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The long and short of this section is a collection of select long-form articles and short films that have been specially commissioned by BFA as a tribute to our film heritage. In between, take a peek at what happened behind the scene of some gems.
OUR ARTICLES
'Baby Shikha, Shikha Rani and Chhoto Suchitra meant
Boro Pishi to us'
Having caught film director Agradoot Bibhuti Laha’s attention after hearing her recite a poem, six-year-old Shikha Rani Bag was cast in 1949’s Sankalpa. It started her 14-year and around 40 films career as the leading child artist of Bengali cinema, picking up Jawaharhal Nehru’s nod too along the way. Shikha Rani breathed her last in May this year, leaving behind a legacy from the golden age of Bengali cinema, an over 50-year-old classical dance school and scores of students determined to carry her flame. Here is a tribute by journalist and writer Shamik Bag who shares intimate stories about the life and works of his aunt
OUR FILMS
Lost?
The iconic Paradise Cinema has been a cherished part of Kolkata's cine history. Nirmal De’s Sare Chuattor marked its first Bengali screening in 1953, amidst a legacy primarily dedicated to Hindi films. From the triple-layered curtains covering its single screen to the chilled air from the running ACs wafting through its doors during intervals, each detail of Paradise’s majestic allure is still ingrained in the fond memories of its patrons. One such patron is Junaid Ahmed. BFA joins this Dharmatala resident as he recollects his days of being a witness to paradise on earth in this Bijoy Chowdhury film
BEHIND-THE-SCENES
Do you know that the famous swing scene of Charulata was shot in a garden on of the erstwhile Bengal Engineering College campus in Shibpur? Are you aware of what happened when Debaki Kumar Bose had accidentally chanced upon Tarun Majumdar's publicity design of Padatik? Do you have a clue about how Asit Sen learnt the fine art of low angle shots when he had first met Satyajit Ray at the DJ Keymer advertising firm? Read on to check out such anecdotes that happened on and off the sets of some of our cult Bengali films.