The 5 Best Bengali Movies of 2025
Unlike the halcyon years of Bengali cinema past, which experimented with and defined the Indian film language, recent productions tended to feel derivative—rehashing proven models such as family drama or detective revamp. That changed in 2024, though. Even with modest budgets and specialty releases, some Bengali films were notable for sheer innovation, emotional resonance, and intelligent filmmaking.
5. Beline
Directed by Samik Roy Choudhury, Beline is a funny drama given a boost by some amazing performances, most prominently by Paran Bandopadhyay. An old man begins tapping into an unsuspecting young couple's phone calls after a cross-connection has occurred. The outcome is a darkly comedic and moving study of loneliness, fantasy, and melodrama. Due to its stage-like setting, the movie brings to life a simple idea and makes it imaginative and emotionally resonant.
4. Bhootpori
Soukarya Ghoshal's fantasy drama, a mix of social commentary and ghostly mythology, intertwines myth and the real world. A boy with insomnia befriends a ghost over a summer vacation in his village of birth. The narrative engages with Sati and female infanticide through the filter of fantasy for children's literature. Jaya Ahsan's spine-tingling performance supports a poem-like, subtly political narrative.
3. Chaalchitra Ekhon
Anjan Dutt's meta-narrative gazes back at his early years as a filmmaker with Mrinal Sen's outfit. It's a love letter to mentorship, to the city of Kolkata as well as the cinema. Sawon Chakraborty romances as Ranjan Dutt, sensitive and charmer, and Dutt himself presents Sen in an unsanctimonious, deeply personal manner. A nostalgic, mellow tribute to yesteryears.
2. Manikbabur Megh (The Cloud and the Man)
This dreamy tale by Abhinandan Banerjee follows a lone man who becomes friends with a cloud. Chandan Sen shines in a role that oscillates between fantasy and despair. With poetry-like images and a deliberate pace, it captures the agony of isolation and the human desire to be together—real or imaginary.
1. Shri Swapankumarer Badami Hyenar Kobole
A free-wheeling, metatextual ride, Debaloy Bhattacharya's film has both Shri Swapankumar and his fictional detective Dipak Banerjee fighting the nefarious "Badami Hyena" in a world. It's a spoof of Bengali pulp fiction and of nostalgia itself, with Abir Chatterjee achingly cast. Experimental, interesting, and thoughtful—it's the pick of the pack.
Honorable Mentions: Bohurupi, Pariah – Vol. 1, and Chaalchitro: The Frame Fatale—each for its own merits in keeping the genre on its toes and steering clear of formulaic traps.