As a storyteller it is vital to not repeat. After his series “Pett Kata Shaw”, director Nuhash Humayun explained he wanted to explore new stories in his new project, again blending modern approaches with Indian folklore and myths. Considering his short feature “Moshari” was produced by director Jordan Peele and actor Riz Ahmed, it is perhaps only a matter of time before he will aim for international audiences. However, “Dui Shaw”, as his new series is named, delves even deeper into folklore while also looking at themes of Bangladeshi politics and society. As IFFLA 2025 screens the first two episodes of the series, “Waqt” and “Bhaggo Bhalo”, this review may also be considered a first look.
In “Waqt” we meet four men, Raju (Allen Shubhro), Kaysar (Rizvi Rizu Chowdhury), Jahangir (Abdullah Al Sentu), Jashim (Rafayatullah Sohan) and Altaf (Refat Hasan Saikat). In order to make a bit of cash, they have agreed to vandalize a Muslim community center to send a message for their employer. However, their plan goes out of hand as they not only destroy a religious idol, but also set fire to the place. After one of them dies under mysterious circumstances, they feel they have been cursed because of their deed and with the time for prayer approaching, they only have a few hours left to prevent themselves from certain death.
Actor Mosharraf Karim plays a palm reader and self-proclaimed astrologer in “Bhaggo Bhalo”. Living in a slum with his mother, who is in dire need of a new kidney, he decides to take his fortune into his own hands by reading his own palm. To his own surprise, his fortune changes for the better, with his mother getting a new kidney and a new place for them outside the slum. However, his luck comes with a prize, for himself and those around him.
Similar to other horror features or series, “Dui Shaw” can be divided into two interconnected elements. On the one hand, the folklore part in each episode is what is truly fascinating about the two stories, due to their similarity to other myths as well as their overall adaptation into the modern world. Humayun uses a clever approach as he does not rely on cheap thrills, but rather on atmosphere, established by a great production design, Xoaher Musavvir‘s cinematography and the performances. The growing sense of dread within each character as they begin to realize they have dabbled with forces they cannot control makes each episode a great short feature in its own right. From the cast Mosharraf Karim possibly stands out as his character has the strongest story arc and development, emphasized by an overall brilliant performance.
At the same time, “Waqt” and “Bhaggo Balo” share a strong vision (or criticism) on various features within our world. While their first episode takes a look at growing religious tensions and the sad occurrences of hate crimes, the latter is a clever, almost satirical look at aspects such as class and how one’s fortune is built on the sweat and misery of others. In general, the overall series would perhaps benefit from a narrative framework similar to other horror anthologies (if indeed that is what Humayun is going for), especially since the idea of each episode functioning as a moral tale is already there. Considering each episode only has a running time of 30 minutes (give or take), there is a lot in these individual stories and a lot of strong images, even though “Bhaggo Balo” perhaps contains those which will have a more lasting impact.
While this is again more of a first look rather than a full review of “Dui Shaw”, the first two episodes have a lot going for them. Director and creator Nuhash Humayun manages not only to appeal to horror fans, but also to those looking for strong visual storytelling combined with social or political commentary.
