It also means that some of the available prints aren’t pristine, but they are the only prints available. (Readers can seek out Aranyer Din Ratriand Kanchanjungha here). They are also subjective selections, curated as a package, with the notable exclusion of Satyajit Ray films barring a double bill and a film he wrote the screenplay for. As it happens, the films featured in the list-from classics for the ages to under-watched gems to timeless comedies-are all adapted from novels and stories. This list features 7 travel films-that is, films where travel is central to the narrative-from the said period, when the flowering of Bengali intellectual life reached its peak.
Whether it’s summer holidays, Pujo or winters, the pandemic has meant that there is little choice than to travel vicariously again. It would seem natural, then, that this seeped into films as well, particularly Bengali cinema in the 50s, 60s and 70s, much of which was fed by the richness of literature. Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay sent his hero, Shankar, to Africa, in his adventure novel, Chander Pahar, without having never set foot outside his country himself. The Bengali has, both, travelled and written from his experiences, and travelled vicariously. Wanderlust is so deeply rooted in the cultural consciousness that it only seems natural. The travelogue is one of the great Bengali literary traditions.