Features Lists

20 Great Bangladeshi Films of the 21st Century

By Fahmidul Haq

After the advent of new technologies such as satellite TV, CD/DVD in 1990s and Internet streaming in 2000s, Bangladesh's mainstream industry, which was once vibrant, started declining. Meanwhile, since the  mid-1980s, there was a slow but steady growth of independent cinema which started representing the national cinema of Bangladesh by documenting politics, culture and society, both in fiction and documentary genres and by participating in international festivals. Primarily these films were artisanal in look – short in length and technically ordinary; gradually they started to be more mature – full length in duration and comprehensive in film techniques. Since 2000 and onward, Bangladeshi cinema is trying to find its own voice internationally, which is often overshadowed by Indian Bengali Cinema that reached its peak by the contributionsof Satyajir Ray, RitwikGhatak and others. In the new millennium, Bangladeshi cinema has elevated from the ‘artisanal' to the ‘global' stage. Also, there was an evolution in the themes of Bangladeshi Cinema– from rural to urban and from traditional-cultural archetypes to post-modern and post-globalized complex realities.

Except one or two, the selection criteria of the following 20 films was the intend to portray the broader culture and society of Bangladesh instead of just telling a good story or entertaining audience or even just experimenting artistically. The themes of the films are diverse and deep rooted in history and culture of Bangladesh as a nation. The films are described here in temporal order. The selection includes three documentaries.

1. (, , 2001)

“Lalsalu” deals with use and misuse of religion to hegemonize people in the traditional Bengali-Muslim peasant society.The film is adapted from the famous Bengali novel Lalsalu (1948) by Syed Waliullah.

In a remote village, a haggard-looking Mullah named Majid appears suddenly. He cleans up an old grave, declares it to be the shrine of Modasser Pir (saint) and begins to worship it. The anonymous grave turned shrine, over the years, provides Majid not only economic solvency but also psychological domination over the community. He marries Rahima, an obedient and hard-working peasant woman. Childless with Rahima and out of polygamous sexual desire, he also marries Jamila, a teenager who will be the ultimate nemesis of the hypocrite mullah.

2. (, , 2002)

“Matir Moina” is perhaps the most critically acclaimed film of Bangladesh both at home and overseas. It was the first Bangladeshi film screened at the Cannes Film Festival as the opening film in the Director's Fortnight section and received the FIPRESCI award.

Set in the backdrop of the late 1960s, when Bangladesh – the Eastern part of Pakistan, was rebelling against military dictatorship through a nationalist mass movement, the film tells the story through the eyes of Anu, a shy village boy who was sent by his orthodox father Kazi Majharul Islam to study in a madrasa, a Muslim seminary. It was the first time in Bangladeshi cinema for the inside story of madrasa to be narrated, where both Sufi and Jihadist Islamic views were prevalent. The protest of people was in rise and Kazi was heartbroken to see his Muslim ‘military brothers' attacking the village and burning his house. 

3. Shankhonad (Abu Sayeed, 2004)

After the murder of his parents while he was still a child, Osman left his village. Haunted by memories, he came back after 27 years. During the journey towards his birthplace, he almost got drowned in a river due to a storm. After a few days in the hospital, he gets refuge at the village head's house, whose father was the murderer of Osman's parents. This truth was revealed by the Kujo Buri (hunchbacked old woman) through her witchcraft. After this revelation, Kujoburi was murdered and Osman's childhood friend Fazlu was hired by the village head to kill Osman. Fazlu's change of mind could not save Osman. Both were murdered in a char (an isolated island) in Jamuna, the widest river in Bangladesh.

Adapted from Nasrin Jahan's novel Ure Jay Nishipokkhi, Shankhonad is a poignant story of power politics in rural Bengal. Osman's incomprehensible desire to live the rest of the life in his birthplace is the key of the depressing story which is enhanced by a series of murders. Some components like Kujo Buri's mysterious world and Fazlu's grotesque profession of stealing burial shroud from the graveyard have made the narrative stunning.    

4. (, 2007)

“Aha!”is architect-turned filmmaker Enamul Karim Nirjhar's first feature film. It tells the story of the rapidly changing and densely populated Dhaka City, where old heritage buildings have been demolishing and replaced by multi-storied apartments. The real estate people allure Mr Mallik, the owner of a mansion-like old house at Old Dhaka to sell it to the company, in exchange of a bulk of money and ownership of some flats of the future multi storied apartment building which would be built on the land of the demolished house. Mr Mallik takes time to think over the lucrative offer but the decision is delayed due to the return of his daughter from the USA with his grandson. The daughter Ruba was a victim of domestic violence and after coming home she develops a relationship with a neighbor, Kislu. The father is not ready to accept the relationship. The film ends with the murder of Kislu and real state company's entrance into the house to demolish it.

5. (, , 2007)

Berlin-based Bangladeshi documentary filmmaker Shaheen Dill-Riaz's “Lohakhor” tells a humane story where the filmmaker follows poor farmers who try to escape the annual famine that strikes in northern Bangladesh and find a job in the ship breaking yard in the southern part of the country. Their desperate move for living turns them into mighty men who are metaphorically called the ‘iron eaters' by the filmmaker. Dill-Riaz portrays the activities in the shipyards and the workers' struggle in a hazardous yet low paid working environment. At the end of the process of scrapping the huge metallic ships, the workers themselves turns into scrapped men, as suggested in the film.

6. (Tareque Masud, 2010)

“Runway” is a story of a poor family living in a dilapidated house near the runway of the airport. However, it is more a story of socio-economic and political crisis in recent Bangladesh than a story of a family only.

