Every year, Ghunuram takes time off from his job to prepare for and appear in a folk dance in his village. His special part of the performance is called the Tiger Dance. This year is special, too; he hopes to become engaged to the daughter of his fellow performer. But a circus with a newly captured leopard has come into town. What's worse, the woman Ghunuram had hoped to woo has gone gaga over a circus performer. Not to be outdone, he prepares for a last, tragic, performance in which the tiger meets the leopard. Winner of the National Film Award for Best Picture.

Lakhindar captures exotic birds from the Bengal forests, but his refusal to see them caged leads him to constantly set his catches free. This lack of income drives his household into deep poverty, causing his wife to grow increasingly resentful of his compassionate choices. In her frustration, she begins an affair with the middleman who takes the birds to the market.

A middle-aged dentist sees his life falling apart: suffering from psychosomatic illnesses, abandoned by his wife, and disliked by his son, he finds refuge in memories of his idyllic childhood.

Two railway signal men, Nemai and Balaram, share a passion for wrestling and spend their days wrestling after working hours. However, things change when Balaram marries Uttara.

Rajani is a well-known prostitute in a small town in Bengal, India, living in a brothel with her teenage daughter, Lati. With few options for a better life, Rajani hopes to arrange a marriage for her daughter with a wealthy local businessman - an idea Lati opposes. Choosing a life of unpredictability and the possibility of education over the known fate of arranged marriage, Lati takes off for Calcutta, encountering several quirky characters along the way.

Janala tells the story about a man, Bimal, who decides to give a little back to his old school despite the fact he has very little money himself. As a child Bimal had a favourite corner classroom where he used to sit and daydream out of a broken window, and so when he finds himself back in his old school he feels compelled to replace the window.

The sudden death of Indraneel, a poet, averts a possible divorce and takes Radhika on a fantastic inward journey of discovering her own roots through the language of poetry and lost love. A publisher asks Radhika to complete Indraneel's works. This compels her to study his work, and thus begins her journey into the past.