the chilled air from the running ACs wafting through its doors during intervals, each detail of Paradise’s majestic allure is still ingrained in the fond memories of its patrons. One such patron is Junaid Ahmed. BFA joins this Dharmatala resident as he recollects his days of being a witness to paradise on earth in this Bijoy Chowdhury film
Almost anyone with a wee bit of interest in cinema from Bengal can lead to Satyajit Ray's rented house on Bishop Lefroy Road. But how many know where Ajoy Kar, Asit Sen, Arundhati Devi or Ritwik Ghatak lived? Or for that matter, Prithviraj Kapoor or KL Saigal during their Kolkata years? In case you are among those who walk past iconic addresses without a clue about their famous residents, this section is a must-watch for you. We have painstakingly tried to locate residential addresses of icons from the early days of their career and time-travelled to 2022 to see how the houses are maintained now.