Enamul Karim Nirjhar's Movie Aha!

by Priyo Australia | December 1, 2007 8:00 am

Enamul Karim Nirjhar’s Aha! pits old-fashioned values against modern-day racketeers in the story of Malik, an old man living in a mansion in Dhaka that is coveted by real estate dealers. When Malik’s daughter returns from the US, the plot thickens, with reformed killers and amorous cousins added to the mix.

AHA! a film by ENAMUL KARIM NIRJHAR Bangladesh , 2007 128 min. Color 35 mm.

Movie Preview at CSIRO, Celebration of Victory Day (Bijoy Dibosh) in Canberra 15 December 2007 more here[1]

Synopsis
Mr. Mallik, a total introvert, lives alone in the derelict of a mansion that his ancestors built in Dhaka . Multistoried apartment buildings surround his ancestral home, and real estate developer Rafique is persistently persuading him to demolish the property to build one there, too. He offers him 10 flats out of the 35 he plans to make, apart from the cash. It’s a lucrative deal for the lonely owner of a run-down property he can’t maintain anymore.

Things take a sudden twist when Ruba, his only child, returns from the US to live with her father. At the very same time, Soleman, a repentant murderer serving Mr. Mallik, gets into trouble with the local toughs while defending his master’s property. Ruba finds a suitor in her Australian born cousin Asif and a friend in Kislu, a middle-aged neighbor who wears seven differently colored briefs around the week. The local toughs find an easy prey in Rafique and an adversary in Rafique’s ally Kanchan, the local gang lord.

The story progresses through a complex array of people and their intentions, where Ruba seeks a man who doesn’t play a man, Kislu walks in the clouds of love for the Ruba and the city, and Rafique tries to keep a balance between the toughs and his profits. It takes more sudden turns with stunning revelations about Ruba, Soleman, and Asif.

The biggest twist comes with the final torment of Mr. Mallik and Soleman, two persons faced with their greatest fears. And, the film ends with the equation of sins and redemption revealed through the relation between people and architecture presented in a whole new perspective.

The Location

Manik Babu’s House, Hajaribagh,Dhaka, Bangladesh
Hajaribagh must have been a garden in the past, as the “bagh” (Farsi for garden) in its name suggests. Now it is rather a forest of dreams and despair, of ultra modern high-rises and age old mansions, and of people of all creeds and culture. Narrow streets meander through the neighborhood like little brooks with banks crowded with colors and shops, rickshaws and gossip. No person is an island here, no shortage in fodder for idle gossip. The smells from the tanneries drift past the roads mingled with strong flavors of spices and perfumes. In the middle of this amazing neighborhood stood the mansion of Manik Babu, according to the locals, who left the property in exchange for another in India when Pakistan was created in 1947. A lucrative piece of prime real estate, the mansion drew developers like dung draws flies. And, in a swirling vortex of greed, love, cruelty and kindness the building breathed its last shortly after AHA the film was shot there. Source[2]

Movie Preview at CSIRO, Celebration of Victory Day (Bijoy Dibosh) in Canberra 15 December 2007 more here[1]

Cast:

Source URL: https://priyoaustralia.com.au/articles/film-book-art-others/2007/enamul-karim-nirjhars-movie-aha/

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