First Sparks from Headlines, October 29, 2013

PM asks AL men to help police: যেন বিয়ে বাড়ির অনুষ্ঠান! What? Help plan a birthday party? (New Age)

Hartal violence kills 5: At 5 deaths a day, are death tolls with 3 + pre-hartal day violence at 25? Salute to our democracy! (The Daily Star)

Non-stop Dhaka blockade planned: মাইরালা রে! মাইরালা! Interesting how much losses we counted over the years for this thing which is called 'care taker'. Interim now I suppose. (The Daily Star)

China hails Hasina-Khaleda talks: Huh? Do you guys have translators that good? (BDNews24)

BNP slams govt for tele-talk telecast: Wonder who this'll tip the scale towards! Interesting.  (BDNews24)

Govt schools asked to install hoardings on govt’s success: My word! :S (New Age)

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Chowdhury Shaheb's Bangladesh

The father tells his daughter about his 'status' in society, and his expensive possessions, and implies that she should look for in a future beau exactly those qualities. Enter the cocky (beyadob) boyfriend, who tells the father that his 'status' is clear on Facebook. What a view of society and growth we have here!

From that ad to a drama seen during the eid programming, a similar scene. Father asks the daughter who his boyfriend of hers is. To that she starts, he's Arif, from a 'rich family', son of so-and-so businessman, owner of a car sales showroom. The father here is at least unmoved, but we still have to chalk it up to some parental glitch somewhere.

Of course, our beloved Ananta comes to mind next, who has many people rallying behind him since he is 'investing' money in cinema (not one yet which didn't star him, and didn't become an 'accidental comedy'). Over an online interview he states that he bought a Bulgari (bvlgari?) watch for his wife, and he doesn't forget to tell us how much it had cost - 22,000 USD.

?

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Udhao: The Review (A+ for Effort?)

I've been waiting eagerly for this one. The trailer had given me an immense amount of hope, and taking advantage of the Eid-holiday-empty of Dhaka City, some of us managed to go and watch it at Bashundhara City.

I entered while the opening credits were rolling, and the intense music had me turning towards the screen stopping my efforts to find my seat. Those glimpses still gave me hope, till I actually found my seat, and saw the opening act done by amateurs. The intensity of the music carried on unfortunately throughout the film, drowning the dialogues even! In retrospect, if it wasn't for the subtitles, I might've been terribly lost. Especially the scene that seemed would be a very strong point in the film - the part where Babu has the letter typed out for Akbar's wife (also shown in the trailer).

In the end, I can appreciate the effort, it has broken out of the usual story lines - romance, and '71. In its quest to attain a gritty film, it probably goes overboard, with amateurish moments and dragging parts. But in its realism of showing that evil doesn't change overnight, it passes. Despite all the flaws I perceived, I am glad it just so different.

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Ingreji, English, Dhaliwood, Ananta - We're out to prove ourselves

While reading an article discussing how we're laughing at Ananta Jalil's English accent (while some of us laugh at his Bangla accent too), I came across this:

 

For a chance to prove yourself too, click below:

http://opinion.bdnews24.com/2013/09/26/ananta-jalil-the-bangu-also-rises/

Cheers!

Update! Freaking Update!

As luck would have it, my comment was okayed on the article, and if anyone had trouble making the 'lunatic' connection, here it is:

Mmmmmm. As someone who is dying to see a revolution, be it cinema or society, I place Ananta at the same level as the ‘gonojagoron’. I disagree that we’re laughing at his accent, but at the bad acting, the ridiculous scenes and the overall kitsch flood. He reaches into his chest and pulls out a CGI heart where explosions take place, a bullet passes through and other animated things. Its a scene that is apparently meant to be emotional! I am laughing at Ananta at that point.

As for accents, before we had ‘English Medium’ education, we had people who could normally speak the language very well, as I see in people from my father’s generation. At some point we lost that (how? why?)and these specialized schools took on a role to fill that vacuum. Ananta came on TV and claimed to be very highly “ezucated”which should form doubts in everyone’s minds. Is he the one trying to reach out to the English Medium/Private University kids? Its often reiterated that he is a successful businessman, and he has succeeded here too. I don’t agree that he is the savior of cinema, as it were. If India had Satyajit Ray who later inspired many a great filmmakers, we should just hold our breath waiting for our ‘Ray’ to come. Ananta’s accidental comedies, should be treated just as that, without lifting him up to some pedestal.

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