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| A scene from the film Dinabandhu |
When ?wish fulfilment? and ?over simplification? se-em to be reigning over commercial cinema the world over, Munin Barua?s latest venture Dinabandhu steers clear of both.
Dinabandhu tells the tale of a middle-class man, his trauma and pathos in old age, and the young generation coming to terms with the value system.
A clerk at a government office, Dinabandhu loses his wife within 8-10 years of his marriage. He is honest to the core and defies all lofty and provocative offers in his job. In spite of hardships, he manages to bring up his two daughters well.
One day he finds the elder daughter getting engaged to a rich young man whose wealthy, arrogant father is full of demands.
Dinabandhu fulfils all such demands and in doing so he spends all his savings and even takes a huge loan from his office. The daughter is married and he retires without any financial benefit from his 30 years? of service.
When the wedding of his younger daughter was fixed, he found himself caught between the devil and the deep sea.
The daughter and her fianc? realise the situation, and leave without any formal marriage, which obviously involves a lot of money. Dinabandhu, alone in agony, feels that he might have forced them to do so.
The story and screenplay by Bhabendra Nath Saikia give the film a smooth, cohesive narrative.
However, a few glitches remain. For example, the factors behind Dinabandhu?s financial constraints have remained unexplained.
Moreover, trimming a few lose scenes would have made the climax more effective and the film more compact.
Dinabandhu presents a rich cast. Experienced Tapan Das leads the show as the protagonist. Prastuti Parashar, as Dinabandhu?s wife, is also refreshing.
But amazing performances were delivered by young talents like Nishita Goswami, Gayatri Mahanta and singer Zubeen Garg.
Zubeen has contributed more to the film with his words and action than what actually he is famous for.
Rong Sarmah