Sriman Prithviraj

Shriman Prithviraj is a 1973 Indian Bengali romantic comedy film starring Ayan Banerjee and Mahua Roy Choudhury, and directed by Tarun Majumdar, featuring teenage love. It has a cult following. This is essentially a comedy with Tom Sawyeresque leanings laced elegantly into the fabric of Bengal of the late 19th or early 20th century. In the subtle backdrop of the Indian freedom movement, it is the story of the transformation of a young boy's innocent but naughty childhood to an appreciation of the Swadeshi movement and the growth of adolescent love for a girl even younger than him. The comic appeal of the film is natural and free-flowing. It includes a number of beautifully rendered traditional Bengali songs and is punctuated by a series of stand-offs faced by the young boy, mostly with unfavourable results for the opposing party. At heart, it is a beautiful pre-pubescent/adolescent love story. It was a huge box-office success when it came out and is an oft-watched movie even today.