Rajkummar Rao: Bengali Cinema Shaped My Art

MUMBAI (IANS)- Rajkummar Rao, who recently featured in the action thriller “Maalik,” has opened up about his admiration for Bengali cinema. He credits its golden era for shaping his artistic perspective.

Rao recalled a time when filmmakers like Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak were creating some of the finest films in the country. The “Stree” actor praised the cultural richness and cinematic brilliance of that period, calling it one of the most impactful phases in Indian film history.

Rao expressed his deep passion for Bengali cinema. When asked about his connection to it—given that his wife, actress Patralekha, is Bengali and he was recently heard translating Bengali to Hindi—the actor shared that he has followed Bengali films quite closely, especially the classics.

“I’ve followed it a lot, especially the early Bengali cinema—when Ray and Ghatak were making films. I’m sure I’ve watched most of their work,” he said. “There was a time when Bengali cinema was at its peak. They were making the best films ever in this country. Even in Bollywood, during the ’40s and ’50s, Bengali cinema had a strong influence. Yes, exactly—there was great cinema happening in Bengal at that time.”

Rajkummar added, “I’m sure there are still some really interesting filmmakers now, but to be honest, I haven’t watched too many recent Bengali films. The last one I saw was ‘Labour of Love,’ by Aditya Vikram Sengupta, which I absolutely loved. But yes, I feel very connected to it. And there are a lot of Bengalis around me, even otherwise, in life.”

To note, while Rajkummar Rao’s wife, Patralekha, is from a Bengali family, her work so far has been primarily in Hindi cinema and web series, with no features in Bengali films.