Saturday 28 July 2012

History of Bangla Film from 1896-2000

The people of Bhola saw the bioscope also in April of 1898. Hira Lal Sen’s Royal Bioscope Company arranged the shows in the bungalow of the Sub-Divisional Officer of Bhola. Hira Lal Sen also arranged bioscope shows at his native village Bagjuri, Manikganj at the same time. The Royal Bioscope Company also exhibited shows at the Joydevpur palace of Bhawal Raj Rajendra Narayan Chowdhury on 15th April, 1900.


Photo of mukh_o_mukhosh
bangla-Film

The cinema came to this subcontinent back in 19th century. The first bioscope show was held at Watson Hotel in Bombayon 7th July, 1896. A little later the bioscope arrived in Calcutta, the capital city of undivided Bengal. John Stevens, Hudson and Father Laffaun of Saint Xavier’s College were the pioneers of bioscope shows in Calcutta.
Stevens also exhibited bioscope shows in Dhaka during the year of 1896-97 with a touring Theatre company though the documentary evidence of Stevens’ shows are not available. According to Bengali weekly Dhaka Prokash, the Dhakaities had their first views of bioscope in 1898 at The Crown Theatre which was located at Patuatuli near Sadarghat in Dhaka city. The exhibition was arranged by a Calcutta-based company named Bredford Bioscope Company.
The Royal Bioscope Company was the first exhibition-production organization of the Bengalees established in 1898 by Hira Lal Sen (1866-1917) of Bagjuri village of Manikganj, near Dhaka. Hira Lal Sen was the son of a landlord.
When the first bioscope arrived in Calcutta in 1896, Hira Lal Sen was attracted to it and contacted exhibitor Stevens and Father Laffaun. He procured necessary equipments and started doing bioscope shows. He exhibited shows at the Minerva Theatre , Star Theatre, Classic Theatre. On 4th April, 1898, he established ‘The Royal Bioscope Company’ in Calcutta along with his brother Matilal Sen, Deboki Lai Sen and nephew Bholanath Gupta.
Lal Sen was also the first film director producer of undivided Bengal. Between 1900-1901, he took shots of various scenes in Calcutta and Manikgani and with the help of Amarendra Nath Dutta, Hira Lai also took shots of ongoing scenes of drama at the Classic Theatre, Calcutta. The Architect of First Bengali Feature Film Chandra Kumar Ganguly was the Manager of Dhaka Nawab Estate. This Company controlled the exhibition and distribution circle of bioscope in India, Burma and Srilanka till 1916. The Madan Theatres ventured to produce Bengali cinema. The main architect of the project was Priyonath Ganguly. Under his able guidance, Joytish Benerjee made ‘Bilwa Mangal’, the First silent Bengali feature film in 1919 under the banner of Madan Teatres. Dhirendra Nath Ganguly (better knownas as D.G) of Barislal and a close relative of poet Rabindranath, established the first Bengalee ownership film producing company named ‘Indo British Film Co’ in 1918. His first production ‘Bilat Ferat’ (The England Returned) released in 1921. He came to Dhaka to sell shares for his Company. In 1923, Naresh Mitra of Jessore took the leadership of making the first story of Rabindra Nath Thakur into screen. The film was ‘Maan Bhanjan’ Many film production and studios flourished in Calcutta, Dhaka remained with exhibition only. The regular film shows got started in Dhaka during the first World War in Armanitola. A regular cinema house named ‘picture house’ began showing shows there in 1913-14. Later this house renamed as ‘New Picture House’ and ‘Shabistan’, This was the first cinema hall of East Bengal (Later Bangladesh). About 80 cinema halls were established by 1947.
There was no film industry until 1957 in this region. The East Bengal Provincial Govt. of newly created state of Pakistan took initiative to start s film division in 1953-54 and for that purpose a studio and laboratory went in to operation in 1955 in Tejgaon, Dhaka. The Film Development Corporation (F.D.C.) was established by the legislation of East Bengal Provincial Assembly in 1958. It opened a new vistas for the film industry of Bangladesh. In the meantime, there were several attempts to produce films in Dhaka between 1931 to 1956. The results were The Last Kiss (1931), Salaam (1954) and Mukh-O-Mukhus (1956) which is said to be the first feature film.
At that time Calcutta was the bastion of film producion with full facilities of artists, technicians and studios. Dhaka was devoid of all these facilities. The young group of Napa fan-duly at the Dhaka University at first initiated to produce short film ‘Sukumari’ (The good girl) as a test case, Khawja Azad, a graduate from Aligarh University and for camera Khawja Aimal. Nawabzada Nasrullah played the role of hero and Syed Abbus Sobhan, a youngman was chosen to play the role of heroine. For the female part, the male Sobhan was made into ‘she’, The shooting was done in Dilkusha Garden. Their first venture silent ‘Sukumari’ was completed by 1928-29. The adventure was successful. The film was screened privately. Later, the print of ‘Sukumari’ lost for ever. Only one still photo (with hero Khawja Nasrullah and heroine Syed Abdus Sobhan) has been retrieved to Bangladesh Film Archive in 1979.
The first venture ‘Sukumari’ was successful, so the group went for a bigger ventuer. The Last Kiss, a feature film of Bangladesh. The film was directed by Ambju Gupta under the production of Dhaka East Bengal Cinernatograph Society. Other cast and crews were Nawabzada Khawja Nasrullah, Khawja Adil, Khawja Akmal, Khawja Zahir. The Last Kiss’ was released at the end of 1931 at the Mukul Hall (now Azad) of Dhaka.
In the year of 1931, the famous rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam joined in the Madan Theaters Ltd. of Calcutta as a music trainer for brushing up the voices of artistes for sound pictures. Later, Nazrul came out in the filmdorn as director-music and organizer, He jointly directed the film ‘Dhruba’. He jointly directed the film ‘Dhruba’ (1934.) He also acted and composed the music and lyric for that film.
In 1947 a new state was born and Dhaka became the capital of new province of East Bengal (East Pakistan). With that, new hopes brought new blood in cultural activities. Many enterprising people floated new production distribution companies. Nazir Ahmed, a radio broadcaster with some film background was as-signed by Pakistan Central Govt. to make a newsreel on the visit of Mohammad Ali Jinnah in East Bengal in March 1948. Nazir Ahmed produced a newsreel on 10 days visit of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the first Governor General of Pakistan. He took all technical helps from Calcutta. This was the first film of newly created of East Pakistan. In 1954, a film unit was started under the Public Relations Division of East Bengal Government headed by Nazir Ahmed. He made a documentary named ‘Salamat from that Unit Salamats story centered on the life of a construction worker, who saw the changes of new capital city of Dhaka. Its music was scored by Abdul Ahad. At that time, Dr. Abdus Sadeq, Director of Bureau of Statistics of East Bengal also took initiative to produce films and formed’East Bengal Film Co-operative Ltd. They started a documentary named ‘Appayon’. In the meatime, Abdul Jabbar Khan ventured a full length film Mukh-O~Mukhus’ (The face and the mask) in 1954 and also porduced a documentary on food.