Ruhul's father had migrated to the Middle East as a migrant worker, his mother bought a cow by the credit she got from an NGO, and his sister was a worker in an RMG factory. The other member of the family is his old paternal grandfather. A madrasa dropout, Ruhul is unemployed and naive. He meets the smart and tech savvy young man Arif in a cyber-café and joins in a Jihadist group with him. After joining the terrorist group, Ruhul's attitude changes. He starts implementing orthodox Islamic rules in the house. None of the family members allowed the newly adopted orthodoxy of Ruhul; instead, he was rebuked by the family members. Ruhul started to be more outgoing. However, there was a bomb attack in the court area and Arif was severely injured. The fellow jihadists saw injured Arif in the and ran away from the hideout. But Ruhul did not. He decided to go back home.

7. (, , 2011)

“Amar Bondhu Rashed” is the story of the 1971 Liberation War seen through the point of view of a young boy. Ibu, the narrator, describes how a group of young boys planned and resisted the attack of the Pakistani Army by collaborating with the Mukti Bahini (freedom fighters). The leader of the group is Rashed, an intelligent, energetic and brave boy who inspires his friends and organizes the group of young freedom fighters. Rashed is caught by the Rajakars (the collaborators to the Pakistan Army) and is shot dead. Adult Ibu named his son Rashed in commemorating his brave friend.

The film is an adaptation of a popular juvenile novel of the same title, written by Muhammad Jafar Iqbal.

8. Television (, 2012)

“Television” studies how Islamic values are practiced in a peripheral Bengal society in modern time. The film shows how the religious orthodoxy deals and negotiates with external forces, especially media technologies. The film also shows how the dialectic between these two apparently opposite entities affects and changes peoples' belief systems as well as how human relations are determined by the dialectic. The film received the Grand Jury Prize at the Asia Pacific Screen Award, 2013.

In a remote village called Mithanupur, an orthodox village leader named Amin Patwari (alias Chairman Sahib) bans all kind of images in his territory,believing that the appreciation of image is haram (prohibited) in Islam. However, being somewhat rational, he allows a Hindu man (Kumar Babu) to bring a television set at his home, as images are not prohibited to Hindus. Now, Muslim villagers rush to watch television at Kumar Babu's house. The old man's efforts to keep people away from images are in vein. Moreover, the leader's young son secretly talks to his girlfriend through video chats in the Internet. During an inspection at the Hindu man's house, Amin catches Kohinoor, the girlfriend of his son Solaiman, watching television with others. Amin punishes her in front of the public. Being humiliated in public, she breaks up with Solaiman. Upon Kohinoor's condition to reunite, Solaiman revolts against his father. But his short-term rebellion ends by asking forgiveness from his father and the father's decision of marrying off the two. Amin decides to perform Hajj in Mecca, and on the way to his Hajj pilgrimage, he is cheated by the Hajj agents in the capital city Dhaka. While passing interim time in a hotel, the depressed and dishearten old man manages to perform his Hajj with the help of the television which was relaying the Hajj event live from Mecca. 

9. ( , 2012)

This observational ethnographic documentary, made in cinema verite style, narrates the struggle of a community that has been waiting for the last two years to get support from the Bangladesh government, since their homes disappeared under a thick layer of mud due to the cyclone Aila that struck in the south-west coast in 2009. The observational nature of the film closely tells the story of a family of Rakhi, Soumen and their child Rahul – their reminiscence of the destroyed home, Soumen's joblessness and Rakhi's worries about the future of Rahul. They dream to go back to normalcy if the dam that will ensure the rescue of the people from the marooned condition can be built. The film ends with the building of the huge dam by the participation of all local men and with a hope to begin a decent regular life again.  

The film bagged the Grand Prix in the 35th Cinema du Reel, Paris 2013 and the Best Documentary award in Mumbai International Film Festival.  

The list continues in the next page

About the author

Guest Writer

  • Haq bhai,
    The article is really inspiring. We Bangladeshi usually avoid to watch Bangladeshi bangla movie. But we should find & watch our own movies.

    We should watch our movies & encourgh our movie director, producer.

    Anyway there was also a movie, you may watch call NO Dorai!

    Love the article, looking forward.

    • এসব গু ছাড়া কি আর কিছু আছে যা দিয়ে গ্রেট বাংলাদেশি ফিল্ম লিস্ট বানানো যাবে? তবে এটা করা যেত এসব গু কে গ্রেট বলে লিস্ট না বানিয়ে এসব গু কেন গু সেটার সমালোচনা করা। কিন্তু গু না খেতে পেয়েও যখন হঠাৎ হঠাৎ গু পাওয়া যায় তখন গু কে ও আকর্ষণীয় কিছু মনে হয়

      • What is good cinema in your view as you are terming these Gu, can you please explain. It seems you are ignorant of independent realist cinema and world cinema traditions. May be you are somebody only knows about industry based formula cinema and cheap film narrative.

  • মেহেরজান, নন্দিত নরকে দুটি অসাধারণ বাংলাদেশী চালচিত্র l

  • My all time favourite Bangladeshi film is ‘Surjo Dighal Bari’.
    Others I would include are Chitra Nodir Paare; Muktir Gaan, Rina Brown, Probashi Mon Amar, Swadhinota; Padma Nodir Maajhi,

  • How can I becomes a professor of Film and Television ? Sounds like the perfect job for me !

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    Thanks For Sharing. Have a Good Day.

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