Saad Hammadi becomes a believer in the Bangla film industry when he watches the much-hyped new movie Monpura.
Even before Monpura premiered on February 13, the buzz was that the movie would be something beyond the stereotype. And after all, how often has a Bangla movie offered anything non-formulaic?
All tickets were sold out at the Cineplex for the first three days. At the Balaka Cineworld, the queues for the evening show at 4:30pm reached the streets outside the theatre premises. No tickets were available there either. I was given access to the hall but for the two and a half hours I had to be on my feet. The movie I had gone to watch without interest surprised me so much that it was worth the effort.
Six months ago the soundtrack was released and became instantly popular, the radio playing the songs over and over and people buying the album with anticipation for the movie. But honestly, to feel the essence of the music, you need to hear them at theatres like Star Cineplex and Balaka.
The movie breaks off a love story through the acquaintance of Shonai, (played by Chanchal Chowdhury) and Pori, (played by Farhana Mili) on the island of Monpura. A house help of a rich and influential family, Shonai was framed for a murder his employer’s son committed. Citing to protect him from the police, Shonai’s employer, Gazi (played by Mamunur Rashid) sent him to the island of Monpura where he looked after Gazi’s herd of goats and cows.
Then one day, he was awestruck by the sight of the beautiful Pori who turned her boat by the island and waited for her father to catch fish from the river. The audience applauded and cheered on the stars as they made their first appearances in the movie, Chanchal bathing in the river and Farhana on the boat.
In that brief moment of acquaintance, their mute stare at each other and those subtle smiles revealed an attraction between the two. They start meeting frequently. Then one day, when visiting Shonai at the island, Gazi comes across Pori.
Gazi, who is eager to marry his mentally ill son off, had found the ideal bride in Pori. A cunning Gazi convinces Shonai to take his marriage proposal to Pori’s father but the inner motive was to find out where she lives.
The twist in the movie begins when Gazi takes proposal for his son, Halim instead of Shonai to Hakim Ali (played by Fazlur Rahman Babu). And though Hakim initially refuses to accept the proposal, his greed for the wealth Gazi promises him prevents him from resisting too long.
Shonai rushes to Pori swimming across the river and together they plan their escape. The next night Pori waits at the shore holding a torch for Shonai to swim down the river but he does not arrive. He gets picked up by the police for the murder charges Gazi places on him.
Pori is married off to Halim (played by Monir Khan Shimul) against her will. As Shonai bides his time during his prison sentence, Pori is told that Shonai has been sentenced to death and he will be hung on a Friday night at 12:01am. A shattered Pori poisons herself the very day Shonai is granted bail.
Not all movies have a happy ending and Monpura is one of those path breaking movies that can get the adrenaline rush into audiences and bring out emotions. Beginning from the music composition, (since it was released earlier) to the movie’s cinematography, location and plot have together integrated the movie into a purely romantic movie. Not just the actors on screen but the entire crew of director Giasuddin Selim did a fantastic job to celebrate this much-anticipated movie of the year. Monpura uplifts the genre of Bangla movies from its disdained image and shines a ray of hope for the film industry.
Even before Monpura premiered on February 13, the buzz was that the movie would be something beyond the stereotype. And after all, how often has a Bangla movie offered anything non-formulaic?
All tickets were sold out at the Cineplex for the first three days. At the Balaka Cineworld, the queues for the evening show at 4:30pm reached the streets outside the theatre premises. No tickets were available there either. I was given access to the hall but for the two and a half hours I had to be on my feet. The movie I had gone to watch without interest surprised me so much that it was worth the effort.
Six months ago the soundtrack was released and became instantly popular, the radio playing the songs over and over and people buying the album with anticipation for the movie. But honestly, to feel the essence of the music, you need to hear them at theatres like Star Cineplex and Balaka.
The movie breaks off a love story through the acquaintance of Shonai, (played by Chanchal Chowdhury) and Pori, (played by Farhana Mili) on the island of Monpura. A house help of a rich and influential family, Shonai was framed for a murder his employer’s son committed. Citing to protect him from the police, Shonai’s employer, Gazi (played by Mamunur Rashid) sent him to the island of Monpura where he looked after Gazi’s herd of goats and cows.
Then one day, he was awestruck by the sight of the beautiful Pori who turned her boat by the island and waited for her father to catch fish from the river. The audience applauded and cheered on the stars as they made their first appearances in the movie, Chanchal bathing in the river and Farhana on the boat.
In that brief moment of acquaintance, their mute stare at each other and those subtle smiles revealed an attraction between the two. They start meeting frequently. Then one day, when visiting Shonai at the island, Gazi comes across Pori.Gazi, who is eager to marry his mentally ill son off, had found the ideal bride in Pori. A cunning Gazi convinces Shonai to take his marriage proposal to Pori’s father but the inner motive was to find out where she lives.
The twist in the movie begins when Gazi takes proposal for his son, Halim instead of Shonai to Hakim Ali (played by Fazlur Rahman Babu). And though Hakim initially refuses to accept the proposal, his greed for the wealth Gazi promises him prevents him from resisting too long.
Shonai rushes to Pori swimming across the river and together they plan their escape. The next night Pori waits at the shore holding a torch for Shonai to swim down the river but he does not arrive. He gets picked up by the police for the murder charges Gazi places on him.
Pori is married off to Halim (played by Monir Khan Shimul) against her will. As Shonai bides his time during his prison sentence, Pori is told that Shonai has been sentenced to death and he will be hung on a Friday night at 12:01am. A shattered Pori poisons herself the very day Shonai is granted bail.
Not all movies have a happy ending and Monpura is one of those path breaking movies that can get the adrenaline rush into audiences and bring out emotions. Beginning from the music composition, (since it was released earlier) to the movie’s cinematography, location and plot have together integrated the movie into a purely romantic movie. Not just the actors on screen but the entire crew of director Giasuddin Selim did a fantastic job to celebrate this much-anticipated movie of the year. Monpura uplifts the genre of Bangla movies from its disdained image and shines a ray of hope for the film industry.