A film studio and laboratory was established in Tejgaon. Dhaka by the Provincial Govt. which started operation in 1955. Several documentaries and publicity films were produced and processed from that studio : Fateh Lohani-directed few of the producilons such as’Salya Kaft Bobo IQ (an advt film on mustard oil), The Wheel, The gate way to East Pdkislan etc. While no studio laboratory, no experienced artists or technicians and no government help was available, Abdul Jabbar Khan an engineer by profession, a dramatist by instinct took the challenge to make a film under the banner of lqbal Films Ltd. His venture was full of obstruction. But he was successful and came out victorious with the first full length sound feature film of Pakistan. ‘Mukh-O-Mukhush’ (The Face and the Mask),which was released on 3rd August, 1956. This film was the result of the Bengali language movement of 1952 which took martyrdom of several lives. The story of ‘Mukh-O-Mukhus’was as usual family drama, evil versus good.The presentation style was theatrical. The film is remembrered for its historical importance. Inam Ahmed, Purnima Sen, Nazma (Peary), Zaharat Ara, Ali Mansur, Fafiq, Narul Anarn Khan, Saifuddin, Bilkis Bad & others were amongst the cast. 0. M. Zaman served the camera while Samar Das did the musc score.
In 1957 the East Pakistan Film Development Corporation (EPFDC) was established by the elected Provincial Govt under the initiative of Labour, Trade and Industry Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. With the establishment of the Film Development Corporation, the motion picture industry got its footings with facilities of shooting, dubbing, recording, printing and processing. Nuir Ahmed was assinged by the Govt. to take the anchorship of this organizations as an Executive Director. The newly created FDC allowed few selected directors with backgrounds of education and culture.
The first film, Asiya (The life of a village girl) was born from the womb of FDC under the directorship of Fateh Lohani. The master planner of Asiya was Nazir Ahmed. The film centered around rural life and received high acclamation. The cast included Sumita, Kazi Khaloque,Shahid, Ranen Kushad, Sona Mia. The music of the film was scored by noted singer Abbasuddin Ahmed. The Asiya got the President Award of Pakistan as the best Bengali picture in 1961. Jago Hua Savera (The day shall dawn), the second film produced at FDC in 1959 which got international appreciation from London, New York, and bagged an award from Moscow Film Festival, The story of the film was taken from popular novel of Manik Bandopadhaya, scripted by poet Fayez Ahmed Fayez, Director A. J. Karder, a UK Pakistan citizen came to Dhaka with cameraman Walter Lassaly (Germany), recordist Jhon Fleteher (Uk), Editor Ms Binvovet (UK), music composer Timir Baran (India), Assistant Shantikumar Charthedee (India). The cast included Anis (Khan Ata), Tripti Mitra, Zuraine, Roxy, Redwan, Kazi Khaleque, Nasima, Moyna, Latif.
The sixties were dominated by general themes like style, presentation, subject, business, artistic inquest, urdu language, folklore, history. Ehtesham’s Rajdhanir Buke (In the heart of capital city) was the hit film of 1960 with new pairs Rahman-Chitra, Subbash-Nargis.Salahuddin’s Je Nadi Maru Pathe (That river goes to sand way) Mustafiz’s Harano Din (The Lost days), Mahiuddin’s ‘Tornar Amar (Thine & Mine), Zahir Raihan’s Kakhono Aseni (Never came) were released in 1961. Of them, Kakhono Aseni (Never came) was an inquest of artistic merit. In 1962 Salahuddin’s Surjasnan (The sunbath), Ehatesham’s Chanda marked two different aspects. Surjasnan was an off beat film with social conscience, while Chanda was an Urdu Language movie which hit the commercial circuit of whole Pakistan. This film paved the way for making more Urdu films.
Zahir Raihan’s Kancher Deyal (The Glass wall) and Salahuddin’s Dharapat (The Numbers) were produced in 1963.Kancher Deyal got 11 awards for artistic merit. Mustafiz’s Talash (in search) was a commercial success of the year. In all 5 films were released in ft year 1963. Among the 16 feature films of 1964, Zahir Raihan’s Sangam (The union) was the first color picture of Pakistan. While Subbash Dutta struck the international scene with Shootrang (Hence) in the Asian Film Festival of Frankfurt, Baby Islam’s Tanha (The orphan) was another remarkable movie of the year. Rahman’s Milan (The union) was a commercial hit film.
Sadeq Khan, the actor-producer-political activitist made Nadi-O-Nadi (The river and the woman) from a novel with artistic expression embracing rural life of Bengal in 1965. Two commercial films based on folklore were released in the same year. One was Salahuddin’s Roopban, a famous folk story which hit the box office, Later this inspired the makers to produce more and more folk films. Another was Mustafiz’s Mala centred on the lives of snake- charmer In all 11 feature film were released in 1965. Urdu and folk films dominated the year of 1966. Out of 26 productions mentionable films were Subhas Dutta’s Kagozer Nouka (The Paper boat), Fazlul Haque’s Son of Pakistan. Zahir Raihan’s Behula, Kazi Zahir’s Bhaiya (Brother). Khan Ataur Rahman an actor-director-composer-singer came with historical venture Nowab Sirajuddoula in 1967. Other important movies were Ehtesham’s Chokori, Subhas Dutta’s Ania-0-Abshistha (The Glass & the residue). Zahir Raihan’s Anowara, Rahman’s Darshna (meeting), Kazi Zahir’s Nayan Tara (The Stay of eye). In all, 23 films were released in 1967. The year of 1968 (34 films) and 1969 (33 films) featured With Urdu and folk, Of them, Khan Ata!s Soye Nadia Jage Pani (The river flow) 1968, Joar Bhata (The flow & recession) (1969), Subhash Dutta’s Abhirbav (The apperance) (1968), Mita’s Ato Tuku Asha (So little hope), Ibne Mizan’s Shahid Titumir, (11968), Kazi Zahir’s Moina Moti (1968), Nurul Haq Bachu’s Beder Meya (The daughter of snake charmer) 1969, Kamal Ahmed’s Abanchito (Undesirable- 1969) were mentionable, Subhas Dutta’s Abhirbav got special award from the Queen of Cambodia.
Liberation is the ultimate goal of a nation. The Bangalees (later Bangladeshi) proved this in 1971. In 1969-70, popular mass movement rose to the highest peak, against the autocratic rule of President Ayub of Pakistan. In 1970, Zahir Raihan the veteran director took this theme on the screen in Jiban Theke Neya (From the glimpse of life). For the first time camera was cranked on the political subject along with love romance and family drama. Zahir Raihan predicted the liberation o Bangladesh in this film. 41 feature film were released in 1970. Other mentionable films were Karigor’s ‘Misar Kumari ‘(The Queen of Egypt), Rafiqul Bad Chowdhury’s ‘Tansen’, Rebeka’s Bindn Theke Britta’ (Circle from dot), Subhash Duttwas’Binimoy (The exchange), Nizamul Huq’s Kothay Jeno Dekhechi (Seen some where).
1971 was the year of Bangladesh liberation war. A number of director artist-technicians took part in this war. Of them Zahir Raihan -made a documentary Stop Genocide depicting the oppression, of Pakistani Military, plight of the refugees and heroic struggle of freedom fighters. The exile Bangladesh government formed a film unit under the headship of Abdul Jabbar Khan. Several documentary films were produced from the unit on liberation war. On the other hand five feature films were released In Pakistan military occupied territory of East Pakistan (Bangladesh).
