Best Bengali Directors by Critic Score: Satyajit Ray, Rituparno Ghosh, Srijit Mukherji and Every Era
Who are the best Bengali directors by average critic score? Six live rankings: all time, the 2020s, the 2010s, the 2000s, 1980 to 1999 and the golden age to 1979.
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Films in this article
4.1 Bariwali
2000 · Drama
3.6 Autograph
2010 · Drama
4.5 Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne
1969 · Adventure, Comedy
Checked on 28 October 2026. These tables are live: they are calculated from the critic scores on Bengali Movie Reviews each time the page loads.
Which Bengali director has made the best-reviewed films? This page ranks directors by the average critic score of their films, first over all time and then era by era. Eras follow the release year of each film.
How the ranking works
- Only films with at least two critic scores count. A single early review does not move a director up.
- A director needs three or more such films in the period to appear. Where fewer than five directors qualify, the bar drops to two.
- The order uses the same adjusted score as the rest of the site, so three excellent films do not beat a long run of good ones. The average shown is the plain average out of 5.
- Reviews without a printed rating count as “BMR estimates”, at slightly less weight. Every critic counts the same. See the full directors list for box office and hits.
Best Bengali directors of all time
Satyajit Ray ranks first, with an average of 4.0 out of 5 across 22 scored films, ahead of Rituparno Ghosh and Anik Dutta.
| # | Director | Average | Films |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Satyajit RayBest: Pather Panchali (4.9) | 4.0 / 5 | 22 |
| 2 | Rituparno GhoshBest: Hirer Angti (4.8) | 3.8 / 5 | 15 |
| 3 | Anik DuttaBest: Aparajito (4.4) | 3.8 / 5 | 7 |
| 4 | Kaushik GangulyBest: The Eunuch and the Flute Player (4.5) | 3.6 / 5 | 20 |
| 5 | Ritwik GhatakBest: Ajantrik (4.5) | 3.7 / 5 | 6 |
| 6 | Srijit MukherjiBest: Jaatishwar (4.3) | 3.5 / 5 | 25 |
| 7 | Aparna SenBest: Sati (4.5) | 3.5 / 5 | 6 |
| 8 | Tapan SinhaBest: Galpo Holeo Satti (4.3) | 3.6 / 5 | 3 |
| 9 | Shiboprosad MukherjeeBest: Belashuru (3.9) | 3.5 / 5 | 16 |
| 10 | Nandita RoyBest: Belashuru (3.9) | 3.5 / 5 | 16 |
| 11 | Sandip RayBest: Royal Bengal Rahasya (4.3) | 3.5 / 5 | 4 |
| 12 | Atanu GhoshBest: Binisutoy (4.1) | 3.5 / 5 | 6 |
| 13 | Mrinal SenBest: In Search of Famine (4.3) | 3.5 / 5 | 7 |
| 14 | Joydeep MukherjeeBest: The Eken (3.9) | 3.4 / 5 | 4 |
| 15 | Parambrata ChatterjeeBest: Shonar Pahar (4.1) | 3.4 / 5 | 4 |
Films with at least two critic scores only; a director needs 3 or more such films in this period. Updates as reviews are added.
Best Bengali directors of the 2020s
Films released from 2020 onwards. The newest era has the most reviews per film, because the critics we track cover current releases.
Anik Dutta ranks first, with an average of 3.8 out of 5 across 3 scored films, ahead of Kaushik Ganguly and Anjan Dutt.
| # | Director | Average | Films |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anik DuttaBest: Aparajito (4.4) | 3.8 / 5 | 3 |
| 2 | Kaushik GangulyBest: Ardhangini (4.0) | 3.7 / 5 | 7 |
| 3 | Anjan DuttBest: Kaleidoscope Now (4.0) | 3.6 / 5 | 3 |
| 4 | Joydeep MukherjeeBest: The Eken (3.9) | 3.4 / 5 | 4 |
| 5 | Atanu GhoshBest: Binisutoy (4.1) | 3.4 / 5 | 4 |
| 6 | Srijit MukherjiBest: Shotyi Bole Shotyi Kichhu Nei (4.2) | 3.4 / 5 | 12 |
| 7 | Nandita RoyBest: Belashuru (3.9) | 3.4 / 5 | 8 |
| 8 | Shiboprosad MukherjeeBest: Belashuru (3.9) | 3.4 / 5 | 8 |
| 9 | Raj ChakrabortyBest: Habji Gabji (3.8) | 3.3 / 5 | 5 |
| 10 | Avijit SenBest: Tonic (3.6) | 3.2 / 5 | 3 |
Films with at least two critic scores only; a director needs 3 or more such films in this period. Updates as reviews are added.
