Saheb Bibi Golam (film)

The film opens at the ruins of an old haveli in Calcutta, where a group of labourers are busy pulling down what remains. When the workers break off for lunch, the overseer (Uttam Kumar) wanders through the mansion. As he sits at a place there begins a flashback to the end of the 19th century.

Sumitra Devi in the song sequence Koto Sadhanay Peyechi Tomay

The lower-class and educated Bhutnath arrives in colonial Calcutta looking for work. He is granted to stay in the grand mansion of an aristocratic family. He works at the Mohini Sindoor factory run by Subinay Babu (Pahari Sanyal), a dedicated member of the Brahmo Samaj. Subinay Babu's daughter Jaba (Anubha Gupta) is amused by Bhutnath whom she considers an unsophisticated rustic. Bhutnath becomes fascinated with the goings-on in the mansion and every night observes the decadent lifestyle of the Choudhury brothers.

One night the servant, Bansi (Kanu Banerjee), takes Bhutnath to meet the younger landlord's beautiful wife Pateshwari (Sumitra Devi) who implores him to bring her Mohini Sindoor believing it will keep her unfaithful husband home. Bhutnath is struck by her beauty and sadness and inadvertently becomes Pateshwari's secret confidante. A bomb explodes in the marketplace and Bhutnath is injured in the ensuing crossfire between freedom fighters and British soldiers. Jaba looks after him.

Pateswari (Sumitra Devi) becomes a desperate alcoholic to make her husband stay at home, in Saheb Bibi Golam

Pateshwari's repeated attempts to appease her husband fail until she becomes his drinking companion to keep him by her side. Jaba's marriage is finalised with Supavitra (a member of Bramho Samaj) but after her father's death she declined the marriage. Bhutnath becomes a trainee architect and goes away to work on a training project. After his return he find the mansion in partial ruins. Pateshwari is now a desperate alcoholic and her husband, paralysed. Meanwhile, he learns that he and Jaba were betrothed as children. One night Pateshwari asks Bhutnath to accompany her to a nearby shrine to pray for her ailing husband. Their plan to go to the shrine is informed to the elder landlord (Chhabi Biswas), who suspects that Pateshwari is having an affair with Bhutnath. He orders his henchmen to chase them. As Bhutnath and Pateshwari travel in the carriage, it is stopped by the henchmen. Bhuthnath is knocked unconscious and Pateshwari is abducted. When he wakes up in hospital, Bhutnath is informed that Pateshwari has disappeared and the younger landlord is dead. The flashback ends.

Bhutnath's workers inform him that a skeleton is found buried in the ruins of the mansion. From the bangles around the hand of the corpse, Bhutnath realises it is the remains of Pateshwari.

• Uttam Kumar as Bhutnath[13]
• Sumitra Devi as Choto Bou Rani[13]
• Chhabi Biswas as Mejo Babu[13]
• Nitish Mukherjee as Choto Babu[13]
• Chhaya Devi as Boro Bou Rani[13]
• Padma Devi as Mejo Bou Rani[13]
• Pahari Sanyal as Subinay Babu[13]
• Anubha Gupta as Jaba[13]
• Jahar Ganguly[13]
• Bhanu Banerjee[13]
• Kanu Banerjee as Bongshi[13]
• Haridhan Banerjee[13]
• Nabadwip Haldar[14]

The lyrics was written by Pranob Roy.

The film regarded as one of the greatest Bengali film ever made. Generally film become superhit. Uttam Kumar performance as Bhootnath was great acclaim by the critics. Famous actor Biswajeet Chatterjee inspired to his performance when he played Bhootnath role in Drama at Rangamancha theater. This film is considered as one of the best film ever made.[15]

In 1962 the film was remade in Hindi as Sahib Biwi Aur Gulam by Guru Dutt (Producer and director) and he also played Bhootnath role while Meena Kumari and Waheeda Rehman also starred as Chhoti Bahu and Jabba role. It's remade again in Bengali in 2016 in same title starring Swastika Mukherjee, Anjan Dutta and Ritwik Chakraborty.

• Saheb Bibi Golam on IMDB
• Saheb Bibi Golam on YouTube