- Geet Gata Chal (1975) was based on Tagore’s short story Atithi. This story was also adapted by Tapan Sinha for the Bengali film Atithi (1965).
- Zalzala (1952) and Char Adhyay (1997) were based on the novel Char Adhyay. Zalzala was one of the two Hindi feature films directed by the German-Indian documentary filmmaker Paul Zils. Char Adhyay was filmmaker Kumar Shahani’s last Hindi film.
- Dak Ghar (1966) was adapted from Tagore’s 1912 play of the same name.
- Do Bigha Zamin (1953) was based on Rickshawalla, a Bengali short story written by Salil Chowdhury (yes, the music director), which in turn was inspired by Rabindranath Tagore’s poem Dui Bigha Jomi. Tagore’s poem also gave the film its title.
- Ardhangini – Ek Ardhsatya (2016) was an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s novel Ghare Baire (1916). Satyajit Ray adapted the same novel for his 1985 film of the same title.
- Jalebi (2018) was a remake of the hit Bengali film Praktan (2016). Nandita Roy’s script for Praktan (2016) was inspired by Rabindranath Tagore’s short story Hothat Dekha.
- Tapan Sinha’s Daughters Of This Century (2001) was an anthology of five segments. Each segment was based on a woman-centric story by a prominent Bengali writer, including Jibito O Mrito by Rabindranath Tagore.
- Kabuliwala (1961) was based on Tagore’s short story of the same title. It was released in Tagore’s birth centenary year and opened with a dedication to him. Bioscopewala (2018) was inspired by the characters of the same short story.
- Darbaan (2020) was inspired by the Bengali short story Khokababur Pratyabartan written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1891.
- Lekin (1990) was adapted from Tagore’s story Khudito Pasan. It was the only Hindi film produced by Dinanath Kala Mandir. The production house was named after the theatre actor and musician Dinanath Mangeshkar. Dinanath Mangeshkar’s son Hridaynath Mangeshkar produced the film and composed its score and his daughter Lata Mangeshkar presented the film and sang most of its songs.
- Noukadubi is the Tagore story that has been adapted for Hindi films the most number of times, with or without credit. Milan (1946), Ghunghat (1960), Ghoonghat Ke Pat Khol (1999), Kashmakash (2011) and Laapata Ladies (2024) all owe their origins to Noukadubi.
- Phulwari (1951) was based on Tagore’s novel of the same title.
- Samapti (1949) and Uphaar (1971) were adaptations of Tagore’ short story Samapti. One of the three parts in Satyajit Ray’s anthology film “Teen Kanya” (1961) was based on the same short story.
- The Bengali version of the bilingual film Mukti (1937) was said to be the first film to feature Rabindra Sangeet. Music director Pankaj Mullick narrated the film’s story to Rabindranath Tagore and sought his permission to use his music in the film. It was Tagore who suggested the film’s title.
- In Bawarchi (1972), Rajesh Khanna’s character quoted a line by Rabindranath Tagore, “It is so simple to be happy but it is so difficult to be simple”. He attributed the quote to a poet he used to work for named Harindranath. This was a reference to Harindranath Chattopadhyay who not only played the role of a patriarch in the film but was also a poet in real life.
Hindi Films Based On Rabindranath Tagore’s Works
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