India woke up to an unsettling news on Monday. Tarun Majumdar, one of India’s most remarkable filmmakers of all-time, passed away at an age of 91 at SSKM Hospital in Kolkata. A Padma Shri awardee, Majumdar is accredited for contributing some of the evergreen works to the Indian film industry, winning five Filmfare awards and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.

Tarun Majumdar debuted as a film director with Basanta Choudhury with ‘Alor Pipasha’ in 1985. Prior to that, he used to work in a collaboration with other groups of filmmakers. Over the years, he has delivered some unforgettable flicks for the Indian audience with Shriman Prithviraj (1973), Dadar Kirti (1980), Kuheli (1971), Fuleswari (1974) and many more.

Let’s take a look at some of his timeless creations which will keep the audience engaged for years to come. 

Balika Badhu (1976)

A blockbuster hit during its time, Balika Badhu was released in 1976. The film is based on a Bengali novel of the same name and revolves around a young girl who is married before she is old enough to understand what marriage is all about. 

The film is set in the backdrop of the Indian freedom struggles and has some beautiful scores by R.D Burman. “Bade Achhe Lagte Hain” is one of the most hit songs of this film.

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Kuheli (1971)

It is a Bengali suspense thriller. The storyline revolves around a woman who comes to a remote hill town as a governess. Thereafter, she finds everything haunted in the bungalow where she lived. The suspense thriller unfolds over time and is one of the most hit Bengali films till date. 

Kuheli had a host of top actors like Utpal Dutt, Sandhya Roy, Debashree Roy. Apart from direction, Tarun Majumdar also wrote the screenplay of the film.

Shriman Prithviraj (1973)

Shriman Prithviraj hit the theatres in 1973. The story featured a teenage love and it starred Mahua Roy and Ayan Banerjee. This movie also has a subtle backdrop of the Indian freedom movement. The film offers six beautiful soundtracks and prominent Bengali singer Hemanta Mukhopadhyay as the composer.

Ganadevata (1978) 

A Bengali drama that was based on a novel by Tarashankar Bandopadhyay. The storyline of the film is set in the year of 1920s, during the British Raj. The film showed the breakdown of socio-economic structures, the impact of industrialization and the non-cooperation movement in rural Bengal. Tarun Majumdar won a filmfare award for this film.

Dadar Kirti (1980)

Arguably the best creation of Tarun Majumdar in his entire career. Dadar Kirti is based on an unpublished novel by Saradindu Bandyopadhyay. The film earned huge success at the box office and is still massively popular among many. The film has many uses of Rabindra Sangeet and the music director was Hemanta Mukhopadhyay. 

Tarun Majumdar made films highlighting the lives of middle-class audiences. Most of his movies had been inspired by novels. He had made many films against the backdrop of the Indian freedom struggles. Other famous works of his include Palatak, Sansar Simanta, and Bhalobasa Bhalobasa. Bhalobasar Bari (2018) and a documentary titled Adhikar was the last works of the legendary filmmaker’s career.