Ritwik Ghatak left an indelible mark on Bengali and Indian cinema by his talent. In his 25 year career he has directed 26 films, including 7 documentaries and 5 short films. He wrote the screenplays of all his films. It is symptomatic of his uncompromising personality as far as his works were concerned.
His first film was Nagarik (1952). It was the first authentic realistic film and a direct call to political action. It featured great actor from the stage, Kali Banerjee. In 1958 he made Ajantrik which shows the daring originality and the innovative talent of Ghatak. This film deals with Nature and the living beings closest to her like tribal people, is used metaphorically for portraying human emotions. But these tend unfailingly to be negative as they are driven by capitalist greed and industrialization. Like his other films this flick too mingles comedy, melodrama and actual facts. Ajantrik was a commercial failure. His next venture was Bari Theke Paliye (1959). It was centered on a child who runs away to Kolkata and encounters both human warmth and cruel rules of the society. He finally returns to his parents disillusioned about the wonders of the society.
The following year Ghatak directed a masterpiece in Bengali and Indian cinema and one of his most powerful and innovative works, Meghe Dhaka Tara. Here he develops the tragic aspects of partition, once again making use of Indian myths, in particular that of the Mother goddess. The characters in this film have intense psychological density and the film has a realistic dimension. The film starred Anil Biswas and Supriya. What followed this flick were Mi Bemol (1961) and Subarnarekha (1965). The latter was the magnum opus of Ghatak and included some of the finest Bengali performers: Madhabi Mukherjee, Abhi Bhattacharya, Bijon Bhattacharya and Jahor Roy. His next complete film came in 1971 and was known as Titash Ek Nadir Naam. it is an allegory on the life and subsequent death of a community of fisher folk obliged to leave one another under the blows of progress embodied by `babus` or gentlemen coming from the cities. In 1974 he directed Jukti, Takko aar Gappo. He was himself part of the crew alongside the great actor Bijon Bhattacharya and Utpal Dutt.