On 16th December, 1971 Bangladsih was freed from Pakistan and in the following year film activities took new turn. 29 feature films were released during this year. Chasi Nazrul Islam made Ora Egarojan (Those 11 freedom fighters), Subash Dutta made Arunodoyer Agnishakhi, (Witness to sunrising), and Momtaz Ali made’Raktakta Bangla’ (Bengal in bloodshed) on liberation war. Others also announced or started works on liberation war. Kazi Zahir made the super hit Abuj Mon’ (Tender Mind), Hasan Imam brought Lalon Fakir into screen on the life of great mystic poet philosopher Lalon. Out of 30 films released in 1973, Zahirul Huq’s'Rangbaz ‘(The Romeo) a social action movie hit the box office. Three films based on Bangladsh liberaion war were also released during the year. The films were Dhire Bohe Meghna (Quiet flows the river Meghna), Alamgir Kurnkum’s Amar Janmobhumi (My birth land), and Khan Ataur Rahman’s ‘Abar Tora Manush Ho’ (Be Humane again), Rwittik Ghatak, the noted Bengali Indian director made ‘Titas Ekti Nadir Nam’ (Titas is the name of a river) based on a famous novel, was a landmark of the year. Kabir Anowar’s maiden venture, ‘Slogan’ (Chanting), was another film which may be mentionable. Severe flood and famine of 1974 engulfed the country and people. Thirty full length feature films were released during the year. Amongst these, Chashi Nazrul Islam’s ‘Sangram’ (The fight), Mita’s ‘Alor Michil’ (Procession of light), F. A. films unit’s ‘Shanibarer Chiti (Saturday’s letter), Mohiuddin’s ‘Essa Khan’, F. Fabir Chowdhury’s ‘Anek Din Agey ‘(Many days ago) got international appreciation.
In 1975, film got governmental attention, which included introduction of National Award Film Grant Fund. recognition of film as an industry, exemption of taxes on children and educational films. The noted cameraman -director Baby Islam’s Charitrahin’ (Characterless), Sound recordist, Director Mohsin’s ‘Badi Thekey Begum (Queen from maid servant) and Mita’s ‘Lathial’ (The striker) were the best movies of the year of 1975. ‘Lathial’ got first National Award as the best film, while Zahir Raihan’s'Stop Genocide’ got SIDLOC Award in Delhi Film estival. In 1976, 46 films were released. Of them, Alamgir Kabir’s ‘Surja Kanya’ (Daughter of the Sun) was a combination of fantasy and realism with modern presention. kabir Anowar’s ‘Shupravat’ (Good morning), Amjad Hossain’s'Nayan Moni’(Love of eye), Rajen Tarafdar’s ‘Palanka,’depicted the feudal and village life, Harunar Rashid’s Megher Anek Rang’ (The aftermath cloud) was brilliant presentation of war and human angle. The film bagged National Award. In 1977.Alamgir Kabir’s ‘Shimanapariye’ (Acrose the fringe), Subhas dutta’s ‘Basundhara’ (The mother earth) and Abdul Latif Bachchu’s ‘Zadur Banshi’ (The Magic lute) got appreciaiton from the audience.
In the year of 1978 four films were made based on literature. Those films were Abdullah Al Mamun’s Saren Bau (The wife of ship driver) from a popular novel written by Shahidullah Kaiser, Amjad Hussain’s Golapi Ekhon Traine’ (The endless trail) from his own novel, Subhas Dutta’s Dhumurer Phool (The unseen flower) from a short storyof Ashraf Siddiqui. These films got national and international award. Golapi and Dhmurer phool exhibited at the Moscow Film Festival. Actor-director Darashika made a historical film named ‘Fakir Majnu Shah’ who fought Against the British and landlord during the late 18th century. Shibli Sadique made Nolok (The rose ring) based on superstition of rural life. In all, 38 films were released in 1978. In the year of 1979. 51 films were released, But the qualitty were poor in number. Mashiuddin Shaker and Shaik Niamat Ali, two film society movement activitists struck the international arena with their maiden venture Surja Dighal Bari (The ominous house) from a popular novel written by Abu Ishaq based on hunger, war and partition of pre-independence of 1947.’Surja Dighal Badi’ bagged five international awards including Mennheim Film Festival, Portugal Film Society etc. The other remarkable movies of 1979 were Abdus Samad’s Suria Sangram (The Sun fight), Alamgir Kabir’s Rupali Soikete (The loner), Kazi Hayat’s The Father, ‘ Amjad Hossain’s Sundari (And she was beaufiful) and Belal Ahmacrs Nagardola.
Fantasy and action dominated the decade of eighties in Bangladesh film scene. Syed Salahuddin Zaki and Badal Rahman, trained from Pune FTV Institute (India) turned director in 1980. Zaki’s Ghuddi (The kite) with Subarna-Asad-Tareq from TV and stage was an off beat movie. Badal’s Emiler Goenda Bahini (Emil and his team) was a colorful Children venture. Besides these, Abdullah Al Mamun’s Sakhi Tumi Kar (Darling to whom you belong) and Amjad Hussain’s Koshai (The butcher) were relief in the action and fantasy loaded filmdom of 1980. The film scene of 1981 was almost barren from the creative point of view, Shahidul Huq Khan’s Kalmilata, Amjad Hossain’s Janmo Theke Jalchi (pains since birth) and Syed Hasan lmam’s Lal Sabujer Pala (The Saga of colors) were exception to this. The critic journalist-director Alamgir Kabir came up with his new venture Mohana (The river mouth) in 1982. Chasi Nazrul Islam pasteurized Popular novel Devdas written by Sarat Chandra, Amiad Hossain’s ‘Dui poishar Aalta’ was another good movie of the year.
in the following years between 1983-1989 action and fantasy were the chief commercial elements with a few exceptions. A new generation Murshedul Islam, Tarik Masud, Tanvir Mukammel, Enayet Karim Babul, Mustafa Kamal, Ismail Hussain, Habibur Rahman Habib, Dilder Hussain appeared on the cinematic frontier with new visions under the leadership of director teacher Alamgir Kabir. They started the short film movement. In 1984, Akhtaruzzaman made Princess Tina Khan based on the life of an opera girl, Rafiqul Bari made Pension and Amjad Hussain made Bhat Dey (Hungry). In the year of 1985, two films, one full length Dahan (Affliction) by Shaikh Niamat got awarded at the Kadovyvary International Film Festival and another short film Agami (Future) based on Bangladesh liberation war made by newcomer Murshedul Islam judged as the best movie at the Indian International Film Festival. Ramer Sumati (The kindness of Ram) based in Sharat Chandrs’s novel directed by Shahidul Amin was another social movie of the year. Another important film was Chashi Nazruls Shuvada (good girl) in 1986 based on Sharat Chandra’s novel.
In the nineties new faces, love romance-song drama dominated the Bangladesh screen. Ehte sham’s Chandni (The moon ray) hit the box office with a new pair Nayeem-Shabnaz in 1991. Shohnur Rahman Sohan’s Keyamat Theke Keymat (From doomsday to doomsday), a copyright film of Bombay created Record in the Box of Ice in 1993. In the same year, Padma Nadir Majhee (The boatman of the Padma river) directed by Gautarn Ghosh drew attention of the educated audience. At the end of the 1993. the elected Govt announced the re-introduction of Film Grant Fund. This was a positive step on the way of better cinema of Bangladesh.

