Bicharak (English: The Judge) is a Bengali psychological drama film directed by Pravat Mukhopadhyay and produced by Arundhati Devi based on a same name novel of Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay and music is composed by Timir Bhattachariya^[1][2] This film was released in 1959^[3] under the banner of Prabhat Productions and received National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali in 1960.^[4] The film starred Uttam Kumar and Arundhati Mukherjee in lead role and others like Chhabi Biswas, Pahadi Sanyal and Chandrabati Devi in important supporting role. The film showed Uttam Kumar one of the best performance ever as a Judge. This is also remembered as one of the best film in his career and best ever in Bengali Cinema history.^[5] The film also received huge critically acclaimed and saw the commercial success.

Plot

The plot unfolds with a series of flashbacks which reveals a judge's past and hidden secrets. Gyanendra, a judge lives with his wife Sarama. Being the Judge, with every trial of similar cases he remembers his past, the truth about his questionable actions. Gyanendra always recalls when he was a popular lawyer, married to Sumoti, a suspicious and rude lady. But he had a weak feelings for his professor's daughter Sarama. One day Gyanendra's house was burnt and his first wife Sumoti dies. Gyanendra could not make any attempt to save her, perhaps he was unable bear Sumati further. Thereafter he marries Sarama and becomes a judge, but realizes his crime and the past haunts him much.

Cast

• Uttam Kumar as Gyanendra
• Chhabi Biswas as Lawyer
• Pahari Sanyal as Professor
• Arundhati Devi as Sarama
• Dipti Roy as Sumati
• Chandrabati Devi
• Bani Hazra
• Atanu Ghosh

Soundtrack

Award

• 1960: Certificate of Merit Best Feature Film in Bengali - Bicharak