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Bengali community has a great name in cinema, literature and music. Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Hrithik Ghatak, Rituparno Ghosh, Aparna Sen etc. are some representative names. But for the current Bangladeshi citizens, that name has become like the name of a foreign country in political terms.
Bangladesh is a new country created by the people of East Pakistan after the partition of India. Although the history of Bengal civilization stretches back a few centuries, Bangladesh, which was born in 1971, had to start many things from a new vein.
Amidst poverty, famine, political instability and violent events, the cinema sector here has also suffered like other sectors.
It is not unusual that Bangladesh’s cinema sector is not very encouraging when assessed in this context. However, along with spicy cinema, there have been some worthwhile attempts at independent cinema here.
One such effort is ‘Alpha’. Nashiruddin Yusuf has directed this Bengali film which has been successful at the national and international level.
This is the story of Rickshaw Painter Alpha.
He lives alone in a house made of bamboo sticks by the lake. But he is close to the people of the slum area where he lives. Apart from painting, he spends time playing the flute or meditating. Lost on the street as a child, Alpha is raised by a toy shop. His father, who raised Alpha, was shot dead by security personnel during curfew. The incident haunts him even in his dreams.
One day a dead body appears on the shore of the lake where Alpha lives. That incident disturbs his mentality. What is the meaning of the alpha in the life of the alpha who begins to have a strange dialogue with the las and in the story of the film? It’s interesting.
The film also tells the story of the slum characters along with Alpha. The fictional and mysterious ‘Alpha’ is good in terms of storytelling style and ‘visual treatment’, but it is also important in terms of human sensibilities and social aspects. It also shows the struggles of marginalized street children and transgender community characters within the city of Dhaka, along with incidents of crime.
Alamgir Kabir in the role of the main character has given a good performance in the role of an artist disturbed by social unrest. Through Alpha’s eyes, the film tells the story of the value of life and existence of the current Bangladeshi people.
This film, which was released in 2019, was also sent to the Oscars. But there was no choice.
Watch the same story today at Good Friday Cinemas. It has English subtitles available.
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