Bengali theatre

Bengali theatre primarily refers to theatre performed in the Bengali language. Bengali theatre is produced mainly in West Bengal, and in Bangladesh. The term may also refer to some Hindi theatres which are accepted by the Bengali people.
Bengali theatre has its origins in British rule. It began as private entertainment in the early 19th century.In the pre-independence period, Bengali theatres played a pivotal role in manifesting dislike of the British Raj. After the independence of India in 1947, leftist movements in West Bengal used theatre as a propaganda tool. This added some unique characteristics to the art form that still have strong effects. These groups differentiate themselves ideologically from commercial Bengali theatre.

Thursday 26 July 2012

The Making of Muktir Gaan


Catherine Masud tells the untold story of how this labour of love came to the screen
It was in the fall of 1990. Tareque and I had been in the US for about one year. We didn't really have any particular plan in mind at the time for staying in the States. Rather, it was a "decompression" of sorts, after a hectic period in Bangladesh and India when we had struggled to complete The Inner Strength, Tareque's documentary film on the life and art of the painter S.M. Sultan.
In New York, Tareque was working in a famous used-book store called The Strand, and amassing an enormous collection of books on film and Indology in the process. I was an executive in an advertising agency, half-heartedly climbing the corporate ladder. We were both looking for something inspiring to throw ourselves into, but weren't quite sure how and where to start.
At that time, we were spending almost every weekend with my brother Alfred, who was completing his post-doctoral work in physics in Princeton, New Jersey. One day he was stopped on the street by a South Asian-looking woman who needed directions to the physics department. They began to chat -- she said she was originally from Bangladesh, and Alfred said his sister was married to a Bangladeshi.
One coincidence led to another, and it turned out she was the wife of Tarik Ali, an old friend of Tareque's first cousin Benu. The Alis lived in the neighbouring town of Lawrenceville, and the following weekend found us sitting cozily in Tarik bhai's living room, exchanging stories of Dhaka and dreams of return.
The conversation drifted to the Liberation War. Tarik bhai and Tareque's cousin Benu bhai were together at that time, singing in a cultural squad of refugee artistes. Tarik bhai recalled that an American film-maker and his crew had traveled with them for some time, documenting their experiences during the war. Tareque vaguely remembered that in the early 1970s, Benu bhai had often mentioned this film-maker in passing during reminiscences of the war. His name, according to Tarik bhai, was Lear Levin. We were immediately intrigued. What an unusual name: Lear. It conjured up images of grandeur and tragedy. What had become of his footage? Perhaps it was a journalistic catalogue of events of the war. Certainly Lear no longer lived in New York. Perhaps he was long since dead.
Over the next week or so, Tareque and I gradually forgot about Lear Levin. But the following Saturday, I was suddenly inspired to pick up the phone book and look through the Ls. There were pages and pages of Levins. But suddenly, there it was. Lear Levin. And Lear Levin Productions. I am always nervous about phone calls, so I handed the phone to Tareque. He called the production office -- it was the weekend, but he could leave a message. But someone picked up the phone.
Tareque: Yes, I was trying to reach a Mr. Lear Levin.
Lear: This is Lear Levin.
Tareque: Oh ... were you by any chance in Bangladesh in 1971?
Lear: Yes.
Tareque: You did some shooting then?
Lear: Yes.
Tareque: Well, I wanted to talk to you because I'm also from Bangladesh, I'm a film-maker, my name is Tareque Masud.
Mahmoodur Rahman Benu is my first cousin. Do you remember Benu?
At the sound of Benu's name, Tareque could almost feel, through the telephone line, a rush of emotion overtaking Lear.
Lear: Of course I remember him. Well, in 1971 I was a young man, 30 years old. I went to Bangladesh to make a film about the Liberation War. I put a lot of myself into that film, a lot of money and time, but eventually I had to abandon the project. And now, you have called. I've been waiting almost 20 years for this phone call.
And so began the Muktir Gaan project, which eventually stretched over five long years of struggle and sacrifice. But this is not an account of the peripheral dramas and pitfalls that we stumbled upon in our efforts to complete the film. Nor is it a catalogue of the trials and tribulations of our struggle to get the film past the censors and successfully released, despite attempted banning and the lack of any distributor, or about the years we spent traveling with the film to show it in hundreds of towns and villages around the country. Rather, this is an exposition of the making of the film itself: its evolution as a creative work, its structure, and the various and disparate elements that were woven together to make a complete film. Although this exposition may tear away the documentary façade of the film, it will also illuminate the true process behind its making which this façade obscures.
Not long after our telephone conversation with Lear, we met him at Film Video Arts, a film-maker's cooperative in Lower Manhattan where we often rented equipment at cheap rates. Lear, a tall, athletic man, looking far younger than his 50 years, had brought along a couple of cans of his footage. At this point, we were not expecting more than a few minutes of black and white newsreel. So we were completely overwhelmed when the editing machine began to play back pristine, full colour images of Benu, and so many other familiar faces from Tareque's childhood, all fresh and glowing with youth and the ideals of 71. Tareque nearly began to cry. And then Lear said there were another 19 hours of footage still lying in his basement.
A few days later, we went to Lear's home on the upper West Side of New York City to begin the lengthy process of studying and cataloging his footage. His basement was not the dusty dumping ground typical of many homes; it was the storage centre of a professional film-maker, and as such, was professionally maintained. It was clean and cool and the walls were lined to the ceiling with shelves of film cans and boxes. He pointed to one particular wall and there we saw a series of cardboard boxes unobtrusively stacked for posterity. They all bore a distinguishing hand written label: "Bangladesh."
Over the next five days, using simple viewing equipment, we wound through hours and hours of film in Lear's basement. There were 91 rolls in all, approximately 36,000 feet or almost 20 hours. What unfolded before our eyes was a beautiful document of the birth of Bangladesh. It contained exquisite, poetically photographed footage that attested to the genius and sensitivity of Lear Levin as a film-maker.
A major portion of the footage centered on a troupe of musicians, Bangladesh Mukti Sangrami Shilpi Shangstha (Bangladesh Freedom Struggle Cultural Squad), which was traveling and performing throughout the border zones during the war. There was also some material on their interaction with the Freedom Fighters during a brief visit to a liberated zone in late November.
In addition, there was a significant portion of Lear's footage that did not concern the troupe or the Freedom Fighters. This other footage primarily consisted of Lear's beautifully shot pastoral images of rural Bengal: farming, bathing, people going to market, cow carts, river scenes.
Additionally, there was extensive footage of the minutiae of life in the refugee camps which we felt could be a separate film in itself: refugee women cooking, children fetching water and bathing, people receiving rations, refugee children being inoculated, etc. In fact, this material had formed the thematic backbone of Lear's edited version of the footage, made in the months after his return from Bangladesh.
Entitled Joi Bangla, this film was essentially humanist in its approach, focusing on the spirit and beauty of the people of Bangladesh with the war itself as a distant backdrop. Unfortunately, Lear's film never reached its intended audience; the Liberation War came to an end shortly after Lear's return to the US, and after months of labour on his edit he found that the tide of interest in Bangladesh had swiftly receded. Lear could not get funds to complete the film, and so the project was shelved, literally, on the walls of his basement for almost twenty years.
