Movie Review: Aynabaji (আয়নাবাজি)

I’m not a movie critic and I don’t usually write the movie review.To tell the truth, I don’t watch movies that much and among them Bangladeshi movies are rarest. But I could not resist myself from writing this review after watching the movie Aynabaji, a bangladeshi movie by Amitabd Reza Chowdhury.

Aynabaji has been released on 30th September 2016 but I have been hearing positive news regarding the movie for a while. After the release, I have seen people putting Facebook status regarding how awesome the movie is. I have not seen this much positive reviews for a Bangladeshi movie for a long time. This made me curious and interested me to see the movie. So I made a sudden plan with my colleagues to watch the movie. As far I know, both Star Ceneplex and blockbuster is showing the movie but still it was hard to collect the tickets.

Enough with prologues. Let me go to the review part. But if you are for the story or spoilers, you will be disappointed. I’m not telling the movie story. If you have already seen it, then you already know. If you have not yet seen the movie, may be you should watch the movie.

Plot Summary:

Mr. Amitabh Reza himself wrote summary of plot in IMDB.

Ayna is an actor and the prison is his stage. He slips into the characters of the powerful convicted in exchange of money and take their place in prison. This strange profession is borne out of a society that doesn’t give him a chance to follow his passion of acting, but forces him to act in the real life. Falling in love with the girl next door changes his life equation and he decides to end this career with one last performance. But this one takes him too deep in the rabbit hole. The story unfolds on how an underdog survives in a society that is merciless and struggles his way out from the clutch of crime game which he is a part too.

Review of the Story:

Aynabaji has a great story for a movie.This is different from a traditional love story. Here, a person hide his true self and changes characteristics in different situations to take place of others in exchange of money. Need of money led him to switch places but he got used to it. He enjoyed becoming a different person. But this is not random. In reality people are switching characteristics, hiding their true self.

The hero of the story, Aayna, changes characteristics but when tries to stop changing, external forces makes him keep changing. He becomes helpless and plays along. Just like a regular person who can’t come out of light after staying in dark for so long.

After switching characteristics several times, Aaayna suddenly finds himself stuck in that characteristics. He can’t switch back even if he wants to. His ego does not allow him to switch back even in the risk of his own life. There are some people who takes unnecessary risks because of ego and ends up loosing. However, Aayna was able to avoid the life threat switching into another characteristics. There are people who lives entire life switching to characteristics to characteristics.

Producers and directors have excellently portrayed the movie plot. In reality, there are people who are switching places for money. They forgets their own life and lives in the shadow of others.But this story put a focus on their lives showing their achievements, their sorrows, theirs hardships and sacrifices they make. Although there are some loopholes in the story but we can ignore that and enjoy a great story. All famous and successful movies has plot hole but we don’t care for those. So I will not indicate the plot holes and undermine the story.

Review of Shooting and casts:

Screenplay of the movie is so much superior that most of the Bangladeshi movies in recent years. People in Bangladesh missed a good movie and shifted to Indians movies (Mumbai or Kolkakta). But this movie played in the same level like those indian movies, may be better.

Chanchal Chowdhury who portrayed Aaayna, the main character, did an awesome acting. He became Aayna  to show his life of acting. No other actor, other than Chanchal Chowdhury, could have acted this awesome and go with the character. Same Goes for Masuma Nabila. She is pretty but she looked prettier in the movie as well as her acting. All other casts were awesome too. Their combined effort created an overwhelming movie.

The movie has introduced Dhaka especially the old Dhaka from different angles. We always think of Dhaka as busy city with lots of traffic. But the movie have shown beautiful side of the movie. The Burigonga river has become polluted and stinky. But this movie have reminded us the beauty of the river. May be it’s time for us to revive the old river.

Movie has greats sound track. The last one “laag velki laag” is just epic. I’m sure it will become trending in few days.

Epilogue:

As I said earlier, I’m not a movie critic or a reviewer. I just wrote about it because I thought the movie is great and I should encourage others to watch the movie. If you want to know how great is the movie, go to IMDB and see the rating. It got IMDB rating of 9.9 out of 10 in just 5 days.You may read many other review but it’s hard to put it in words. You will not get whole picture unless you see the movie for yourself.