Writing a negative review of a movie by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki is tough going! And this is because of the sole fact that his detractors are not as many as his admirers. Writing bad about the movie would be a disgrace to his fans. If I would love to be in the safer side, writing good about the movie would be the only option. But by compromising with my conscience if I write a good review for this movie, that would mislead the readers.

Before starting my review, I would like to ask you a question—what does it take to make a commercially successful yet critically acclaimed movie for the Bangladeshi audience? Perhaps it requires a story without substance, few commercially hit soundtracks, few vulgar dialogues and gestures and last but not the least, blessings from the media people for creating the much desired hype. This is exactly what I felt like many of the audiences after watching the widely publicized movie by celebrated film-maker Mostofa Sarwar Farooqi –‘Third Person Singular Number (TPSN).’

After its release in Dhaka and across the country, the movie has already created euphoria and my bashing of the movie will not create any impact for the director or the producer of the movie as the movie has already been declared a huge hit and the response from the audience has been overwhelming to say the least. The story of TPSN is not a conventional one and it requires you to come to the hall with an open mind to digest what Farooqi has been trying to establish in the conservative society of ours and that is ‘Live-in relationships’—a concept of the West which totally goes against our culture and tradition, not to mention about the religion. But sometimes even a bold subject like this can get along well with the audiences by the manner in which the director executes his story and I feel here is what Farooqi lacked to show his creative prowess.

For your convenience, here’s a brief of the movie: TPSN zooms in on the existence of a single woman in our society. Ruba, a progressive young urban woman, who does not want her personal freedom to be compromised. She loves Munna. But when Munna is physically absent from her life, Ruba faces the reality. Her identity, existence as an individual is questioned by the conservative society. Ruba believes in her own independence. She gives no thought to the judgments that people pass on her or her relationship with Munna. But when Munna is suddenly ripped from her life, Ruba must face what it truly means to be an independent woman in a conservative society. Her fight with present situation continues. But the film unfolds another layer in which Ruba fights with her past. She tries so desperately to avoid the trap set by her past. The film poses a question: can a woman, on her own, lead a secure life in our society?

If I analyze the story, I must say that this movie is dealing with the concept of living together without taking the sacred vows of matrimony which is not alien by any standards in real life especially in many progressive countries. In reel life, yes, not many film-makers in our country can dare to delve deep into the intimate relationship shared by three consenting adults like Farooqi does in TPSN . In that respect, Farooqi does try to make an effort to push the envelope but in the process totally messed it up. Our audiences have still not come of age and continue to be orthodox about certain issues. And that’s one of the vital reasons why the viewers really raises an eyebrow or feel aghast while watching the flick. In this respect I would like to mention few of the scenes which easily could have been avoided. For example, the scene where Tisha was forced to listen one of the song by pop star Akon which contains the line like ‘You already know I want to fuck you’, the scene where Abul Hayat took a close look on the sensitive parts of Tisha’s body, the scene where Topu was searching the drug stores to purchase condoms, etc. There are plenty of such scenes and dialogues in the movie which will make the audiences feel embarrassed to watch it with the family. Farooqi should realize that there are certain scene which does not require spoon feeding. As a noted film-maker, he should understand where to draw the line. I know the target audience – the youth would definitely like the movie for such brave scenes and will cheer and clap in the hall as well. But does it make any sense? Does a film-maker like Farooqi’s stature require to make humor at the cost of burying our moral values and sensibilities?

But on a positive note, the acting of Nusrat Imroz Tisha, Rashed Uddin Ahmed Topu, Abul Hayat were top notch in the movie. Mosharraf Karim played his part meticulously but most of his role has been wasted in jail! Cinematography is fantastic. The lensman does complete justice to the eye-filling locations of cox-bazar and Bashundhara project area. The music is The USP of TPSN without doubt, especially Habib and Arnob’s musical score. The film has some melodious tracks, but the music was not complimented well by an equally superior script that is the biggest drawback of the movie.

On the whole among the various scenes of the movie – some are interesting, some are mundane, some yawn-inducing and boring. I admit that the film boasts of a number of striking sequences with the signature touch of Farooqi. But I can’t give kudos to Farooqi for presenting a flick that dares to be different, but failed to do that without hurting the sensibilities of a moviegoer. Farooqi should understand that we love him for his creative aptitude and out-of-the-box thinking, but we do not always love to accept the audacity with which he has been projecting his views to the audiences. In a nutshell , his utopian concept just doesn’t work here.

So to sum it up, all I want to advice him is that he understands where to draw the line, sooner rather later!

Reviewed By
Nazmus Saquib
n.saquib@yahoo.com