Director Amit Ashraf’s debutant film Udhao has been screened in a number of prestigious international film festivals like Logan Film Festival, Canada International Film Festival, Goteborg International Film Festival and Portugal Underground Film Festival. The film has brought home seven international awards and grants.
A press show, also the first screening of the film in Bangladesh, of Udhao was screened on September 28 at the Star Cineplex, and from October 04, the film will be commercially released in around five cinemas.
The casts of the film includes Shahed Ali and Shakil Ahmed in the role of two protagonists – Babu and Akbar respectively – along with Animesh Aich, Ritu Sattar, Nawshaba Ahmed, Shaheen Akhtar Swarna, Saiful Islam and Ithila Islam.
Udhao features an off-track thriller story of a man named Babu who is a school-van puller. Babu’s passion is to find out the men who have left their family.
Accidentally, Babu meets a man named Akbar, who is participating in the poll to be a member of the parliament. Babu then kidnaps this man in a heroic and melodramatic fashion from the latter’s house.
In cinematic turns and twists, it becomes clear that Akbar is Babu’s father who left his family 20 years back and has become a rich and corrupt politician through criminal activities.
Akbar turns repentant after knowing the fate of his family members whom he left forever. The scene of Akbar’s repentance and remorse seems soothing until the last scene where Akbar gets Babu and the other members of the family killed.
Ashraf, claiming to be a director who creates films with realistic portrayal of stories, has demonstrated how Akbar cannot carry out his act of repentance due to the influences of the society through the harsh ending of the film.
Cinematography of the film is quite brilliantly done with distant and close shots of rural areas and greenery. Moreover, in the story a subtle distinction of village and city are drawn which is validated by cinematography too.
No song is added to the film as a separate item. There are only two folk numbers by Fakir Laal Mia that the actors sometimes hum keeping natural flow of the plot.
Visitors at the Cineplex welcomed the director and spoke highly of the production.
‘It was wonderful. Good story and good execution of the story,’ said popular singer Anusheh Anadil.
‘Among the actors Shahed Ali in the role of Babu and Shakil Ahmed in the role of Akbar were brilliant,’ said Kollol Kumar, a visitor.
The film is the debutant production of Kazi House Productions.
-With New Age input