We set to work. We were then living in a sleepy part of New York, Staten Island, which was a 30-minute ferry ride from Manhattan. Here, in our little house on a hilltop overlooking the city, we could work undisturbed. The 20-odd boxes containing Lear's footage were transported to Staten Island in my brother's car. After viewing the footage in its entirety, we tried to draw up a treatment plan for the film.
Beautiful as it was, Joi Bangla was a completely different film than the one we wanted to make. Rather than targeting a foreign audience, we wanted to make a film that could speak to contemporary audiences in Bangladesh, particularly to a new generation of young people for whom the Liberation War was nothing more than a confused legend.
Our emphasis was the cultural troupe itself: their day-to-day experiences, their struggles, and most of all, their music, through which the story and spirit of the Liberation War could be conveyed to a Bangladeshi audience. We therefore bypassed most of Lear's extensive and beautifully shot footage of life in the refugee camps and an idealised rural Bengal.
Initially, we thought of adopting a conventional "then-and-now" approach, with interviews of the troupe members reflecting on their experiences in 1971, interspersed with Lear's footage of the troupe during the war. However, our thinking shifted as we began to feel that this type of approach would not appeal to general audiences in Bangladesh, particularly to a younger generation of people who had not seen the war and might have trouble identifying with the older troupe members.
We decided to adopt a more narrative approach, building on the story of the troupe in 1971 and giving the film a strong musical and "road movie" structure, using the songs sung by the troupe. Our initial impression at this stage was that the thread of a story surrounding the cultural troupe was sufficient to stand on its own. In a single night we made a video rough cut to be used for fund-raising purposes that exclusively focused on the troupe and its activities in 1971.
The linear and episodic nature of the story surrounding the troupe had its natural conclusion with the cultural squad's visit to the liberated area and this is the way we structured the loose narrative. We also included in this rough lineup another aspect of Lear's footage that, along with the images of the troupe, had an exceptional quality of timelessness. These were the numerous close up portraits of ordinary Freedom Fighters: listening to the troupe's music, caught in the rain, or just standing by the roadside. No typical news cameraman would or could have taken portraits of such startling perception.
In the course of our fundraising shows of this rough video version for probashi audiences, we were able to get extensive feedback. This feedback was helpful to us as we began our work on developing a script for the final film. The story of the troupe that we had assembled from the available Levin materials proved to be too loose to hold audiences' attention. It required a tighter narrative with more substance, although we shunned the idea of using a commentary with footage that was otherwise so personal and subjective.
In addition, some people who saw the video told us they wanted to see more about the war itself.
They felt the film had an overly "middle-class" character because of its exclusive emphasis on the troupe. They wanted footage of battles and genocide, they wanted more action images of Freedom Fighters. Others felt there should be references to some of the war's major events. Some conveyed their disappointment that there was no footage of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Considering these reactions, we decided to incorporate two major elements into the film: archival footage from other sources and a first-person commentary to provide a narrative glue for the story. In the fall of 1992, we spent an isolated weekend at my grandparents' home in Connecticut and hammered out a preliminary script for the film. This script required considerable amounts of stock footage on aspects such as genocide, battles, the refugee exodus, and the victory celebration.
As part of this script we wrote out a rough rendition of a narration from a cultural squad member's point of view. The vehicle of our narration was Tarik Ali, chosen because of his prominence in the footage and because of his naive, lighthearted character that could appeal particularly to young audiences. We adopted a restrained, minimalist style in the narration that would complement rather than direct the images.
This original narration was written in English. Later, our friend Alam Khorshed, then based in New York, made a translation into Bengali. We also made a list of songs to be included in the film that were known by Tareque to have been part of the troupe's repertoire, but were not part of the original recordings from Lear's materials. These songs would also have a significant role in holding together the story because of the way in which we intended to use them as a narrative for the accompanying images.
After the basic scripting was done, we began the tedious and time-consuming process of editing the footage. We had already quit our regular jobs so that we would have time to work on the film; now we threw ourselves into the editing process with exclusive attention. We rented a film editing machine on a monthly basis, and had it installed in our home.
Before actually beginning our edit, we had to go through an intensive phase of logging and transcription work. Our assistant editor was Dina Hossain, who was completing a Masters degree in film and anthropology at New York University. She would make the long trek from Brooklyn by subway, ferry, and uphill walk to our house, often working all night with us. It was a massive task to go through the 91 rolls of film, precisely logging them shot by shot in the computer.
At the same time, we began our research work into archival footage, faxing back and forth to CBS and NBC in New York and ITN, BBC and Visnews in London. Bombay Films Division also had a considerable amount of material, some of which had been shot by Sukdev for his documentary "Nine Months to Freedom," and some of which had appeared as part of a weekly newsreel series on the war. Films Division also had the negative of Gita Mehta's "Dateline Bangladesh," which had some very good action shots of Freedom Fighters.
By early 1993, we had created a basic edit structure of the film in preparation for a trip to Bangladesh, where we planned to do the main dubbing and recording work for the film. We brought Benu bhai with us from London, and had an emotional reunion with all of the troupe members together once again after 22 years. On a film editing machine at the national archives, we showed them two of the completed sequences from the film, "the Boat Crossing" and "Janatar Sangram." Some of them cried, others watched in excitement as the images of their youth played before them of the screen.
Over the next several weeks, we had a series of sessions at FDC and an audio studio where the songs and dialogue were recorded. Many of the songs seen in the final film were recorded during this time. We also put the finishing touches on the narration in preparation for recording. We decided to record the narration with Tarik Ali rather than a professional actor because we wanted a natural, understated reading. This proved to be the right decision as eventually we recorded an unassuming rendition that was perfectly in tune with the documentary character of the film.
After the main recordings were complete and Benu bhai had returned to London, Tareque made briefing of his troops. This sequence, of a supposed confrontation between the Pakistan army and Freedom Fighters, was edited together using unrelated footage from Bombay and London. It was more or less complete, but we felt it needed a proper celebratory conclusion. Tareque had brought back some very powerful footage from Sukdev's film of hundreds of Freedom Fighters shouting slogans which we thought might be appropriate. We initially planned to dub the slogans, but when we ran it on the editing machine, we realised it was impossible to read their lips. We needed the original audio.
a trip to Bombay to purchase Films Division footage. We were looking for action shots of Freedom Fighters as well as refugee footage. Although there was ample footage of life in the refugee camps in Lear's footage, he was in West Bengal and Bangladesh for shooting in late October and November, too late to capture the massive refugee exodus across the border.
