A Comparative Analysis of the films “Poran” & “Hawa”

Course Code: MSJ11351

Maybe for the first in my lifetime, I have seen such hype in the film industry of Bangladesh after the release of the films "Hawa" by Mezbaur Rahman Sumon and "Poran" by Raihan Rafi. I do not remember struggling to get my hand on a movie ticket, even a month after the release of a "Bangladeshi" cinema. Even the morning shows were mainly houseful. The release of these two films bought an entirely new dimension to the Bangladeshi film industry.

The first movie I watched among the two was "Poran" by Raihan Rafi. Although I have some unpopular opinions about some aspects of the movie, but let us discuss the good things about the movie first. Despite being a reasonably low-budget movie, this movie is highly commercially successful. The movie was "allegedly" inspired by the real-life incident of Rifat's murder back in 2019. However, that allegation was denied by the director. However, it is clear to the audience that an actual incident inspired this story.

The direction and cinematography were good overall. Nevertheless, the sound, dubbing, and background music in some scenes were imbalanced and a little off. However, the art direction was admirable. The houses in the film were shot in; the cast's outfits were appropriate for a middle-class family living in a small town. The use of props inside the house, starting from the curtains in the walls and even the bed sheets that were selected, can be commonly found in a middle-class household.

When it comes to the acting of the cast, Shariful Raz as Roman was outstanding as usual. He adapted to the character excellently. Bidya Sinha Meem's was not up to the mark, in my opinion, but still, she portrayed Ananya's character quite well. The acting of supporting characters like the interrogating police officer, Ananya's family members, Jojo, and others was great too.

The director's goal was to create a commercial movie that could be easily decoded by the mass audience, which he was successful at. However, the media representation of Ananya and Roman's characters was improper. Here, Roman is also shown as a "victim" of Ananya. Despite all his wrongdoings and brutality, Roman was portrayed as somewhat vulnerable and easily manipulated, and eventually another victim. The director successfully "victimized" Roman. My problem with this is that the mass audience went to the theatre with the idea that this case is based on the real story of Rifat's murder. So, naturally, they will relate to the movie with the real story.

Furthermore, the message sent out through the movie was not accurate; deceiving, in fact. The most famous/ mainstream cinema storyline is based on a few prominent gender stereotypes. In this case, Ananya was a master manipulator who could easily deceive any man. This particular characteristic and stereotype of women being deceiving have often been shown in popular texts for decades.

While watching "Hawa" by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon, the first thing that came to mind was how stunning the film's cinematography was. Each and every single shot and scene are well thought out. Every shot was very soothing and enjoyable to watch as a viewer. From the basis of cinematography, editing, color, and sound, "Hawa" is probably one of the best Bangladeshi films I have watched.

The presentation and makeover of most characters were outstanding. The makeover of Sariful Razz was fabulous, and he adapted to the character so well that, at first glance, it is hard to recognize Razz. Chanchal Chowdury, as usual, was fabulous, and his overall look was very well portrayed as a vicious man. Nazifa Tushi was well suited for her mysterious character as a snake charmer. Mainly throughout the movie, Nazifa has few dialogues. Nevertheless, her expressions, body language, and overall acting were outstanding despite having little dialogue. However, I completely agree with most critics that her makeup was too visible throughout the movie.

One of the critical reasons for the massive success of this movie was the song "Shada Kala." The song was a big hit before the actual film's release, which played a massive role in attracting audiences in the cinema halls.

There were a few shots that stood out to me among all the other beautifully constructed scenes. There was a scene of Nazifa trying to secretly escape from Chanchal after figuring out his intentions. The camera's subtle moves to raise the scene's intensity were terrific. Another small scene that beautifully describes the chemistry between Razz and Nazifa is- Nazifa drying her saree on the boat's roof. Upon the arrival of Razz, she hides behind the saree. From behind the saree, a stunning silhouette shot was seen due to the flickering light in the background. Moreover, the most beautiful scene in the movie is the last scene, where Nazifa is lying and crying beside Razz, embracing his lifeless body. The shot was taken upside down, and the whole construction of the shot was mesmerizing.

The film's brutality, which was prominent throughout, was built very nicely. While watching the extreme scenes, it felt very brutal without showing extreme graphic details. An aspect of the movie that was very debated was the use of obscene language throughout the film. Honestly, in my opinion, the use of slang was not too much, and it complimented the context of the scenes. However, understanding that many people bring their kids to the theatres, there could have been an age restriction or disclaimer at the film's beginning.

Although the movie was enjoyable to watch, I think the storyline was a bit flawed. The buildup of the chemistry between Razz and Nazifa was not done correctly. There could have been more to that relationship, as it significantly affected the plot. Also, the ending was very much predictable. I thought there would be something more to the story, but it ended with a predictable ending. Once again, as the relationship and love between Razz and Nazifa were not built up appropriately, the last scene did not make me emotional. Yes, it was undoubtedly beautiful from the cinematic side, but it did not spark any sadness or emotion in me.

The films "Poran" and "Hawa" had pros and cons. While the story of "Poran" was quite enjoyable to watch, despite the very basic production quality and some other flaws, "Hawa" was one of the best regarding production quality but had a weak storyline. I think one of the main reasons mass audiences did not like "Hawa" was because they were comparing these two films. However, the genres of the two films are entirely different, and they are not meant to be compared. Despite all the little flaws in both movies, these two films have set a massive milestone for Bangladeshi films in the future. Such craze in Bangladeshi cinemas has not been seen in the past few decades. Hopefully, this is the beginning of the rise of films in Bangladesh once again.