Rina Brown: A flat story of 1971 Liberation War

Went to view an 'exclusive screening' of '' Rina Brown'' by Shamim Akhtar at Shilpakala Academy on Tuesday at its auditorium in Segun Bagicha in the capital at 6pm. The special screening was organized by Shilpakala Academy in collaboration with Chalachitram Film Society.

Director Shameem Akhtar, known for her works Itihaas Kanya and Shilalipi, makes a comeback after 13 years with her latest release Rina Brown, a period drama film that takes the audience back to the tumultuous days of the 1971 war of liberation.

Released on January 13, this is the latest in a long line of films dealing with the war and its historical background, although it tries to approach the all-too-familiar topic from a different, more individual perspective.

The movie started after 20 minutes and preceded by rambling speeches by the film-maker on how people don't go to cinema anymore for good films. Film revolved round a pro-independence activist and liberation war veteran in his 60s reminiscing the days of his youth revolving around 1971, throwing us into present and past alternatively.

Most scenes were 'flat', though a few were at least  introduced with a superlative intense emotion like when the main character meets Rina Brown, an Anglo-Indian Christian after 40 years. The duo meet at Laxmibazar in the old Dhaka city. The film laments why the independent Bangladesh, the religious minorities like the Anglo-Indian Christians had to leave the country.

Manosh Chowdhury performed well as principal actor! What was incredible was that the film- maker had engaged some eminent actors in the cast like Ataur Rahman and Shampa Reza but failed to do justice to their power. Ataur Rahman looked like a joker!  Shampa Reza appeared and disappeared like a shadow, a side-character! The storyline itself lacked originality of perspective.

In 2017, the war can be looked at with a fresh perspective, but one failed to note any new point the film-maker was making. It was hard to understand, whether Director and Script Writer Shameem Akhtar was influenced by Saptapadi movie, a 1961 Indian Bangla romantic drama.

 The story takes place in pre-independent India, when Krishnendu (Uttam Kumar), a young Bangalee Hindu medical student falls in love with an equally talented and attractive Anglo-Indian Christian woman named Rina Brown (Suchitra Sen).

The writer is a rights lawyer at Bangladesh Supreme Court

-Sadia Arman