Tareque spent a week in Bombay, going through hours of newsreel material as well as Sukdev's and Gita Mehta's work. The advantage of the Bombay footage, as compared with other archival sources, was that most of the footage was in 35mm colour, the eventual format for our film. Tareque was able to collect most of the footage he was interested in, except for Gita Mehta's material. Apparently Films Division could not sell this footage without Ms. Mehta's permission. She lived abroad in New York, so this phase of archival collection would have to wait until our return.
In addition to the colour footage from Bombay, Tareque found a considerable amount of very important black and white footage of guerrilla activities and the refugee exodus, which we decided would be perfect for a pre-title sequence on the historical background of the war. When we returned to New York and began the process of integrating the new material into the film, the structure began to evolve further.
We decided that the pre-title sequence would be incomplete without the inclusion of Sheikh Mujib's March 7 racecourse speech. The complete speech was available in black and white 35mm, but the original negatives were back in Dhaka. We then went through an arduous process of having a duplicate negative made, sending special duplicating stock from New York for processing in the laboratory in Dhaka. We also felt that it would be important to include Major Ziaur Rahman's radio announcement in the pre-title sequence, which we finally tracked down at Deutschewelle (German Radio) Archives. We used this audio with Films Division footage of a group of Freedom Fighters sitting around a radio while cleaning their weapons.
We also began the task of laying down the new audio tracks of the songs and dialogue that we had recorded in Dhaka, along with the narration. Up to this point we had been able to edit together individual sequences; now, the total structure of the film began to fall into place. However, there were some gaping holes. We were still missing a considerable amount of colour archival footage, which we would need to purchase from commercial libraries in New York and London.
The last part of the film was still very problematic for this reason, because we did not want to end with the troupe's visit to the liberated zone, but rather with the end of the war itself. Since this historical dimension was missing from Lear's footage, we would have to rely heavily on archival materials and audio manipulations to give the feeling of the events leading up to the victory celebration of December 16, which was to mark the end of the film according to our script.
We needed additional footage of guerrilla activities, of the allied army advance, and the victory celebration itself. In order to bring in the international dimension, we decided to incorporate a segment from Bhutto's dramatic last speech at the United Nations.
In addition, we wanted to use unrelated footage of the troupe traveling by truck and, through audio manipulation, make it seem as if they were returning to Dhaka at the end of the war. We had very colourful footage of the troupe singing a traditional kirtan in the truck, led by Shapan Chowdhury, which was otherwise irrelevant to our story but could be dubbed with a new song. While in Bombay, Tareque had begun work on this song. It had wording which was close enough to the original to match the troupe's singing, but with new lyrics that made reference to the rout of the Pakistan army and the troupe's return to a liberated Dhaka.
This song, and the picture editing to match it, took months of painstaking labour to complete. It was finally recorded with some of our friends in New York, with Sudipto Chatterjee singing Shapan's voice and Mahmood Hasan Dulu playing the instrumental accompaniment.
This sequence gave credence to the final scene where the troupe is seen joining the street celebrations in Dhaka. In fact, the troupe was never there, but we intercut close shots of the troupe (actually in a refugee camp) with archival shots of the victory celebration in order to create this impression.
To give additional strength to the concluding part of the film, we wanted to bring back the Yahya Khan puppet, and give him a monologue, written by Tareque, that would relate the retreat of the Pakistan forces with Bhutto's desperate last speech at the UN. This monologue was also recorded with our talented friend Sudipto Chatterjee.
Another sequence at the end of the film that required some audio manipulation was the scene where a group of Freedom Fighters were shown caught in a rain storm. Lear had been stranded in the rain with these guerrillas, and not wanting to waste a moment of shooting time, he had used the moment creatively to capture some beautiful portraits of the fighters waiting out the storm. We wanted to use this footage as a bridge between the exuberant scenes of guerrilla preparations for battle that were shown with Jessore Khulna and the later marching sequence of Bangla Mar.
However, we felt there wasn't enough substance to the storm sequence. We decided that in order to strengthen the feeling of a temporary depression in the mood of the narrative, we would use a broadcast of Akash Bani (All India Radio). Debdulal Bandopadhaya had a regular program in 1971 which broadcast news of the war, and many of these broadcasts contained moving references to individual experiences of suffering and genocide. Together with the pensive portraits of the guerrilla fighters, this broadcast would create the depressing feeling we wanted to evoke. The question was, what had become of the man who would be most helpful in tracking down this audio, Debdulal Bandopadhaya.
Some of our friends in New York told us that he was long since dead; however, after several phone calls to Calcutta, we found that Debdulal was very much alive. When we finally spoke with him directly, he was more than willing to help us. Although he had retired from Akash Bani some years before, he still had many contacts there, and he himself went to the archives to search for the audio. However, this search was futile, as Akash Bani, in order to clear their store, destroys archival material after ten years of storage. Thus, the original 1971 recordings had been destroyed in 1981.
However, as it turned out, Sattyen Mitra, who used to write the programs, had saved some of the original transcripts, and the text of these transcripts was perfect for our purposes. We decided to re-record the audio with Debdulal. For this purpose, a friend of ours, Junaid Halim, traveled to Calcutta and worked with Debdulal to make an effective recreation of the original. Debdulal's eyesight was very poor, so we made an enlarged computer printout of the text and faxed it to Debdulal to read. Three of the programs were recorded and FedExed to us in New York. From these three we edited a single story about the sufferings of wounded guerrilla fighters. We also needed some visuals of an old radio, in a similar setting, to intercut with the portraits of the Freedom Fighters. With Junaid's help, we arranged for Baby Islam to shoot this material based on our visual descriptions. This film was also express mailed to us and edited into the film.
In January 1994, I made a trip to London to acquire archival footage. In one continuous seven-day period, I viewed roughly 30 hours of footage on the war, mostly at ITN. Although ITN was relatively inexpensive by archive standards (roughly 600 taka per second including duplication costs), it was still very expensive by our standards. Nevertheless, I ended up purchasing extensive footage of the refugee exodus, genocide, guerrilla activities, battle scenes, guerrilla hospitals and the victory celebrations. I also purchased footage from Visnews, which was more expensive but very crucial for our reconstructions of actual battles.
In fact, Gita Mehta had used archival material in her film, and I was very lucky in tracking down the originals of most of the footage we were interested in London. However, there were still some important shots that we needed from her film, and when I returned from London we desperately tried to reach her in New York. However, as the wife of the chief executive of one of the most prestigious publishing firms in the world (Knopf), Gita Mehta was extremely difficult to track down. For three months we tried to get her telephone number from various sources, but even her own niece wouldn't disclose it. Finally, after we left a message at Knopf with her husband's secretary, she called us, and immediately gave us permission to use her footage in our film. We then faxed her signed permission letter to Bombay Films Division, and waited for a response. We waited for months, in fact, and finally gave up because of the difficulty of tackling the bureaucracy long distance.
