Favourite Films of Bengali Directors: Srijit, Aparna Sen, Kaushik Ganguly, Ray and More

Checked on 26 October 2026. We report only what a director said in a published interview, article or ballot. Where we found nothing, we say so.

Directors who published lists

• Srijit Mukherji: two lists, ten Bengali films and 40 films he wants everyone to see. Nayak, Bariwali and Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne come up most. Read his full page.
• Aparna Sen: a ten-film Sight and Sound ballot, from Rashomon to Mahanagar and Belfast. Read her full page.

Directors who named an influence

• Satyajit Ray: is reported to have named Charulata as his own favourite among his films (Wikipedia and film histories). We did not find a primary interview, so treat this as widely repeated rather than confirmed here.
• Kaushik Ganguly: told The Space Ink that watching Mrinal Sen’s Kharij as a schoolboy made him decide to become that kind of filmmaker. That is a formative influence, not a stated favourite (The Space Ink).
• Goutam Ghose: has said he was greatly influenced by Akira Kurosawa’s films. No favourite film named.

Directors with nothing on record

We found no published favourite films for Anik Dutta, Raj Chakraborty, Atanu Ghosh, Anjan Dutt, Shiboprosad Mukherjee, Nandita Roy or Suman Mukhopadhyay. If you know a sourced interview, send the link and we will add it.

Directors in the films we cover

Anik Dutta’s Bhooter Bhabishyat is on Srijit Mukherji’s list of ten films that define Bengali cinema, and Rituparno Ghosh’s Bariwali and Utsab are on it too.

Questions people ask

What is Satyajit Ray’s favourite film of his own?

Charulata, as widely reported.

Which Bengali directors have shared a favourites list?

Srijit Mukherji and Aparna Sen so far.

Related: favourite films of Bengal’s leaders and stars.

Sources

• The Space Ink: Kaushik Ganguly
• BFI Sight and Sound: Aparna Sen
• Film Companion: Srijit Mukherji