As the Bengali month of Ashar begins and monsoon clouds gather across the sky, the season’s enduring influence on literature, music and cinema once again comes into focus, with rain continuing to serve as a powerful symbol of romance, longing and memory on screen.
In the Bengali cultural imagination, the monsoon is more than a season. It is an emotional landscape that has inspired generations of writers, musicians and filmmakers.
Ashar’s influence can be traced through Bengali literature and music, particularly in the works of Rabindranath Tagore, whose songs and writings frequently explored the beauty, melancholy and anticipation associated with rain.
Tagore wrote extensively about rainfall and the changing moods of the monsoon. His compositions, many of which later found their way into Bengali cinema as background scores and musical references, helped establish rain as a recurring cinematic motif. Songs expressing yearning, separation and unspoken affection became deeply intertwined with visual depictions of monsoon weather on screen.
One of the most celebrated examples appears in ‘Pather Panchali’, directed by Satyajit Ray. The iconic sequence featuring Durga and Apu running through the rain remains one of the defining moments in Bengali cinema. The scene captures childhood joy and freedom, yet the same rain later becomes associated with tragedy as Durga falls ill and dies. The contrast established rain as both a symbol of happiness and sorrow.
While many films have used rain to convey emotional depth, commercial cinema has often employed monsoon sequences as colourful settings for song-and-dance numbers. One notable example is the popular song ‘Ei Brishti Bheja Raate Chole Jeona’, sung by Runa Laila, which featured a memorable dance performance by Anju Ghosh.
In Bangladesh, few filmmakers embraced the monsoon as consistently as Humayun Ahmed. Rain became an important visual and emotional element in several of his films, including ‘Aguner Poroshmoni’, ‘Srabon Megher Din’ and ‘Dui Duari’.
In ‘Srabon Megher Din’, one of the film’s most memorable sequences shows rainwater dripping from leaves as a character portrayed by Meher Afroz Shaon walks beneath an umbrella at night, while another character, played by Riaz, sits in the rain. During the scene, Riaz’s character remarks that people sing occasionally, but nature sings all the time. The sequence exemplifies Humayun Ahmed’s ability to present rain as a living, breathing presence.
His film ‘Aguner Poroshmoni’ used the dark atmosphere of the monsoon to intensify the anxiety and fear associated with wartime events. In ‘Dui Duari’, rain was linked both to romance and to memories of separation through its songs and visual storytelling.
Monsoon themes have also remained prominent in Bengali music across both Bangladesh and West Bengal. Artists including Lata Mangeshkar, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, Manna Dey, Subir Nandi, Nilufar Yasmin, Firoza Begum, Bhupen Hazarika and Sabina Yasmin have all contributed songs inspired by rain, clouds and the emotions of the season.
As another monsoon begins, those cinematic and musical portrayals continue to resonate with audiences, reinforcing Ashar’s place as one of the most enduring and expressive symbols in Bengali culture.
