Introduction -- Bimal Roy's life, influences and the auteur (1909-1966) -- Literary adaptations' Udayer Pathey, Do Bigha Zamin and Baap Beti -- Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay Parineeta, Biraj Bahu and Devdas -- The woman question: Sujata and Bandini -- The role of music, song and dance -- Summing up: was Bimal Roy a displaced "outsider"?