Bollywood actor Rajkummar Rao, who recently featured in the action thriller "Maalik," has opened up about his admiration for Bengali cinema. He recalled its golden era when filmmakers like Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak were creating some of the finest films in the country.

The 'Stree' actor praised the cultural richness and cinematic brilliance of that time, calling it one of the most impactful phases in Indian film history.In an exclusive interview with IANS, Rao expressed his deep passion for Bengali cinema, saying there was a time when it was producing some of the best films ever made in the country.When asked about his connection to Bengali cinema-given that his wife, actress Patralekha, is Bengali and he was recently heard translating Bengali to Hindi-the actor shared that he has followed Bengali films quite closely, especially the classics.

He spoke fondly of legendary filmmakers like Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak, whose work he deeply admires."I've followed it a lot, especially the early Bengali cinema-when Ray and Ghatak were making films. I've watched most of their work, I'm sure. There was a time when Bengali cinema was at its peak. They were making the best films ever in this country. Even in Bollywood, during the 40s and 50s, Bengali cinema had a strong influence.

Yeah, yeah, exactly-there was great cinema happening in Bengal at that time."Crediting Bengali cinema for shaping his artistic perspective, Rajkummar added, "I'm sure there are still some really interesting filmmakers now, but I haven't watched too many recent Bengali films, to be honest. The last one I saw was Labour of Love, which I absolutely loved-it was by Aditya Vikram Sengupta. But yes, I feel very connected to it. And there are a lot of Bengalis around me, even otherwise, in life."To note, Rajkummar Rao's wife, Patralekha, is from a Bengali family. The actress has not featured in any Bengali films. Her work so far has been primarily in Hindi cinema and web series.