Cinema
Quiet Flows the Meghna
Dhire Bohe Meghna
Alamgir Kabir · 1973
Synopsis
Anita Dasgupta, a history student at a Delhi college, the daughter of a woman professor and of a family settled in India, arrives in Dhaka at her aunt's house shortly after the 1971 war. The man she loved, Ajay Roy, an officer in the Indian air force, died during the fighting for this country from which his family came. There she meets Sumit Rahman, a left-wing activist back from the front and now a reporter, and discovers what the war has left behind.
Context
The idea came from Zahir Raihan; the film was written and directed by Alamgir Kabir, for whom it was a first feature, co-produced by Bangladesh and India. The music is by Satya Saha, the songs by Samar Das, sung by Hemanta Mukherjee and Sandhya Mukhopadhyay. Released on 9 February 1973, it played to full houses in a few cinemas but earned little, and the distributor withdrew it from the bill for personal reasons.
Who it is for
A film of one hundred and nine minutes, more attentive to its characters' doubts than to action; it is better to know India's role in the independence of Bangladesh.
Prizes and reception
It appeared on the list of the ten best Bangladeshi films compiled by the British Film Institute, and earned its director a special prize from the film journalists in 1973.