''Shriman Prithviraj'' ( bn, শ্রীমান পৃথ্বীরাজ; ) is a 1973 Indian

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film starring Ayan Banerjee and Mahua Roy Choudhury, and directed by

Tarun Majumdar Tarun Majumdar (or Mazumdar, 22 September 1931 – 4 July 2022) was an Indian film director and Screenwriter who is known for his work in Bengali cinema. He received four National Awards, seven BFJA Awards, five Filmfare Awards and an Anandalo ...

, featuring teenage love. It has a cult following. This is essentially a comedy with

Tom Sawyer Thomas Sawyer () is the titular character of the Mark Twain novel ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876). He appears in three other novels by Twain: ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884), ''Tom Sawyer Abroad'' (1894), and ''Tom Sawyer, Dete ...

esque leanings laced elegantly into the fabric of

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

of the late 19th or early 20th century. In the subtle backdrop of the Indian freedom movement, it is the story of the transformation of a young boy's innocent but naughty childhood to an appreciation of the

Swadeshi movement The Swadeshi movement was a self-sufficiency movement that was part of the Indian independence movement and contributed to the development of Indian nationalism. Before the BML Government's decision for the partition of Bengal was made public in ...

and the growth of adolescent love for a girl even younger than him. The comic appeal of the film is natural and free-flowing. It includes a number of beautifully rendered traditional

songs and is punctuated by a series of stand-offs faced by the young boy, mostly with unfavourable results for the opposing party. At heart, it is a beautiful pre-pubescent/adolescent love story. It was a huge box-office success when it came out and is an oft-watched movie even today. The leading cast, Ayan Banerjee and

Mahua Roychoudhury Mahua Roy Choudhury ( bn, মহুয়া রায় চৌধুরী; 24 September 1958 – 22 July 1985) was an Indian actress who is recognized for her work in Bengali cinema. She is considered to be one of the most successful actres ...

as the teenage-couple are still remembered for their roles in the film. Moreover, the blend of the pre-Independence political backdrop with the simple love life of the newlywed is excellently portrayed. On one hand there is the caricature of a typical Babu, who's hell-bent on getting the ‘Raibahadur’ title from the British rulers played excellently by Utpal Dutt, and on the other hand a Swadeshi played by

Biswajit Chatterjee Biswajit Chatterjee (born 14 December 1936), known mononymously as Biswajit, is an Indian actor, producer, director, singer and politician known for his work in Hindi and Bengali cinema. Early career After films in Calcutta including ''May ...

, who is out to teach the British rulers a lesson. The main focus is on Rashik Laal (Ayan), a notorious boy. To curb him, his parents get him married to Kamala (Mohua). But he creates havoc in his in-laws’ house as well. The interplay between the two, their becoming friends, missing each other, understanding their feelings for each other all make for a charming love story.

Synopsis

Young Rashik lal is a notorious brat and the entire village, including his father is fed up with the boy. He is in love with the character 'Prithviraj'

Prithviraj Chauhan Prithviraja III (IAST: Pṛthvī-rāja; reign. – 1192 CE), popularly known as Prithviraj Chauhan or Rai Pithora, was a king from the Chauhan (Chahamana) dynasty who ruled the territory of Sapadalaksha, with his capital at Ajmer in present- ...

, a great warrior who he (falsely and somewhat comically) believes to have fought against

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

; and often fantasizes himself as Prithviraj. One day he has a fight with his classmate Anta and is suspended from school. His father gets him married thinking that marriage would bring stability and seriousness in his life. He is married to the daughter of an aristocratic babu, whose only desire in life is to achieve the title of 'Raibahadur'. Rashik is super excited after he meets Abala, his wife, as she can not only read and write but can also converse in English. However this is shortlived and Rashik goes back to living his reckless life as a notorious brat. His father in law hires an Englishman for tutoring him. However the situation soon gets out of control which leads to a rift between the families of the newly wed groom and the bride. After much hassle and confusion the couple is not only united but they also develop a strong bond of love and friendship.

