The Bengali film industry experienced a rollercoaster year in 2024. The number of films dropped drastically to 40, compared to 134 in 2023. Television serial production also saw a sharp decline, with only 23 shows produced, compared to over 40 last year. Adding to the challenges, the ongoing disputes between the ‘Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India’ (FCTWEI) and the ‘Directors Association of Eastern India’ (DAEI) created turmoil. As we step into 2025, let’s look back at the events and stories that shaped Tollywood in 2024.
Celebrating a milestone: Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta, one of Bengal’s most beloved on-screen pairs from the 1990s, achieved a major milestone this year by starring in their 50th film together, ‘Ajogyo’. While Prosenjit is in the 40th year of his career and Rituparna is in her 30th year, the audiences continue to love their chemistry.
Number game: The Bengali film industry continued to rely on festive releases to draw audiences and 2024 was no different. ‘Bohurupi’ and ‘Tekka’, released during Durga Puja, were big hits, with ‘Bohurupi’ becoming the highest earner of the year till now, making over Rs 17 crore. Christmas brought even more excitement with Dev’s ‘Khadaan’, marking his return to commercial films. The movie is still running to packed theatres and breaking records. Raj Chakraborty’s ‘Shontaan’, starring Mithun Chakraborty, is also attracting large audiences. ‘Ajogyo’, the 50th film of Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta, made waves at the box office. Manashi Sinha’s debut movie ‘Eta Amader Galpo’, starring Saswata Chatterjee and Aparajita Auddy, surprised everyone by becoming a sleeper hit. Other popular films this year included ‘Oti Uttam’, ‘Nayan Rahasya’ and ‘Jamalaya Jibanta Bhanu’.
Politics and the silver screen: The trend of film and TV stars entering politics continued in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Celebrities like Dev, June Maliah, Saayoni Ghosh, Shatrughan Sinha, Satabdi Roy and Rachana Banerjee won seats on TMC tickets, further strengthening the link between the entertainment industry and politics.
A year of weddings: Weddings were a recurring highlight in 2024. Actor Sohini Sarkar tied the knot with musician Shovan Ganguly, while TV actress Rupsa Chatterjee married Shayandeep Sarkar. Sreejita De embraced Bengali traditions in her second wedding to Michael Blohm-Pape. Anupam Roy and Prashmita Paul also got married in intimate ceremonies. The most talked-about wedding was between actor-politician Kanchan Mullick and actress Sreemoyee Chattoraj, who welcomed a baby girl this year. However, they were slammed by netizens when they made a rule that media, drivers and security guards would not be allowed at their wedding reception.
Federation vs Directors’ Guild: The industry faced disruption when disagreements between the Federation and the Directors’ Guild halted shooting. The conflict, which stemmed from allegations of ‘unlawful shooting’ by director Rahool Mukherjee, escalated to the point that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had to intervene. The situation worsened when the Directors’ Guild decided to take legal action against the Federation for alleged unconstitutional practices.
Impact of the Hema Committee Report: The release of the Justice Hema Committee Report stirred debates about workplace harassment, with its effects spilling into Bengali cinema. Actress Ritabhari Chakraborty spoke out against the casting couch issue in the Bengali film industry and met with the Chief Minister to demand action. Even director Arindam Sil was suspended indefinitely after facing allegations of harassment.
AI in movies: Filmmaker Srijit Mukherji broke new ground by using AI to bring Bengali legend Uttam Kumar back to the silver screen in ‘Oti Uttam’. AI was also used to recreate Satyajit Ray’s voice, blending scratch dubbing with authentic samples.
Lost forever: This year has also been a year of sadness with the deaths of several legends including Ustad Rashid Khan, Manoj Mitra, Arun Chakraborty, Uma Dasgupta, the Durga of Satyajit Ray’s ‘Pather Panchali’; host and actor Debraj Roy, actor Parthasarathi Deb, veteran actress Anjana Bhowmik, singer Ashima Mukhopadhyay, actress Sreela Majumdar and Moon Moon Sen’s husband Bharat Dev Varma.