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Bhanu Banerjee - the versatile comedian of Bengali films


Bhanu Banerjee – the versatile comedian of Bengali films.

Bhanu Banerjee had entertained the Bengali audience for over 30 years with his immense stock of comedy films. In the film Sare Chuattor, although Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen had been launched as the romantic pair in the film, Bhanu’s capability of speaking the Bangladeshi intonation from Dhaka, had moved the cinematic audience with dialogues like “mashima malpo khamu”.

Bhanu was sublime in the film Jomaloye Jibonto Manush, where he dreamt of being summoned to Hell, where Jomraaj had by mistake brought when he was still alive. He went to different part of heaven with the help of Vishnu and saw Indrolok, Vishnulok, Shivlok, etc. and took his wife with him who died before him. He later realized that he was dreaming and visit to hell and heaven was in his illusion. The entire film was based on comedy and the strong script was given able direction by Bhanu.

He played a notable role in the film Nirdharito Shilpir Anupasthite. In that film he lost all his relatives in a natural calamity and took the help of Chabi Biswas to reorganize himself after the immense loss. At the end of the film he found his daughter singing in a concert due to the absence of the scheduled artist. He found her at the end. It was a change of image from comedy to a serious role.

His few films were based on fantasy like Ashite Ashipona, where he realized that he had jumped in a pond where the water had transformed his age from 80 to young age. When the news circulated in the village all the people started crowing near the pond as everyone wanted to get back their youth. Due to brilliance Bhanu, Johor Roy and other actors the film did good business.

He even acted in other films like Personal Assistant where he played the role of the PA of a rich lady who gave her the job. He impressed her boss to such an extent that at the end of the film she married him. The songs in the film sung by Hemant Kumar like “k choleche”, “tomader notun kuri” became very successful.

There were many films were which titled with Bhanu’s name like Bhanu Pelo Lottery, Bhanu Goenda Johor Assistant, etc., which were also successful. And he became an indispensable figure in Uttam Kumar’s films like Bhranti Bilas, Sakher Chor, Surjo Toron, Pushpo Dhonu, Ora Thake Odhare, to name a few. If Uttam Kumar was unparallel in romantic roles during the golden age, Bhanu was unparallel in comedy roles during the 50s and 60s. His films should be restored and preserved.