Purushottam (film)

Purushottam (Bengali pronunciation: [puɾuʃɔttɔm]; transl. The best among men) is a 1992 Indian Bengali-language epic gangster action film co-produced, co-written and directed by Prosenjit Chatterjee in his directorial debut, under the banner of Prosenjit Films. It stars Chatterjee himself in the titular role, alongside an ensemble cast of Debashree Roy, Abhishek Chatterjee, Jagannath Guha, Subhendu Chatterjee, Dipankar De, Uttam Mohanty and Hara Patnaik in another pivotal roles. It follows Badshah, a Kolkata-based outlaw, being hired to capture a ruthless gangster named Maalik, by a widow who was actually the former's girlfriend in the past.

From a story by Sachin Bhowmik, Chatterjee and Asit Basu penned its screenplay in 1990. R. D. Burman composed the soundtrack and score, while V. Prabhakar was its cinematographer. Joy Banerjee and Babul Bakshy edited the film. It was extensively shot across West Bengal and Odisha, with additional locations including Mumbai and Chennai.

Purushottam was theatrically released on 6 November 1992, coinciding with Kali Puja, to critical acclaim, primarily for its technology and sound design. The film became the highest-grossing Bengali film during its theatrical run.

Purushottam attained a cult status and was considered as one of the theamitically-groundbreaking films in Bengali cinema. It was credited with the introduction of steadicam and new sound recording techniques in Bengali cinema, encouraging filmmakers to explore a variety of themes and make experimental films. In 1995, it served as an inspiration for the Hindi film Ram Jaane.