BANGLADESHER HARANO GOLPO

Did you know that Bangladesh has its own version of the legend of Makara – beautifully engrained in Jessore's Jora Shiv Temples? Have you ever heard of the legend of Bon Bibi, the gaia-esque protector of our very own Sundarbans? If not, like most of us, you owe it to yourself to watch Bangladesher Harano Golpo.

The second film by Finding Bangladesh, a documentary series directed by Adnan M S Fakir adamant on highlighting the neglected and near-forgotten heritage of Bangladesh, strikes the perfect harmony between education and information. The film's intro uses Ami Kingbodontir Kotha Bolchi, the Abu Zafor Obaydullah chef d'oeuvreas, as it encapsulates the need for a receptive mind as a canvas for preserving and relishing our history.  The film combines a plethora of cinematography techniques to highlight the architectural heritage, alongside riveting illustration-based animations to portray the myths and fables behind them. The audience follows an enthusiastic bunch of travelers on their own stylised vehicle, 'Loo on Wheels', through 17 historical locations on a quest to tell 11 stories, each of which were practically unheard of outside the remote areas that they originated from.

The music of the film was excellent, the highlight of which being some beautiful instrumental work by fingerstyle guitarist Mahaan Fahim. The tracks, while being minimal, told the enveloped feelings of the makers, some of which they could not directly voice.

The documentary was not without flaws, the most scathing of which I felt were the intermittent breaks to a character named Sofdar Daktar. Included in the film for comic relief, the black-and-white aesthetic segments served little more purpose than breaking the immersion in an otherwise tight narrative.  The immersiveness was also somewhat disrupted by a confusing mix of bilingual narration at times, as I felt that there was no need for the English introductions to each monument visited. Subtitles could have been used, while keeping the entire narrative in Bangla.

However, all of the aforementioned complaints are just nit-picking at this point. Considering what the very small crew of individuals amidst extreme limitations, drawbacks and adversities achieved out of sheer will-power, the movie is above any critique I can put forth. In 76 minutes, Bangladesher Harano Golpo taught me more than my history classes in school ever did, and that is only a small fragment of Bangladesh's rich heritage that it highlighted. For that, hats off to Adnan M S Fakir and the crew of Finding Bangladesh.