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Gunin, a film directed by one of the finest film directors in our industry - Giasuddin Selim, was released in theatres on March 11, 2022. The film has been available on Chorki since March 24.
The film created a buzz before its release, partly due to the lead actress Pori Moni whose recent controversy has catapulted her to the forefront of our entertainment news thereafter.
Pori Moni replaced Nusraat Faria, who could not work on the film due to lack of time. On the first show, most of the film theatres were housefull with long queues, and since then, not much has been heard about it.
Based on Hasan Azizul Haque’s short story, Gunin has an interesting plot that revolves around village exorcist Rojob Ali Gunin, played by Azad Abul Kalam, who possesses a vast spiritual power.
The film follows the aftermath of Gunin's mysterious death and the rivalry between two brothers, played by Shariful Raz and Mostafa Monwar to woo the village beauty Rabeya, played by Pori Moni.
An exotic village setting, mystic atmosphere, lingering smell of occult and thrilling background music are all entwined to provide the viewers with a unique experience, unknown in Bangladeshi films.
The way the film deals with the issue of exorcism, prevailing superstitions amidst the villagers, swindling the gullible people in the names of occult and supernatural entities is commendable.
The plot did not burden the viewers with any social or political messages, or tried to sell any ideology; it just told the story in a plain and simple way.
With the intriguing opening of the film, the viewers will be hooked to the screen, and Azad Abul Kalam holds the story together throughout the first twenty minutes. The make-up team deserves credit for making him look amazing as Rojob Ali Gunin, with a mysterious aura exuberating from his attire.
Pori Moni looked a bit out of shape, but it actually fits the traditional beauty standard for women in our countryside, and she looked comfortable in her role. The chemistry between Pori Moni and Shariful Raj was amazing. Their romance felt sweet and their budding romance in real life was evident, but the romance portion looked a bit forced at the beginning as if the love was bound to happen for the plot to progress.
Mostafa Monwar and Iresh Zaker were superb at their respective roles. Dilara Zaman was comfortable in her role as a grumpy old grandma. She evoked the image of a quintessential village matriarch, who is wise and deeply bears the traditional patriarchal values.
One of the most interesting parts of the film was the portrayal of depriving women of their inheritance.
The music was nothing special, but it grasped the tone of the film and the atmosphere, and it felt generic, yet wholesome.
The film is not above its limitations. The role of Pori Moni as the lead actress was grossly restricted to the lofty prize to achieve for the male leads, and she has little influence over the storyline. From a director well known for creating strong female leads, Giyasuddin Selim has failed to replicate his signature character development in this film.
Azad Abul Kalam’s character, even though it is the titular character, lacked character depth. Shilpi Sharkar Apu plays the same role in every single film, without any change or variation. Her role can be easily replaced with her previous film ‘Redrum’ and the viewers would only see the differences in the settings.
The biggest disappointment was the second half of the film, when the film took the usual romantic route despite having a well-crafted beginning, and the romantic part was mediocre to the very best. The plot was mostly flat in the end and turned rather predictable. It is a shame that the ending turned out to be so anti-climatic.
‘Gunin’ provides the viewers with a unique story with a number of interesting characters, and such unique films are much needed for our dying film industry.
Nevertheless, with technical aspects being up to the mark, the film needed much more effort in its pre-production phase.