''Bhranti Bilas'' () is a 1963 Bengali-language

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

based on the 1869 play of the same name by

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar CIE ( bn, ঈশ্বর চন্দ্র বিদ্যাসাগর; 26 September 1820 – 29 July 1891), born Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay, was an Indian educator and social reformer of the nineteenth century ...

, which is itself based on

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

The Comedy of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. ...

''. The film starring and produced

Uttam Kumar Uttam Kumar ( bn, উত্তম কুমার; born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay; 3 September 1926 – 24 July 1980), popularly known as the Mahanayak, was an Indian actor, producer, director, script writer, composer, and singer who predom ...

, he played double role. Others starring Bhanu Banerjee who also played duel role,

Sabitri Chatterjee Sabitri Chatterjee (born 22 February 1937) is an Indian actress who is known for her work in Bengali theatre and cinema. Her career spans more than 60 years. She is the recipient of BFJA Awards for two times. In 1999, she was conferred with Sa ...

and

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 wit ...

. The film made under the banner of Uttam Kumar Films Pvt Ltd. The music of the film composed by Shyamal Mitra. The film was remade in

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

thrice as '' Do Dooni Char'' , '' Angoor'' and '' Cirkus''. The classic comedy was made based on Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar's popular novel with a similar name, which itself was inspired by the Shakespearian play 'Comedy Of Errors'. In this movie, Uttam Kumar and Bhanu Bandyopadhyay were cast as a merchant and his servant respectively. They one day visit a new town but don't know about the existence of their twin brothers and it ultimately leads to a series of confusions breaking down a laugh riot.

Plot

Although the original play was set in an unspecified, but distant past, the film relocates the story to modern day India. The film tells the story of a

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 ...

merchant from

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

and his servant who visit a small town for a business appointment, but, whilst there, are mistaken for a pair of locals, leading to much confusion.

Cast

as Chiranjib Chowdhury and Chiranjit Chowdhury * Bhanu Bandopadhyay as Bhakti Kinkar and Shakti Kinkar *

as Chiranjib's Wife *

as Bilashini, Chiranjib's sister-in-law * Sabita Bose as Aparajita * Tarun Kumar as Money lender *

Chhaya Devi Chhaya Devi ( bn, ছায়া দেবী; 3 June 1914 – 25 April 2001) was an Indian actress known for her work in Bengali and Hindi cinema. She appeared in hundreds of films for over five decades. Her first lead role was in Debak ...

as Chiranjit & Chiranjib's Mother *

Bidhayak Bhattacharya Bidhayak Bhattacharya (7 February 1907 – 15 November 1986) was a Bengali novelist, play writer and actor. His birth name was Bagalaranjan. Early life Bhattacharya was born at Ziaganj in Murshidabad district in 1907 in British India. His fathe ...

as Bosupriyo

Soundtrack

Production

The story was written by

which he adapted from

The Comedy Of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. ...

written by

. This was the third film produced by Uttam Kumar after the blockbuster iconic ''

Harano Sur ''Harano Sur'' () is a 1957 Indian Bengali-language romantic drama film by Ajoy Kar, starring Suchitra Sen and Uttam Kumar, with music by Hemant Kumar, and sung by Geeta Dutt. This is the first film that Uttam had produced along with Ajoy Ka ...

'' and '' Saptapadi'' which he produced along with Ajoy Kar. But this time he separated from Ajoy Kar and made his only own production and named Uttam Kumar Films Private Limited. In the film Uttam Kumar played dual role and this is the third film after '' Tasher Ghar'' in 1957 and iconic '' Jhinder Bandi'' in 1961 where Uttam playing in double role. Bhanu Bandopadhyay also played a dual role in the film.

Remakes

The film is remade in several times. At first it's remade in 1968 Hindi film as '' Do Dooni Char'' directed by Debu Sen starring Kishore Kumar, Asit Sen and

Tanuja Tanuja Samarth, known mononymously as Tanuja, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in the Hindi film industry. Part of the Mukherjee-Samarth family, she is the daughter of actress Shobhna Samarth and producer Kumarsen Samarth, and wa ...

. A 1982 Hindi remake directed by the legendary

Gulzar Sampooran Singh Kalra (born 18 August 1934), known professionally as Gulzar, is an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of greatest Urdu poets of this ...

as '' Angoor'' starring

Sanjeev Kumar Sanjeev Kumar (born Harihar Jethalal Jariwala; 9 July 1938 – 6 November 1985) was an Indian actor. He is well remembered for his versatility and genuine portrayal of his characters. He acted in genres ranging from romantic dramas to thrille ...

Moushumi Chatterjee Moushumi Chatterjee (born Indira Chattopadhyay) is an Indian actress who is recognised for her work in Hindi as well as Bengali cinema. She was one of the highest paid actresses in Hindi films during the 1970s. She joined the Bharatiya Janata ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bhrantibilas 1963 films Bengali-language Indian films Indian comedy films Indian films based on plays Modern adaptations of works by William Shakespeare Films based on The Comedy of Errors Films based on adaptations Bengali films remade in other languages 1960s Bengali-language films