
Directing
Goutam Ghose
Born
1950-07-24 (76)
Known for
Directing
Credits
52 titles
Goutam Ghose (also spelled Gautam Ghosh born 24 July 1950) is an Indian film director, actor, music director and cinematographer, who works primarily in Bengali cinema. Ghose was greatly influenced by the movies of Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Rajen Tarafdar, Mrinal Sen and Ajoy Kar who had heralded a new era in Bengali movies through their works. He is the only Indian to have received the "Vittorio Di Sica" Award, Italy, in 1997. In 2017, he was inducted as a member of the Oscar Academy.
Known for
6.5When a Dalit wins the elections for mayor in his small village in northeastern India, deadly rioting forces an impoverished couple to escape to Calcutta where they can hopefully find work. Instead, they end up sleeping on the streets until they have a chance at earning a little income -- a man has asked them to take his herd of pigs across a fast-moving river. The current is dangerous, and worse, the wife is pregnant and this would not be an easy task even if she were not. Undaunted and desperate, the couple accept the job and enter the river to face their destiny.
The Crossing
1984
10.0Set between 1945 and 1951 in the pre-Independence state of Hyderabad, the film tells the story of a young peasant, Ramiah, who rebels against the corrupt rule of the Nizam. Baring witness to the oppression and hardship faced daily by those around him, Ramiah leaves his village. However, after befriending a Marxist activist and participating in the Independence struggle, he eventually returns to wage guerilla warfare against the landlord class.
Our Land
1979
6.0The violence and upheaval of Calcutta in the 1970s is focalized through a young man coming to the city to study.
Kaalbela
2009
6.5Sasanka grows depressed as his house and his career as a theater actor both crumble around him. When his cold-hearted, widowed sister-in-law Saraju arrives with her adorable young son Kanu, Sasanka's mood eventually changes. Kanu and Sasanka become fast friends as the youngster benefits from his uncle's wisdom and acting ability.
The Return
1988
7.4Four famous directors and old friends are reunited together by an unknown producer to make a film. They have to make four short story in this film with one common theme: Death.
Chotushkone
2014
6.4A hedonistic teenager in Mumbai is busted for dealing drugs and goes to his estranged sister for help, but complications land her in jail.
Beyond the Clouds
2018
Film credits
2020s · 2 titles
NRDocumentary on Aparna Sen's life.
Parama: A Journey with Aparna Sen
2025
NRGoutam Ghose's documentaries and feature films over the past five decades have explored the socio-economic, cultural, and political landscape of our nation. His early films captured the intensity of rural life of the subaltern people in various forms rich in anthropological diversity. Post-globalization, he started to focus on the decadence of the middle and upper classes and their servile submission to monstrous consumerism. During the making of documentaries on Bismillah Khan and Dalai Lama, Ghose's atheistic mindset evolved into comparative religion, which was reflected in the biopic "Moner Manush" on Lalan Fakir. "Moving Focus" is centered on Ghose's oeuvre, and presents the cerebral filmmaker in an insightful and thought-provoking way.
Moving Focus
2025
2010s · 7 titles
7.4Four famous directors and old friends are reunited together by an unknown producer to make a film. They have to make four short story in this film with one common theme: Death.
Chotushkone
2014
6.4A hedonistic teenager in Mumbai is busted for dealing drugs and goes to his estranged sister for help, but complications land her in jail.
Beyond the Clouds
2018
7.4A serial killer terrorises the city of Kolkata and leaves behind verses of Bengali poetry. The police seek the help of a retired officer to unravel the case and find the perpetrator.
Baishe Srabon
2011
NRArijit and Nisha have reached a point in their relationship from where there is no turning back. Arijit is having an affair with his colleague, while Nisha has a special relationship with her film director mentor.
Ekla Akash
2012
6.8Subarna Sen, an Oxford University professor, travels to India after the death of his maternal uncle. He learns that his uncle's palace has a hidden treasure and decides to find it.
Guptodhoner Sondhane
2018
NRGérard Courant's "Filmed Diary" of December 14, 2011, produced in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). Between December 7 and 15, 2011, Gérard Courant was invited by the Dubai International Film Festival, in the United Arab Emirates. It was an opportunity for him to film many "Cinematons" of personalities from the Arab world and to continue his "Film Notebooks" from which he brought back 7 episodes.
Dubai Winter Diary VI: Light and Reflections
2012
4.3A deadbeat weather reporter at an English newspaper in Kolkata evolves into a detective when he pursues a deeply buried story about an adult movie star.