Best Bengali directors of the 2010s
Kaushik Ganguly ranks first, with an average of 3.6 out of 5 across 13 scored films, ahead of Srijit Mukherji and Anik Dutta.
| # | Director | Average | Films |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaushik GangulyBest: The Eunuch and the Flute Player (4.5) | 3.6 / 5 | 13 |
| 2 | Srijit MukherjiBest: Jaatishwar (4.3) | 3.6 / 5 | 13 |
| 3 | Anik DuttaBest: Bhooter Bhabishyat (4.3) | 3.7 / 5 | 4 |
| 4 | Sandip RayBest: Royal Bengal Rahasya (4.3) | 3.7 / 5 | 3 |
| 5 | Nandita RoyBest: Gotro (3.9) | 3.6 / 5 | 8 |
| 6 | Shiboprosad MukherjeeBest: Gotro (3.9) | 3.6 / 5 | 8 |
| 7 | Arindam SilBest: Byomkesh Pawrbo (3.8) | 3.6 / 5 | 4 |
| 8 | Rituparno GhoshBest: Noukadubi (3.8) | 3.5 / 5 | 3 |
| 9 | Aparna SenBest: Ghawre Bairey Aaj (3.8) | 3.4 / 5 | 4 |
| 10 | Raj ChakrabortyBest: Proloy (3.8) | 3.1 / 5 | 6 |
Films with at least two critic scores only; a director needs 3 or more such films in this period. Updates as reviews are added.
Best Bengali directors of the 2000s
Rituparno Ghosh ranks first, with an average of 3.7 out of 5 across 9 scored films, ahead of Anjan Dutt.
| # | Director | Average | Films |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rituparno GhoshBest: Shob Charitro Kalponik (4.7) | 3.7 / 5 | 9 |
| 2 | Anjan DuttBest: The Bong Connection (3.3) | 3.1 / 5 | 2 |
Films with at least two critic scores only; a director needs 2 or more such films in this period. Updates as reviews are added.
Best Bengali directors, 1980 to 1999
Rituparno Ghosh ranks first, with an average of 4.3 out of 5 across 3 scored films, ahead of Satyajit Ray and Aparna Sen.
| # | Director | Average | Films |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rituparno GhoshBest: Hirer Angti (4.8) | 4.3 / 5 | 3 |
| 2 | Satyajit RayBest: The Stranger (4.2) | 4.2 / 5 | 2 |
| 3 | Aparna SenBest: Sati (4.5) | 3.9 / 5 | 2 |
| 4 | Mrinal SenBest: In Search of Famine (4.3) | 3.6 / 5 | 3 |
| 5 | Buddhadeb DasguptaBest: Crossroads (3.1) | 2.6 / 5 | 2 |
Films with at least two critic scores only; a director needs 2 or more such films in this period. Updates as reviews are added.
Best Bengali directors of the golden age (to 1979)
The classics. Fewer critics have reviewed these films, so the scores rest on fewer reviews than the modern eras.
Satyajit Ray ranks first, with an average of 4.0 out of 5 across 20 scored films, ahead of Ritwik Ghatak and Tapan Sinha.
| # | Director | Average | Films |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Satyajit RayBest: Pather Panchali (4.9) | 4.0 / 5 | 20 |
| 2 | Ritwik GhatakBest: Ajantrik (4.5) | 3.7 / 5 | 6 |
| 3 | Tapan SinhaBest: Galpo Holeo Satti (4.3) | 3.6 / 5 | 3 |
| 4 | Mrinal SenBest: The Wedding Day (4.0) | 3.3 / 5 | 4 |
| 5 | AgradootBest: Agni Pariksha (2.2) | 2.2 / 5 | 2 |
Films with at least two critic scores only; a director needs 2 or more such films in this period. Updates as reviews are added.
Reading the tables
- A high score for a director with three films is less certain than the same score over twenty. Check the film count.
- Older films have fewer reviews online, so classic-era scores can move when more reviews are added.
- These are critic scores, not box office. For earnings see the all-time box office chart.
Questions people ask
Who is the best Bengali director?
On average critic score across all films, see the first table. The ranking adjusts for the number of films.
Who is the best Bengali director of the 2010s?
See the 2010s table. It ranks directors by the films released from 2010 to 2019.
Who is the best Bengali director of the 2020s?
See the 2020s table; it changes as new films are reviewed.
Who is the best Bengali director of the golden age?
See the golden age table for films up to 1979.
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