Be it writing the lyrics of songs or scripts of movies, there is always some inspirations that make it happen. Movie-makers keep on looking for such inspirations for their movies or developing the key characters, and they often find Bengali novels as their preferred source.

Bengali writers such as Rabindranath Tagore, Bibutibhusan Bandopadhyay, and many others have written many classical novels that are well known not only in Bengal but beyond its border. Here is a list of 5 fictional characters who connect Bengalis through movies and literature.

Famous characters from Bengali novels:

Gogol

Gogol is a famous fictional detective character created by Samaresh Basu.

Gogol first appeared in movies in 2013 in the film Goenda Gogol directed by Arindam Dey and produced by Supratik Ghosh. This movie is based on the story ‘Sonali Parer Rahashya’. Indraneil Sengupta, Saheb Chatterjee and Locket Chatterjee played key roles in this movie.

This movie has a sequel named Gogol-er Kirti(2014) based on the stories ‘Royraja Uddhar’ and ‘Mahishmardini Uddhar’. ‘Gogol-er Kirti’ is directed by Pompy Ghosh Mukherjee and produced by Supratik Ghosh. In this movie, there is Indraneil Sengupta along with Vikram Chatterjee and Abhijit Ghosh in the key roles.

Byomkesh

There is so many Byomkesh Bakshi movies based on the character Byomkesh Bakshi, a satyanwesi(truth seeker/detective), created by famous Bengali writer Saradindu Chatterjee . However, the best known Byomkesh movies are of Abir Chatterjee. He first appeared as Byomkesh in 2010. Between then and 2018, Abir has done seven Byomkesh Bakshi movies.

Abir is very credible as the iconic sleuth. Played by Abir, this literary icon has become a cinematic phenomenon in the Byomkesh franchise. From an young intellectual Byomkesh to an older one – Abir has perfected each shade in each movie. A character like Byomkesh deserves recognition so does a talented actor like him. His acting in this character made every Byomkesh fan eagerly waiting for him to appear on silver screen. ‘Byomkesh Gowtro’, Harhar Byomkesh – these movies has left every Bengali movie enthusiast in awe.

Devdas

Devdas movies have been made multiple times in multiple languages. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Devdas’ might be the most famous among them. However, the most notable among bengali Devdas movies is the one directed by Shakti Samanta in 2002.

Devdas is originally a novel written by Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay. The plot revolves with the love affairs between Devdas and Parbati.

In the movie Devdas(2002), the character Devdas is played by Prasenjit Chatterjee. Devdas is a village Zamindar’s son who had a lovely childhood with his childhood friend Parvati (played by Arpita Pal) who belongs to a middle class family. Devdas and Parvati are once separated in childhood as Devdas leaves the village for higher studies. After he returns, Devdas expresses his love for Parvati and she reciprocates. However, they are again separated due to social norms. Will Devdas and Parvati’s love see the light of the sun – watch the movie to know this.

Ekenbabu

Ekendra Sen is a fictional detective created by Bengali author Sujan Dasgupta. Ekenbabu is accompanied by Bapi and Promotho – his friends cum aides.

‘The Eken'(2022) is a detective crime thriller directed by Joydeep Mukherjee. In the movie, Anirban Chakrabarti plays the title role of Ekenbabu. During his trip to Darjeeling with Bapi and Promotho, Ekenbabu has a chance meeting with a famous movie star, Bipasha Mitra played by Payel Sarkar. Then, the trio gets caught up in the investigation of a missing ancestral photograph and a precious stamp that belonged to Bipasha’s grandfather. The mystery deepens when he discovers a valuable Lord Vishnu idol has been stolen from the statue collection of Bipasha. To find out what happens at the climax – you should watch the movie.

Feluda

Feluda is a Bengali sleuth created by the acclaimed and renowned Oscar-winning director Satyajit Ray. There are several movies on this character. However, the well-known movies are those where Sabyasachi Chakraborty plays the role. He has done seven Feluda movies on the big screen. Sabyasachi Chakraborty has pullued off the charismatic detective in excellent manner each time. Last time, he played the role in 2016 in the movie Double Feluda directed by Sandip Ray. Saheb Bhattacharya plays the role of Topse – his sidekick. This movie is the sequel of Royal Bengal Rahashya(2011). Paran Bandopadhyay, Bratya Basu, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Saswata Chatterjee also played key roles in the movie ‘Double Feluda’.

Best Bengali movies based on novels:

Character: Gogol

Best movie(s): Goyenda Gogol, Gogol-er Kirti

Character: Byomkesh

Best movie(s): Byomkesh Bakshi(2010), Abar Byomkesh, Byomkesh Phire Elo, Har Har Byomkesh, Byomkesh Pawrbo, Byomkesh Gotro

Character: Devdas

Best movie(s): Devdas(2002)

Character: Ekenbabu

Best movie(s): The Eken

Character: Feluda

Best movie(s): Royal Bengal Rahasya, Double Feluda

Bengali movies based on novels | Famous characters from Bengali novels