Cast

* Ayan Bandyopadhyay (Ayan Banerjee) as Rashik Lal Mukherjee *

as Amalabala Mukherjee (Roy) *

Sandhya Roy Sandhya Roy is an Indian actress and politician. She is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She is the recipient of BFJA Award for three times, and one Filmfare Awards East best actress for '' Ganadevata''. Roy made her cinematic debut with ...

as Saraswati Mitra * Indranath Chattopadhyay * Satyajit Bose *

Utpal Dutt Utpal Dutta () (29 March 1929 – 19 August 1993) was an Indian actor, director, and writer-playwright. He was primarily an actor in Bengali theatre, where he became a pioneering figure in Modern Indian theatre, when he founded the "Little The ...

as Pannalal Roy Chowdhury *

as Akhil Mitra * Satya Bandyopadhyay as Banamali Mukherjee *

Rabi Ghosh Robi Ghosh ( bn, রবি ঘোষ) (24 November 1931 – 4 February 1997) was an Indian actor known for his work in Bengali cinema. He is known for his comic appeal, though his versatile acting talent brought him success in various kin ...

as Haridas *

Chinmoy Roy Chinmoy Roy (1940–2019) was an Indian Bengali male actor. He was famous for his comic roles in Bengali movies, though his versatility has allowed him to play a variety of roles. Though he was known for portraying various character roles, Ro ...

as Pannalal's car-driver *

Santosh Dutta Santosh Dutta (Bengali: সন্তোষ দত্ত; 2 December 1925 – 5 March 1988) was a Bengali actor, best known for playing the character of Jatayu in Satyajit Ray's Feluda movie series ''Sonar Kella'' and '' Joi Baba Felunath''. Ear ...

as Rashik's school-teacher * Mohtasim Fuad Mahi as joy *

Mrinal Mukherjee Mrinal Mukherjee ( – 7 May 2019) was an Indian actor, theatre personality and music director. He is the father of actor and singer Jojo. He is remembered for his negative roles in Bengali cinema. Career In 1955, Mukherjee made his debut w ...

Padma Devi Padma Devi (1917–1983) was a popular Indian Bengali Hindi/Hindustani Film Actress and playback singer of Indian cinema, in the silent era and the early talkies. Starting her career with the main role in ''Sea Goddess'' (1931), directed by Dhi ...

* Nibhanani Debi * Haridhan Mukhopadhyay as Banamali's henchman * Gita Nag *

Tapen Chatterjee Tapen Chatterjee (3 September 1937 – 24 May 2010) was a Bengali actor from India who played several roles in Satyajit Ray's films, notably as Goopy Gyne in ''Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne'' (1968), and its sequels '' Heerak Rajar Deshe'' (1980) a ...

as Pannalal's servant

Soundtrack

The film contains total six songs. All songs were composed by

Hemanta Mukhopadhyay Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (16 June 1920 – 26 September 1989), known professionally as Hemant Kumar and Hemanta Mukherjee, was a legendary Indian music composer and playback singer who primarily sang in Bengali and Hindi, as well as other Indian ...

and written by

Gauriprasanna Mazumder Gauriprasanna Majumdar (1925–1986) was an Indian lyricist and writer, known for his work in Indian cinema and Bangladeshi Cinema . He is most commonly associated with the black and white era of Bengali cinema, when he penned several enduring c ...

(except ''Sakhi Bhabona Kahare Bole'', which was written and composed by

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

Kavita Krishnamurthi Sharada Krishnamurthy, popularly known as Kavita Krishnamurthy or Kavita Subramaniam, is an Indian playback and classical singer. She has recorded 50,000 songs in 45 various Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali language, Bengali, Kannada, ...

made her playback debut in this film. The songs are: 1. ''Haridaser Bulbul Bhaja'' (sung by Tarun Banerjee) 2. ''Tolpi Tolpa Niye Ebar'' (sung by Hemanta Mukhopadhyay) 3. ''Sakhi Bhabona Kahare Bole'' (sung by

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her cont ...

and

) 4. ''Haridaser Bulbul Bhaja - Reprise'' (sung by Tarun Banerjee) 5. ''Aaji Basante'' (sung by

Aarti Mukherjee Aarti Mukherjee, also known as Aarti Mukherji or Arati Mukhopadhyay, is an Indian playback singer who has sung in Hindi films such as '' Geet Gata Chal'' (1975), ''Tapasya'' (1976), ''Manokamana'', '' Masoom'' (1983) and ''Sooraj Mukhi'' (1992) ...

) 6. ''Noro Dhame Sakhato Ishwar He ''(sung by Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Tarun Banerjee)

References

External links

* * {{Tarun Majumdar 1972 films Bengali-language Indian films 1970s children's films Indian children's films Films directed by Tarun Majumdar Films scored by Hemant Kumar 1970s Bengali-language films