The number of feature films now being made and released in the country a year stand nowhere near the quantity witnessed in their glory days. Compared to the filmdom's activity at present, that of the past seems mind-boggling. On average 60 to 70 films used to hit the big screen in the 1970s. In the following four decades' headlong plunge in the number of new films, it eventually came down to less than a dozen a year. Against this backdrop, the release of four full-length movies on the occasion of the coming Eid-ul-Fitr is great news to many movie-goers. It is news, especially because Bangladeshi cinema in its heyday witnessed the release of the same number of films on average on the occasion of Eid.
With the queues of viewers getting longer to watch local cinema productions, the country's movie world is almost set to experience a revival. After a long gap, local new movies and a fresh batch of popular artistes have begun occupying a considerable space in public gossip. Digitally equipped state-of-the-art theatres are coming up in the large cities. Capital Dhaka now boasts of three multiplexes having all the modern amenities and gadgets for watching movies, as well as renovated cinemas. As a number of the local movie-world watchers have found out, a revival is awaiting the Bangladeshi movies. Others have identified the signs of the emergence of an educated and culturally refined generation of movie producers, directors and artistes. It is being interpreted as a complete break with the past traditions that once defined the local movie industry.
That the depressing scenario of the country's cinema would find itself undergoing an all-round transformation soon was beyond the thoughts of the spectators and movie people. Not only that, they also embarked on ventures to make films having a distinctive Bangladeshi character. But initially, not many directors were found interested in making movies of this genre. Of late, the number has begun swelling. Big houses are coming up with mega budgets.
Many cultural watchers credit the fresh start of Bangladeshi cinema with two phenomena. One comprised new-generation producers and directors committed to making movies based on purely Bangladeshi realities. They include movie people belonging to the offbeat trends. The 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War recurs as a theme in many of these films. The others, producers and directors belonging to the mainstream group, had the Indian model in their subconscious. They were more prone to making Bangladesh-India joint venture films than making Bangladeshi films with local cast and crew. Finally, they prevailed. Commerce eventually emerged as their chief target. However, these film productions were professional in character. Following Mumbai screenplay writing and movie-making techniques, the movies belonging to this genre won their own audiences. This emerged as a turning-point in Bangladesh film industry. With the continued making of 'action thriller drama' movies, drawing largely on Bollywood (Mumbai) models, Bangladeshi cinema appeared to have bidden farewell to its past. The new-generation mainstream cinema has thus outshone the long-predominant sentimentalised social entertainers.
To the older audiences used to watching middle-class family dramas, the new movies came as a shock. Yet, in spite of the incredulity of many, these new films gave the industry a new lease of life. In terms of business, the new movies proved once again the film industry's major role in the growth of commercial entertainment in the country. Many long-shut cinemas opened. Distribution companies resumed their activities. This Eid over 150 cinemas across the country will screen four newly made movies. Centring on these four movies set for release this Eid, the distributors and exhibitors have swung into action. All the four are lavishly shot big-budget films. Three are Bangladesh-India joint ventures with popular stars from Kolkata and Dhaka. They include young Indian Bengalee stars Jeet, Shubhosree et al; and Bangladeshi stars Shakib Khan, Opu Biswas and Bubli. Currently, Jeet is one of the most frantically sought-after stars in West Bengal; the others are Proshenjeet, senior to the two, Porombroto and Dev. After the reign of Debosree, Moonmoon, Rituporna et al, the Kolkata filmdom is now dominated by talented actresses like Paoli Dum, Shubhosree and Srabonti. All these artistes have already appeared in Bangladesh-India joint venture films in the last few years, and are familiar to the local viewers. Perhaps, in terms of critical acclaim and popularity, Dhaka's Joya Ahsan tops all these artistes in West Bengal and Bangladesh. Like the Bangladeshi hero Ferdous in Kolkata over a decade ago, Joya Ahsan also has carved out her distinctive place in the present filmdom in Kolkata.
The rapid transformation of Bangladeshi cinema into a fast re-emerging industry is indeed amazing. Just a decade ago, the Dhaka cinema world was dismissed as one long extinct. Remnants of Bangladeshi films would be found in the amateur short films and later in the full-length works directed by the country's 'new wave' young makers. All of them emerged from the film society movement, which had remained active in the country parallel to mainstream cinema since the 1960s. Many critics would like to believe, had there been no Masiuddin Shaker-Sheikh Neamat Ali, the younger Tanvir Mokammel, Morshedul Islam or Tareq Masud, a rebirth would have eluded the nation for an indefinite period.
The largest bulk of credit for keeping cinema alive as an art in the land for over two decades, until his death in 1989, goes, however, to Alamgir Kabir. It was he and some of his contemporary movie-lovers who pioneered the film society movement in the country and, thus, the culture of watching better cinema. Alongside their theoretical battle for promoting works using 'film language', Zahir Raihan, Sadeq Khan et al engaged themselves in a practical fight --- directing pure films. In some way, it was Zahir Raihan whose lone endeavours to make better cinema had helped the trend of making healthy films to be alive in the country. In a subtle way, the later-day directors like Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Amitabh Reza Chowdhury ('Aynabaji'), and Shameem Akhtar ('Rina Brown') et al owe a lot to Zahir Raihan. However, the parallel cinema movement has all along been alive in the country's movie world. Periodic film festivals have also played a vital role in keeping the spirit of better cinema alive.
It is indeed ironical that it was the India factor which has been at play during both the slow decaying and the spectacularly flashy rebirth of Bangladeshi cinema after a gap of nearly two decades. It was the Indian video-movie cassettes' aggression in the 1980s that had dealt a great blow to the local film industry. Again it was the viewing of Indian movies on YouTube in Bangladesh that prompted the idea of making big-budget commercial films in collaboration with the neighbouring country. The second development, however, is filled with many positive signs. It holds great prospects for a renewed emergence of the local cinema industry commercially. Thanks to new movie-making techniques, adoption of digital modes of film distribution and exhibition --- and the emergence of talented artistes and directors, the joint venture films stand little chance of failure.
Despite a phase of bad times, similar to that of Bangladesh, experienced by the Indian Bangla films in the immediate past, commercial movie-making in West Bengal has never stopped fully. Moreover, its parallel cinema movement has continued with active engagement of directors like Aparna Sen, Goutam Ghose, Rituporno Ghosh, Kaushik Ganguly and Srijit Mukherjee. After a long period of recession, the resumption of movie-making at full throttle, despite being joint ventures, may provide Bangladesh a long-awaited creative and commercial stimulus. It may take it to the level of professional and artistic excellence which has been long overdue.
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- Tuesday, 5 November 2024 |
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