Aynabaji

Director: Amitabh Reza Chowdhury

Writer: Syed Gaosul Alam Shaon

Stars: Chanchal Chowdhury, Masuma Rahman Nabila, Partho Barua

Strength:  Cast, Story, Cinematography

Weakness: Duration

Runtime: 144min

Rating: 4/5

PLOT: The story of a struggling actor and his survival in a merciless society where he gets to live his profession in real life after failing his career.

REVIEW: The film provides the viewers with an empathic view to its characters, which is coupled with brilliant storytelling making the audience wanting more. 

From the very first scene to the last, the film was entrancing and incredibly engaging. The main factor that contributed to the audiences to be enticed to the whole of the film was the amazing script that was transformed into a magnetic narration. The directorial debut of famous ad-maker Amitabh Reza could not have been done in a better way. A lot had been expected from Amitabh by the audience and every form of hope was met in this film, clearly marking his ground in the film industry. 

Even though the film was engaging, the duration of the film could make the film tedious for some audience. 

Another aspect 

that was noted in the film was the lack of direction in the type of market it was catering to. In certain parts it seemed like an art film, targeted for critics and movie enthusiasts, and in other parts it felt like it was made for the mass, which is not a bad thing nonetheless, but perhaps with better segmentation the movie could have been made even better.

Chanchal Chowdhury stood out as a competitor to his own multiple characters that he portrayed in the film, performing remarkably and setting new acting standards. Masuma Rahman Nabila's debut in the film was nothing short of noteworthy, emanating her facile presence in the film eloquently. 

The cinematography by Rashed Zaman was impeccable, capturing the minute detail of the metropolitan city, Dhaka, with perfection. The soundtracks in the film went perfectly with the screenplay, especially Habib and Onnesha's "Dhire Dhire", Arnab's "Praner Shohor" and Chirkutt's "Duniya".

Overall, the movie is equally entertaining as it is thought-provoking. The success of "Aynabaji" has set new standards for Bengali films, after which the audience will surely be expecting movies of the same calibre in the days to come.

Reviewed by Zahid Akbar