In the meantime, there were still several parts of the film that needed to be developed. We had constructed a daytime ambush sequence to follow Major Gyash's briefing of his troops. This sequence, of a supposed confrontation between the Pakistan army and Freedom Fighters, was edited together using unrelated footage from Bombay and London. It was more or less complete, but we felt it needed a proper celebratory conclusion. Tareque had brought back some very powerful footage from Sukdev's film of hundreds of Freedom Fighters shouting slogans which we thought might be appropriate. We initially planned to dub the slogans, but when we ran it on the editing machine, we realised it was impossible to read their lips. We needed the original audio.
Also, we decided we needed footage of bodies floating in the water to go with the lyrics of Amar Bangladesher Gaan. I had not seen this type of footage in London, and the New York footage we had viewed was not very well shot. However, Tareque had seen some very good footage shot by Sukdev in Bombay of massacred bodies floating in the river. It seemed we would need to purchase more materials from Films Division. However, short of one of us going ourselves, we asked one of our friends in Bombay, who was an editor, to track down the material that Tareque had already viewed and logged. While our friend was collecting this footage, she stumbled across the news that our request for permission to buy Gita Mehta's footage had been granted some months back. So in the end we were able to purchase everything we needed from Bombay.
Now that most of the picture editing was complete, we were ready for the final, and complex, work of editing and mixing the audio tracks. We used an advanced computer-based system for this purpose, which allowed us complete control over incredibly complicated edits and mixes. We were lucky to find a reasonably priced facility which provides services for independent film-makers. Using cutting-edge technology, tiny noises were eliminated, old voices were made young again, and effect sounds were painstakingly synchronised with the picture.
Without this system, in fact, it would have been impossible to complete Muktir Gaan in its present form. The kirtan sequence of the troupe singing in the truck, for example, required 20 separate sound channels and elaborate editing to create the illusion of synchronous sound. In the pre-title sequence we layered track upon track of sound to create a dramatic audio montage of the UN debates, refugee distress and battle sound effects. Major Gyash (now Bir Bikram Brig. Gyashuddin Chowdhury) came to New York and dubbed his audio, which was very weak in the original, directly into the computer. He also extremely helpful in advising us on various military commands for which we had no audio, and accordingly we dubbed them using Tareque's and Sudipto's voices.
Also dubbed into the audio track were numerous "Joi Banglas." The pre-title "Joi Bangla" of a soldier shouting into a megaphone is really Tareque's voice; the "Joi Bangla" slogans shouted by Freedom Fighters in gun boats were actually recorded by us in back of a school in Brooklyn, using the shouts of a group of probashis and synchronising them later on the computer.
In fact, most of the audio in the film is pure trickery. Tarik Ali's Joi Bangla, Banglar Joi whistle at the end of the film is actually mine; Tarik Ali was in fact whistling Tchaikovsky, which we felt wasn't relevant for a jubilant scene of the troupe traveling to celebratory Dhaka. The sound effects of the Freedom Fighters crawling through brush were actually created by me, as I crawled through the fields in back of my grandparents' house. We also drew upon extensive libraries of sound effects on CD and tape, which had detailed labels such as "three inch mortar fire," "steam engine train," and "old truck starting." This laborious process took six months to complete. Ironically, it was this effort to create a flawless sound track that eventually reinforced the impression of documentary "reality."
Even as we were finalising our audio, we were working on one final aspect of the film's structure that was yet to be complete. We had tried to bring in the wider aspect of the Liberation War through our extensive use of archival footage, but the only footage of guerrilla encounters we could find involved daytime actions. This was because very few film crews would risk their lives (or the lives of their subjects) by shooting after dark during wartime, and none would dare do so in the midst of a military operation.
However, an accurate portrayal of the Liberation War would have to include night battles, as most of the guerrilla actions took place after sundown. We felt that it was a distortion of history to show only day battles, so we took creative freedom in reconstructing a night action, using actual Freedom Fighters at the actual location (Savar) where a battle had taken place.
Over three intensive nights of production this battle was shot, using Freedom Fighters as leaders and trainers and younger boys as extras, in a swampy area off Aricha road where a bridge had been blown up in 1971. In fact, for authenticity, the "younger boys" were recruited from the armed cadres of local gangs, chosen because they could handle weapons convincingly. They worked with extreme dedication and sincerity, belying the commonly held notion that all hoodlums are hopeless criminals. It is a sad testament to the battles still being waged today that three of the youths were killed a few months later in random street violence.
The edited version of the night battle sequence was express mailed to me in New York, where I incorporated it into the film and added the sound effects. Also sent along with the night sequence was an instrumental rendition of Janatar Sangram, beautifully arranged by Sujeo Shyam. This piece put the finishing touch on the poignant portraits of Freedom Fighters seen at the end of the film as Tarik Ali gives his concluding narration.
When our audio was finally finished and all the picture elements complete, we sent the film to one of the best labs in the United States, Cinema Arts in Pennsylvania. This was, incidentally, the same lab where Merchant Ivory had sent Pather Panchali and other Satyajit Ray classics for rejuvenation and fresh prints as part of a worldwide re-release project. The lab is housed on the side of a mountain in a remote area of Pennsylvania, in what used to be a storage facility for rare works of art owned by a reclusive philanthropist, John Allen.
Through their delicate work of colour correction, we were able to achieve smooth transitions between shots from different sources and formats. At this very critical and expensive laboratory phase, we were very lucky to receive financial support from freedom fighters Shahidullah Khan Badal, Nasiruddin Yousuf Bachchu, and Habib Khan.
In the spring of 1995 the film was finally finished. When we had our first viewing of a crisp print fresh from the lab, we had the same feeling of emotional estrangement we'd often had while viewing our work in our isolated retreat on Staten Island.
In fact, we couldn't really feel anything when we saw the film, aside from relief. Over five long years we had toiled on this project, and seeing the finished film, we could only remember the many sacrifices and contributions of all the people behind the scenes who'd made it possible: Lear's generosity, Dina's voluntary effort, our landlord's tolerance, the contributions of hundreds of probashis, the involvement of the original troupe members, and so many others.
At times during the production we had felt consumed by an obsessive desire to collect more material, to incorporate more and more elements into the film, and to perfect our work. We also had many moments of depression, when we despaired that the film would ever be finished. In the midst of our labour, it was impossible for us to gauge the impact it might have on an audience in Bangladesh.
Little did we imagine the response that awaited us, so many thousands of miles away. And little could we imagine the struggles that awaited us even after the film was finished: the struggle against censorship, the struggle to find a distributor, the struggle to exhibit the film ourselves …
But the story of the release of Muktir Gaan, and of the pleasure and pain which surrounded it, is a completely different one, to be told at a different time. This story, of the making of Muktir Gaan, is now complete.

