Movie Watch
"Noy Number Bipod Shangket": A madcap comedy devoid of genuine laughs
Karim Waheed
Once upon a time there was an emerging writer whose stories and novels shed new light on everyday middle class people and their "seemingly mundane" existence. Armed with a unique, unpretentious and often wacky sense of humour, the writer was touted as (and rightfully so) an "alchemist" or a "phenomenon" by the who's who in the literary scene. His popularity escalated to a new zenith when his stories and novels were adapted into TV serials by skilled directors. A band of ace thespians breathed life to his characters, so much so that there was public mourning when a beloved hooligan from one his plays died. For years the success story continued and then the obvious happened.The writer was convinced that he was infallible and started churning out otherwise pointless publications as frequently as Imelda Marcos was buying shoes. Certain new stories had uncanny resemblance to previous ones. The supremely talented author decided to branch out and started making films, convinced that his skills behind the camera are as advanced as his flair for words. His comrades -- the directors and actors who had much to do with popularising his stories -- deserted him. Now he is left with a few mediocre films, some substandard TV serials and a new band of actors who are as impressive as sideshow acts at a local circus. Humayun Ahmed's latest endeavour Noy Number Bipod Shangket (written and directed by him) deserves this rather elaborate rant. Ahmed has issued a disclaimer saying it's a "meaningless film" (Ekti Aurthoheen Chhobi) and its sole objective is to make the audience laugh. The numbness of sitting through nearly two hours was not worthwhile however, as the film became a demonstration of crude fat jokes, overly familiar "Humayun Ahmed stunts" and jarring overacting. The film centres on an eccentric, lonely and wealthy (an alarming combo according to Ahmed's usual pattern) elderly man played by -- a regular feature in Ahmed's recent movies and plays -- Rahmat Ali. The circus starts with the elderly going berserk because his daughters and son would not visit him. His imbecile manager and the manager's even more moronic sidekick call up the daughters and son, and in between wails deliver the news of their father's demise. The daughters, along with their husbands and children, rush to their father's farmhouse (highly influenced by popular picnic spots) only to find him very much alive and crazy. The bookish, oblivious to the outer world, son also arrives. Between uttering random words like "hyperspace" or lecturing the domestic help on advanced mathematical formulas (another chronic feature in Ahmed's creations), the son, Togor, finds time for no one. Not even a rather plump beauty -- who arrives unannounced at "Brishti Bilash" (the farmhouse) with her group of qawwals and starts boogying in the rain to a Rabindra Sangeet -- derails his focus. After a couple of songs and more predictable shenanigans, the madcap comedy with a few chuckles (at its very best) ends with two weddings. Shadhin Khasru and Challenger (other familiar faces from the "Ahmed camp") do what they usually do. Asaduzzaman Noor does a cameo, raising a few eyebrows. It's unfortunate to see an accomplished actor like Jayanto Chattopadhyay's skills being unutilised. It's best to leave the "qawwali", (a khichudi of randomly placed Bangla and Urdu words) composed by S.I Tutul, alone. Produced by Impress Telefilm Ltd, the movie will have its world premier today on Channel i at 4:35pm. The film is also being released at Balaka and Star Cineplex, Bashundhara City mall.
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Challenger, Diti, Rahmat Ali and child actors in the film |