Shantilal O Projapoti Rohoshyo
2019
1980s · 2 titles
6.5Sasanka grows depressed as his house and his career as a theater actor both crumble around him. When his cold-hearted, widowed sister-in-law Saraju arrives with her adorable young son Kanu, Sasanka's mood eventually changes. Kanu and Sasanka become fast friends as the youngster benefits from his uncle's wisdom and acting ability.
The Return
1988
10.0A gritty political thriller set at the backdrop of the violent Naxalite movement in 70’s Calcutta.
Crossroads
1982
Behind the camera
6.5When a Dalit wins the elections for mayor in his small village in northeastern India, deadly rioting forces an impoverished couple to escape to Calcutta where they can hopefully find work. Instead, they end up sleeping on the streets until they have a chance at earning a little income -- a man has asked them to take his herd of pigs across a fast-moving river. The current is dangerous, and worse, the wife is pregnant and this would not be an easy task even if she were not. Undaunted and desperate, the couple accept the job and enter the river to face their destiny.
The Crossing
1984
6.5When a Dalit wins the elections for mayor in his small village in northeastern India, deadly rioting forces an impoverished couple to escape to Calcutta where they can hopefully find work. Instead, they end up sleeping on the streets until they have a chance at earning a little income -- a man has asked them to take his herd of pigs across a fast-moving river. The current is dangerous, and worse, the wife is pregnant and this would not be an easy task even if she were not. Undaunted and desperate, the couple accept the job and enter the river to face their destiny.
The Crossing
1984
10.0Set between 1945 and 1951 in the pre-Independence state of Hyderabad, the film tells the story of a young peasant, Ramiah, who rebels against the corrupt rule of the Nizam. Baring witness to the oppression and hardship faced daily by those around him, Ramiah leaves his village. However, after befriending a Marxist activist and participating in the Independence struggle, he eventually returns to wage guerilla warfare against the landlord class.
Our Land
1979
10.0Set between 1945 and 1951 in the pre-Independence state of Hyderabad, the film tells the story of a young peasant, Ramiah, who rebels against the corrupt rule of the Nizam. Baring witness to the oppression and hardship faced daily by those around him, Ramiah leaves his village. However, after befriending a Marxist activist and participating in the Independence struggle, he eventually returns to wage guerilla warfare against the landlord class.
Our Land
1979
6.0The violence and upheaval of Calcutta in the 1970s is focalized through a young man coming to the city to study.
Kaalbela
2009
6.0The violence and upheaval of Calcutta in the 1970s is focalized through a young man coming to the city to study.
Kaalbela
2009
NRThe narrative in Parikrama travels through multiple spaces and times, through parallel experiences of its twin protagonists that criss-cross each other, though they come from worlds apart. Alessandro is an Italian writer-filmmaker making a film on Narmada Parikrama, an age-old pilgrimage along the holy river Narmada. In the course of his cinematic journey, Alessandro meets a village boy, Lala, who fled home to secure dignity and land for his displaced peasant family. Lala is almost the same age as his son Francesco, who lost his mother in the recent past. The narrative unfolds the story of two boys, one without his mother, the other without his motherland. Alessandro’s narrative takes a new turn as the river Narmada flows by.
Parikrama: The Journey
2025
NRThe narrative in Parikrama travels through multiple spaces and times, through parallel experiences of its twin protagonists that criss-cross each other, though they come from worlds apart. Alessandro is an Italian writer-filmmaker making a film on Narmada Parikrama, an age-old pilgrimage along the holy river Narmada. In the course of his cinematic journey, Alessandro meets a village boy, Lala, who fled home to secure dignity and land for his displaced peasant family. Lala is almost the same age as his son Francesco, who lost his mother in the recent past. The narrative unfolds the story of two boys, one without his mother, the other without his motherland. Alessandro’s narrative takes a new turn as the river Narmada flows by.
Parikrama: The Journey
2025
6.0Dasrath Joglekar (Nana Patekar), a celebrated writer, travels to Delhi to receive the prestigious Literary Award. During the journey he meets a young film maker (Nakul Vaid), an ardent fan of Dasrath’s writing and the encounter brings back memories from the past. Memories from the past and passion bring him to Mehendi galli where people flock to enjoy mujra dances. The entire area has changed. Lajvanti alias Lajobai has become Miss Lisa, presenting popular film songs numbers to entertain a new clientele. Dasarath’s sudden appearance is a great surprise for Lajvanti. The character of his novel Janaza comes alive at an unexpected juncture. Lajvanti shows her reverence to Dasrath by singing melodies from their past. Fate accomplices another journey into the unknown is created.
