Imagine a Bengali character from an average Hindi movie. If it is a woman, you may see her wrapped in cloth red par shada saree (White saree with red border), with a big bindi. If she is praying then’uludhoni‘It is necessary. Hindi cinema, popularly called Bollywood, has long stereotyped Bengalis, just as it has stereotyped Punjabis and South Indians. However, this is not even the tip of the iceberg.

It began as a humorous trope used to generate laughter among the audience, as might have been the case with the 1968 film Padosan. When the Hindi film industry started, a large number of people in it were Bengalis, so these things were taken as a joke. But over the years, this continued, with minimal changes being made, with even Bengali actors portraying Bengali characters deliberately mispronouncing (in this case, Mouni Roy’s character in Reema Kagti’s film Gold,

In today’s Cinematic Saturday, we will try to understand how Hindi cinema has created a systematic stereotype of Bengalis that continues in recent times. Famous director Srijit Mukherjee also shared his inputs and explained how this can be avoided and Bengalis can be portrayed with authenticity.

What is wrong with the portrayal of Bengali in Hindi films?

Bengali is the second most spoken language of India after Hindi, spoken by 8.3 percent of the population across the country (as per 2011 census). And yet, every year there are a number of films that misrepresent Bengalis, or worse, stereotype them. Recently there have been two releases which have a Bengali connection. where one side is Anees Bazmee’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 And on the other hand, there is Shoojit Sircar’s I Want to TalkThe two are completely different in their portrayal of Bengali characters – one falling victim to stereotyping and the other getting it completely right.

There are many characters in the former who are Bengali. And one of the most disturbing things that any Bengali will probably catch first is Vijaj Raj’s introductory dialogue where he says that he is the king and the man in the wheelchair (played by Bengali actor Kanchan Malik) is his ‘bodyguard’ .

Now, one could argue that this was done to make non-Bengalis understand what was being said on the screen. But, with the growing population of Indians watching regional movies as well as TV shows in a completely different language like Korean, won’t subtitles suffice?

In fact, this is also a problem that ace director Srijit Mukherjee, known for Bengali films like Baishe Shrabon and more recently, Hindi films like Tekka and Sherdil: The Pilbhit Saga and Shabaash Mithu, has faced in some Hindi films. You will come to know while watching.

“I cringe when I see stereotyping, especially accent. The accent in many big budget movies and series is terrible. And, I refuse to believe that despite spending so much, a language instructor Or pronunciation coaches may not be employed by big production houses, that is really very sad,” he lamented while speaking exclusively with India Today Digital.

This is also true for Movies like Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem KahaniIs there no need to put a picture of Rabindranath Tagore to show it to a Bengali family? As one could argue that the film shows many stereotypes, they are later debunked and it also casts real Bengali actors as Rani’s parents, bypassing the accent problem. Cannot be done. In fact, Rani says ‘Khela Hobe’ in the film, this phrase became the slogan of Bengal during the elections. It’s only two words, and yet the pronunciation is absolutely terrible.

What is ‘fish’ – deliberate mispronunciation and messed up pronunciation

The problem is not just this – trying to change every ‘A’ into ‘O’ and saying the same things in Hindi to make it so-called Bengali – is very common in Bollywood. There are also cases, like in Reema Kagti’s Gold, where a Bengali character, Monobina, played by an actual Bengali – Mouni Roy, mispronounces Hindi because Bengalis cannot speak Hindi. In fact, he furthered the stereotypes by saying, “What kind of Bengali are you? eats fish but is still not drunk (What kind of Bengali are you? You eat fish and still are not intelligent)?”, not only in a mocking tone but also hinting that all Bengalis eat fish.

When this woman calls her husband, he comes back saying ‘Dugga-Dugga’, which is how Bengalis say to wish them a safe journey. We’re sure a Bengali diction coach would have come in handy, and our heroine could have done better.

Watch this clip between 1:45 seconds and 2:25 seconds.

Some characters are also given phrases like ‘Uri Baba’ to make things look Bengali. Now, when you meet a Bengali, you probably won’t find anyone using this phrase. You might get something like ‘Ore Baba’, which is like the Bengali version of Oh My God. However, disappointing stereotypes make the majority of the population think otherwise.

Other Bengali stereotypes

would be another painful example Mrs. Serial Killer, in which the character Joy, played by Manoj Bajpayee, is a BengaliSo he writes Shona for Sona and plays a song while killing people, because Bengalis love music, right? Okay, ‘Ami je tomar chhin chhin chhin’ bells should be ringing by this time (this is also the one that really gets you all excited) Ish In the song Bairi Piya of Devdas).

Srijit Mukherjee pointed out the inconsistencies seen in many films. She shared the example of Bulbul, a film otherwise acclaimed for its portrayal of women. dhunuchi danceA festive dance that Bengalis perform during Durga Puja was shown on the occasion of Kali Puja.

Why do stereotypes still persist?

Naturally, one has to wonder why this hasn’t stopped yet. “Maybe because no one protested it,” says Srijit Mukherjee, “It’s strange and sad, but that’s the way it is.”

The director also said, “Somehow, Bengal is not considered part of the pan-India sensibilities. I have tried to pursue stories set in Bengal or characters that are Bengali. I was told by the platforms that they Something is needed that is more pan-Indian.”

Are all representations flawed?

It should also be clarified that not all Hindi films represent Bengalis in the same way. Most of the accurate portrayals have been done by Bengali directors. Hence, films like Kahaani, Parineeta, Piku and I Want to Talk beautifully bring alive the culture and nuances of the population.

We hope that others will also take inspiration from their colleagues.