Balika Badhu (1967 film)

Balika Badhu is a 1967 Bengali film, starring Moushumi Chatterjee as the title character. It was directed by Tarun Majumdar. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Bimal Kar. The film was remade in Hindi in 1976, which was also directed by Majumdar.

Plot
The movie is about child marriage, a custom that was prevalent amongst various Indian societies. Set during British Raj in India, the movie tells the story of a village school boy Amal, who is married to a younger girl named Rajni. Left together for a few days, as a part of the ritual, the two develop friendship and love. Shortly, Rajni must return to her parents’ house, while Amal continues with his studies at home with Masterji, an elderly teacher. His life is enlivened occasionally when Rajni is permitted to visit.

Though Rajni's next visit is scheduled for Durga Puja, she fails to make it. Instead, she arrives during Vijayadashami, to stay for a couple nights, before going on a proposed, long pilgrimage with her family. However, the British Police arrests Masterji for being a "freedom fighter", harboring and training fugitives, and making explosives. How this incident affects Amal and Rajni forms the rest of the story.

Cast

 * Moushumi Chatterjee as Rajani
 * Partho Mukherjee as Amal
 * Juin Banerjee as Chandraa; Amal's sister
 * Anup Kumar as Chandraa's husband; Amal's brother-in-law
 * Satya Bandyopadhyay as Shashadhar Sinha; Amal's father
 * Anubha Gupta
 * Santosh Bandyopadhyay as Amal's home tutor
 * Prasad Mukherjee
 * Ruma Guha Thakurta
 * Bankim Ghosh
 * Rabi Ghosh as a special appearance in the song "Suk Bole Keno Shari"
 * Sandhya Roy as a special appearance in the song "Suk Bole Keno Shari"
 * Soumitra Chatterjee as voice of adult Amal

Awards

 * Filmfare Awards East in 1967.