Yatra
2007
6.0Dasrath Joglekar (Nana Patekar), a celebrated writer, travels to Delhi to receive the prestigious Literary Award. During the journey he meets a young film maker (Nakul Vaid), an ardent fan of Dasrath’s writing and the encounter brings back memories from the past. Memories from the past and passion bring him to Mehendi galli where people flock to enjoy mujra dances. The entire area has changed. Lajvanti alias Lajobai has become Miss Lisa, presenting popular film songs numbers to entertain a new clientele. Dasarath’s sudden appearance is a great surprise for Lajvanti. The character of his novel Janaza comes alive at an unexpected juncture. Lajvanti shows her reverence to Dasrath by singing melodies from their past. Fate accomplices another journey into the unknown is created.
Yatra
2007
NRA documentary about HH the Dalai Lama.
Impermanence
2004
6.9A father encourages his daughter to marry a dying man in order to inherit his wealth.
The Voyage Beyond
1987
6.9A father encourages his daughter to marry a dying man in order to inherit his wealth.
The Voyage Beyond
1987
8.0In pre-Partition Bengal, Kuber, a poor fisherman struggles to survive along the wild Padma River. While navigating an affair with his spirited sister-in-law, Kuber becomes entangled with Hossain, a charismatic trader recruiting desperate villagers to settle on the isolated island of Moynadeep.
The Padma Boatman
1993
8.0In pre-Partition Bengal, Kuber, a poor fisherman struggles to survive along the wild Padma River. While navigating an affair with his spirited sister-in-law, Kuber becomes entangled with Hossain, a charismatic trader recruiting desperate villagers to settle on the isolated island of Moynadeep.
The Padma Boatman
1993
10.0A documentary on life of Ustad Bismillah Khan by Goutam Ghose.
Meeting a Milestone
1989
7.5The movie is about a poet and singer Lalon Fakir who belongs to a cult called baul and who believes and inculcates that the value of a human being is above the narrow belief of religions.
Moner Manush
2010
7.5The movie is about a poet and singer Lalon Fakir who belongs to a cult called baul and who believes and inculcates that the value of a human being is above the narrow belief of religions.
Moner Manush
2010
7.5Free as a bird. To wander. To nestle. To take flight. We are not. As India gained its much awaited independence in 1947, a race faced another struggle. Bengal was divided and hundreds of thousands of Bengalis were displaced and divided on the basis of their religion. The Hindus were forced out as East Bengal was made a part of Pakistan and the same fate lay in store for the Muslims of West Bengal. Millions became refugees in their own homeland, and thousands still bear the cross and the scar. The film is a human saga of a truncated land and how people are trying to relive their destiny.
Shankhachil
2016
NRA citified executive meets an idealistic journalist who challenges his values as he negotiates with tribal peoples to acquire their land for mining.
Act Zero
2013
NRA citified executive meets an idealistic journalist who challenges his values as he negotiates with tribal peoples to acquire their land for mining.
Act Zero
2013
8.0The film features the characters from Satyajit Ray's Aranyer Din Ratri, returning to the forest over thirty years later. Ashim, Sanjoy, Harinath and Aparna have grown old in this film; Shekhar has died. They set out on a journey to break off every link with civilisation for a few days. However, the trip turns sour when Ashim and Aparna's daughter, Amrita, goes missing. It transpires that she is being held for ransom by local tribespeople. Police intervene and the kidnapped girl is returned to her parents, albeit against her own wishes.
In the Forest... Again
2003
8.0The film features the characters from Satyajit Ray's Aranyer Din Ratri, returning to the forest over thirty years later. Ashim, Sanjoy, Harinath and Aparna have grown old in this film; Shekhar has died. They set out on a journey to break off every link with civilisation for a few days. However, the trip turns sour when Ashim and Aparna's daughter, Amrita, goes missing. It transpires that she is being held for ransom by local tribespeople. Police intervene and the kidnapped girl is returned to her parents, albeit against her own wishes.
In the Forest... Again
2003
6.0It is a story of two strangers, perpetually on the fringes of survival. They share a journey and meet a third person carrying an ailing old couple in his vehicle. Endangering their own survival, the three fight it out to save precious human lives.
The Wayfarers
2019
6.0It is a story of two strangers, perpetually on the fringes of survival. They share a journey and meet a third person carrying an ailing old couple in his vehicle. Endangering their own survival, the three fight it out to save precious human lives.
