Abstract:

Cinema not only holds a unique place in the society but also is an immense force which by the subtlety of its nature shapes the opinion of millions in course of its business of providing entertainment. Moreover, it is a reflection of socio-economic, political and cultural realities of a society. Viewed in this context, the films of Bimal Roy portrayed some of the important issues relevant in the society. The films of Bimal Roy portrayed some of the important issues relevant in the society. His films raised the issues of untouchability, struggle of capital and labour, position of women in society, economic inequality, social oppression, poverty and unemployment. A careful analysis of some of his films like Udayer Pathey (1944), Humrahi (1945), Do Bigha Zamin (1953) Parineeta (1953), Biraj Bahu (1954), Naukri (1954) Devdas (1955), Sujata (1959), Parakh (1960) and Bandini (1963) suggests that his approach was towards creating a meaningful cinema. His treatment of the films was realistic in nature. Moreover his films radiated hope and optimism. The portrayal of women in his films is also an important aspect of study which has been discussed. His techniques in the filmmaking have also been examined. Our objective would be to study socio-economic perspectives in his films in the changing political and cultural milieu of those times.

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