Catherine Masud is a Film-Maker.
All photographs from the collection of Tareque and Catherine Masud.

Muktir Gaan




Muktir Gaan


Song of Freedom

This historic film, completed in 1995 by filmmaking duo Tareque Masud and Catherine Masud tells the true story of a troupe of singers traveling through the refugee camps and zones of war during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The film blends documentary and fictional genres in a musical structure to tell the story of the birth of a nation and the ideals of secularism and tolerance on which it was founded. The filmmakers combined footage of the cultural troupe and their activities, shot by American filmmaker Lear Levin in 1971, with historic footage collected from archives around the world, to create “Muktir Gaan” (Song of Freedom).



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Chawkbazar’s Iftar Delicacies











Chawkbazar’s Iftar Delicacies


The holy month of Ramadan is back once again. Bangladesh with its large Muslim population observes the month with great piety and religious fervor. The daylong fasting ends at sunset and the faithful break their fasts with a delicious meal, Iftari. Dhaka, particularly with its densely populated older section bustling and buzzing while rushing back home, and picking up Iftari items from the street Iftar corners. Almost every restaurant and eateries of the city – from the 5 stars hotels to small food outlets of the neighborhood, prepares their traditional and special Iftari items. Iftari items displayed on open air stalls and tables with the adjacent gas burner and stoves frying Iftar foods in large pans has become the Ramadan image of Dhaka.
However, among all the eateries and restaurants, the traditional Iftari items of Chawkbazar has a distinct appeal to the food connoisseurs. Chawkbazar of old Dhaka is the oldest place for the traditional Iftar market. During the month of Ramadan, the entire road in front of Chawkbazar Shahi Mosque throbs with the bustling sounds of human multitude buying their Iftari items from Iftari stalls spreading from one corner of the road to another. The air of Chawkbazar—popularly known as Chawk becomes redolent with the strong aroma of the piled up heaps of Iftari delicacies laid out on large trays and in bamboo baskets. Chawkbazar has a legendary status attached with it. The fact that the Old Dhaka Iftar market has remained the same, over the decades, can be proven through the accounts of author Hakim Habibur Rahman who mentions Chawkbazar in his book ‘Dhaka: Pachas Baras Pehle’ very distinctively. He wrote, ‘…Chawk was the special market for Iftar, poor and rich, almost all citizens of the city bought Iftar from this market. Due to this, the latter part of every Ramadan day took on a festive look at Chawkbazar.’
Residents of Chawkbazar and its adjoining areas claim that the place is as old as 150 years. Ehtesam Haq, a resident of Chawk said that he has heard from his grandfather that the place has a long tradition of selling Iftari items and hence the people who are selling Iftari items mainly continuing the age old tradition of their forefathers. While the Iftar shops in other parts of the city open up around 3:00pm, Chawk begins early at 1:00pm when the city corporation authority closes the road. People, from all walks of life, plunge into the market exactly from that minute. From last year, a one-way system has been introduced to facilitate the movement of both pedestrians and vehicles, in view of overcrowding in the area during the Holy Month of Ramadan.
Generally the top of the list Iftar item in all seasons for all places and for all people is ‘Muri’ (puffed rice). It goes with everything and offers something to munch on. Most common Iftar items include Chhola Boot (fried and spiced chickpeas), Beguni (a popular item prepared with Aubergine), Aloor Chop (prepared with potato), Piyaju (made with finely chopped onion with lentil paste), fried items and Sarbet (a drink prepared with fruit or sugar or molasses and water). Chawkbazar has all of these in variety and what sets this place apart is its unique and traditional experimentation with all of the popular food items served especially in Ramadan. Bangladesh is perhaps the only place in the world where you will get the six popular Iftar items – Muri, Piyajuu, Jhal Boot, Beguni, Ghoogni and Alu (potato) or Daal (lentil), Puri (doughnut shaped item made of flour with either potato paste or lentil mixed with it) all are mashed into a single preparation with a little addition of mustard oil and green chillies. It is generally taken from a large bowl as a shared delicacy. Chawkbazar sells a distinctive variety of these mashed assortments by adding minced chicken into it that goes by a grandiose name ‘Boro Baper Polay Khay’ literally meant for rich men’s sons’ consumption). However a silent conflict has been going on regarding the real ownership of this famed Iftari item. While Selim Baburchi and a few other cooks are claiming to be the real inheritor of this traditional Iftari item, the locals believe that Mohammad Salekin is the real successor of this famous food item. His grandfather Kalam Mohajon was the chef who first prepared this unique and tasty Iftari item. Salekin, while talking exclusively with Weekend Independent said, “We are the real successor of ‘Boro Baper Polay Khay.’ If you taste our product, you will feel the difference. We make it following the proper procedures, like mixing all the ingredients --chickpeas, brains, minced meat, potatoes, eggs, chicken, piyaju, beguni, 13 spices and ghee. Some other dishonest people are deceiving the customers by making the so called ‘Boro Baper Polay Khay’, which looks quite similar to our product, but the taste is very poor. My grandfather used to sell this food item by wrapping it in a jackfruit. Back then, it was priced at only 5 paisa! But now due to the price spiral of the essential commodities, we have no other option but to charge high from the customers. This year, we are charging 260 taka per kilogram.”
Shouting the famous slogan ‘Boro baaper polay khay, thonga bhoira loiyya jay’, an assistant of Salekin was busy trying to catch the attention of customers. He informs, daily sale hovers around Tk 15000 to Tk 20000 during Ramadan.’ He added, “We begin preparing the item from the previous night and all this is homemade, fresh, delicious and sunptuous.” People from far flung area of Dhaka throng to Chawkbazar to buy this Iftar delicacy. Al Amin, who came from Gulshan to buy this renowned Iftari item said, “I’ve read on the newspaper and also seen on TV about this Iftari item. Now I feel really excited for being able to buy some for my family.” However, like most of the customers of the area, he also complained about the increase in prices. “Although Gulshan is a posh area where I have to spend a lot to buy Iftar items, but I did not think that Chawkbazar would be more expensive than our area. Just because they have earned the name and the fame, does not mean that they can exploit the customers in the name of traditional Iftari items” opinioned a frustrated Al Amin. As Chawkbazar’s Iftari items are related through tradition and taste, so despite the increase in prices, Dhakaites are seen thronging these shops by the hundreds. Abdul Mannan, a resident of old Dhaka said, “No matter whatever amount of money they charge, my Iftar would be poorer without Chawk. This area has been our pride and hence we will come here to buy delicious Iftari items as long as we will uphold our traditional values. Old Dhaka and Chawk’s Iftar is interrelated with each other. Moreover as I am a big fan of the oily foods of my area, so I hardly miss the chance of enjoying these items during Iftar with my family.”
An array of makeshift shops can be seen in Chawkbazar where popular Iftari items are sold. Items like Irani kebab, haddi kebab, shami kebab, gurda kebab, suti kebab, nargis kebab, fish kebab, beef-kima, kashmiri paratha, nan-khatai, bakarkhani, moghlai paratha, kofta, jhal kochuri, nomok para, faluda, makhna, shahi halim, polao, bundia, kalia and korma of Chawbazar are famous for their heavenly tastes. On a positive note, this year the prices of beguni, muri, chhola, jilapi, piyaju, halim and kabab, have not increased. Md. Shahjan Miya, an Iftar seller at Chawk Bazar believes that he would be liable to God for the food he produces for the fasting people. So he takes extra caution to maintain the hygiene of the foods. Since the East Pakistan regime, from his childhood, Md. Shahjahan carried out this tradition of making Iftar like neighbors around him.
This year in Chawkbazar, chicken per piece is being sold at 150 to 170 Tk, duck Tk 350, Koyel Bird Tk 50 and suti kebab per kg Tk 400 to 500.  Harun, one of the shuti kabab sellers of the makeshift market, claimed that he is the third generation of businessman of their ancestral business. ‘I am running this business in order to carry our family tradition,’ he said. Harun is engaged in printing business. ‘Only during Ramadan, I come here and sell the items.”  Another seller points out, during the Mughal era, shuti kabab was prepared by placing more than 15 kilogramme of meat on a single sheek (iron rod) over coal on slow heat. ‘The meat was never mixed with beshon. The meat used couldn’t be too soft to ensure that the kabab didn’t fall apart when the thread binding was loosened. The process is same even now,’ he said. Apart from makeshift shops, permanent shops of the Chawkbazar also offer special menu for pious Muslims. Ananda Bakery’s shahi paratha (Tk 200 to Tk 500), haleem (Tk 300 to Tk 600), kima paratha, shuti kabab, chicken roast are must have items for city dwellers. Descent’s Kashmiri sherbet (Tk 150), shahi haleem (Tk 250), labang (Tk 120), nimak para (Tk10), and cheese tana paratha are no exceptions.
Chawkbazar is also famous for Nooranie soft drinks -- a year-long attraction that has been a traditional treat of old Dhakaites Iftar. However, the yoghurt is hand blended into a glass of lassi in front of the customers. The recipe behind their success is of course a secret. One can only guess on the ingredients used - yoghurt, sugar, rose-water, a pinch of salt. Another special item of Chawkbazar is dahi vara. This is made by mixing milk, pitha (cake) and other delicious spices. Dahi vara is sold at Tk 10-15 per piece. Grilled chicken (full) can also be bought at the price of Tk 160 to Tk 200, pigeon roast at Tk 80 to Tk 120, Coel bird roasts at Tk 60 to Tk 80. Specially grilled legs of lamb cost around Tk 260 to Tk 350.
Although Ramadan is considered to be a month of showing restraint, but when it comes to breaking the fast, people don’t wish to show any restraint and buy gourmet’s delights from the wide range of Iftar delicacies. Chawk is such a place which is providing the delicacies for centuries. However, at the same time, it’s quite shocking to learn that on the 19th of August, a team from Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute (BSTI) conducted an anti adulteration drive at the Chawkbazar’s Iftari shops and realised 1.10 lakh taka in penalty on 6 shops for preparing adulterated food items. Though the shop owners are claiming that they did not use any harmful chemical in their food items, but their statement is not quite believable. The yearly treat of chawkbazar’s Iftari is something Dhakaites do not want to miss for any reason but if the dishonest traders show blatant disregard for people’s health issue, then its high time to say adieu to Chawk’s Iftar. Many Iftari shops have sprung up in the city now, but Chawkbazar is and we hope will be, the one which would hold its distinct and traditional appeal in the years to come. However, for that, the Iftar sellers have to maintain the hygiene standards for smooth continuation of their long tradition.