The Wayfarers
2019
NRGhose’s first major film is a documentary about the 1974 Bengal famine, analysing how famines come about and chronicling their impact in the cities and the villages of India. Made on a Paillard Bolex by a group calling itself the ‘Joris Ivens collective’, it was one of the first Indian documentaries to face censorship under the Emergency. Much of the footage reflects Ghose’s preoccupation, later developed in his features, with people surviving on the margins of society.
Hungry Autumn
1974
5.8The film revolves around an aging poet Sashi Bhusan Sanyal afflicted with glaucoma and nearly blind whose wife has deserted him because of his reckless lifestyle.
Dekha
2001
5.8The film revolves around an aging poet Sashi Bhusan Sanyal afflicted with glaucoma and nearly blind whose wife has deserted him because of his reckless lifestyle.
Dekha
2001
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Eine Reise in die Welt des Dalai Lama
2009
8.0Johnny, a musician, joins Hameed the ventriloquist’s troupe, featuring the talking doll Urvashi. When Hameed loses his voice, Johnny buys Urvashi and returns to Mumbai, reuniting with his sweetheart Rosemary. Johnny’s performances with Urvashi are successful, but Rosemary becomes jealous. During communal riots, Johnny’s songs expose the culprits, leading to Urvashi’s destruction. Silenced, Johnny is comforted by Rosemary, who takes Urvashi’s place on stage, becoming the doll herself. Based on a play by Mahasweta Devi.
Gudia
1997
8.0Johnny, a musician, joins Hameed the ventriloquist’s troupe, featuring the talking doll Urvashi. When Hameed loses his voice, Johnny buys Urvashi and returns to Mumbai, reuniting with his sweetheart Rosemary. Johnny’s performances with Urvashi are successful, but Rosemary becomes jealous. During communal riots, Johnny’s songs expose the culprits, leading to Urvashi’s destruction. Silenced, Johnny is comforted by Rosemary, who takes Urvashi’s place on stage, becoming the doll herself. Based on a play by Mahasweta Devi.
Gudia
1997
6.4The film is about a woman belonging to nomadic tribe from Andhra Pradesh, known as crow hunters, who elopes and moves to south Bengal and makes a living by occult practices. It deals with the issue of exploitation of tribal people by the deceitful landlord.
Dakhal
1982
6.4The film is about a woman belonging to nomadic tribe from Andhra Pradesh, known as crow hunters, who elopes and moves to south Bengal and makes a living by occult practices. It deals with the issue of exploitation of tribal people by the deceitful landlord.
Dakhal
1982
8.0Patang (English: The Kite) is a 1993 Indian Hindi drama film directed by Goutam Ghose, starring Shabana Azmi, Shafiq Syed, Om Puri and Robi Ghosh. The film is set in small railway station near Gaya, and the life of people in illegal slums near it.[1][2] The film was shot in Gaya and Manpur in Bihar.
The Kite
1993
8.0Patang (English: The Kite) is a 1993 Indian Hindi drama film directed by Goutam Ghose, starring Shabana Azmi, Shafiq Syed, Om Puri and Robi Ghosh. The film is set in small railway station near Gaya, and the life of people in illegal slums near it.[1][2] The film was shot in Gaya and Manpur in Bihar.
The Kite
1993
NRThe clay idol-makers of Kolkata practice a unique art— an art that comes with the promise of dissolution and regeneration—a metaphor of life itself, with its impermanence and ebb-and-flow. The painstaking and elaborate process of the making of the idols, the festivities that grow around the worship of the deities that these idols represent; and the ultimate farewell of the deity in immersion, when the straw-wood-clay structures that typify divinity, disintegrate and dissolve in water and earth—are woven together in an exploration of the lives of these master craftsmen who go through hardships and privation in order to be true to their art.
IDOL MAKERS OF KOLKATA
2005
Clips and interviews show that the renowned Satyajit Ray was more than just a filmmaker: He was a sketch illustrator, a music composer, a children's book creator, an all around intellectual.
Ray: Life and Work of Satyajit Ray
1999
Clips and interviews show that the renowned Satyajit Ray was more than just a filmmaker: He was a sketch illustrator, a music composer, a children's book creator, an all around intellectual.
Ray: Life and Work of Satyajit Ray
1999
Clips and interviews show that the renowned Satyajit Ray was more than just a filmmaker: He was a sketch illustrator, a music composer, a children's book creator, an all around intellectual.
Ray: Life and Work of Satyajit Ray
1999
The film is about a couple and how their relationship changes amid the pandemic and the lockdown.
Memories of Time
2022

