His first film in Mumbai was Maa. Bimal Roy he knew how to control emotions. He would make his characters emote but he also knew where to stop. The restraint he had is something we lack in today's movies.
Devdas is such a bold subject that the romance hits you. At the same time, they don't touch or kiss in the film. It was not only a movie on the class system but also on the caste system because while both Paro and Devdas are Brahmins, Devdas is a higher-caste Brahmin.
Bimal Roy has adapted Devdas true to the novel, except for the character of Devdas. He toned down this character because Devdas was very arrogant and violent. Even in the film, he hits Paro.
Do Bigha Zameen was produced by Bimal Roy. He was inspired to make this film after he saw (Vittorio De Sica's Italian masterpiece) Bicycle Thieves. He watched the film with his colleagues: Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Salil Choudhury and Asit Sen.
After watching the film, Bimal Roy asked why they could not make films like this. Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who was very talkative, said, 'Why not?' Bimal Roy asked who would write a film like that, and Hrishikesh Mukherjee volunteered. That's how the film was made. It was compared to Bicycle Thieves, got an award at the Cannes film festival and was recognised at the Karlovy Vary Festival. It was viewed with great respect.
Also read: Do Bigha Zameen: Poigant, stark, human
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