Shriman Prithviraj
| Srimaan Prithviraj | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Tarun Majumdar |
| Starring | Mahua Roychoudhury Ayan Banerjee Utpal Dutt Sandhya Roy Biswajit Chatterjee Rabi Ghosh |
| Music by | Hemanta Mukherjee |
Release date | 1972 |
| Country | India |
| Language | Bengali |
Shriman Prithviraj (Bengali: শ্রীমান পৃথ্বীরাজ; English:Mr.Prithviraj) is a 1972 Indian Bengali romantic comedy film starring Ayan Banerjee and Mahua Roy Choudhury, and directed by Tarun Majumdar, featuring teenage love. It has a cult following.[1]
Plot
Ayan Banerjee and Mahua Roychoudhury as the child-couple are still remembered lovingly. Such a simple story of love is entertaining as well as inspiring. Moreover, the blend of the pre-Independence political backdrop with the simple love life of the newlywed is excellently portrayed. On one hand you have 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 you have Biswajit, a Swadeshi who is out to teach the British rulers a lesson. The main focus is on Ayan, a notorious boy. To curb him, his parents get him married to Utpal Dutt’s daughter, Mohua. But he creates havoc in his in-laws’ house as well. The interplay between the two, their becoming friends, missing each other, understanding responsibilities towards each other all make for a charming love story.
This is essentially a comedy with Tom Sawyeresque leanings laced elegantly into the fabric of Bengal 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 and the growth of adolescent love for a girl even younger than him. The comedy is exceedingly natural and free-flowing. It includes a number of beautifully rendered traditional Bengali 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.
Cast
- Biswajeet
- Ayan Bandyopadhyay (Ayan Banerjee)
- Mahua Raychowdhury
- Sandhya Roy
- Indranath Chattopadhyay
- Satyajit Bose
- Utpal Dutt
- Satya Bandyopadhyay
- Rabi Ghosh
- Chinmoy Roy
- Santosh Dutta
- Padma Debi
- Nibhanani Debi
- Haridhan Mukhopadhyay
- Gita Nag
- Tapen Chattopadhyay
References
- ^ "The Telegraph - Calcutta : etc". Calcutta, India: www.telegraphindia.com. 8 September 2006. Retrieved 27 October 2008.