My Reaction to Bengali Telefilm #65

It’s the time of Eid when a bunch of good telefilms and short films air in Bangladesh. Although I haven’t been into watching Bengali shows for some time, it drew my attention. Recently, a Facebook friend from Bangladesh wrote a long post criticizing one of their most talked-about telefilms and that got to me. There are many things you may not relate to, but here’s how it was.

The story is about Arakh, the eldest son of a typical middle-class family. He has two siblings: Ansh and Ayushi. It’s been a year since Ayushi’s divorce; she also has a little kid. After her split, she moved in with them. Ansh is in high school or college. Arakh’s father has retired and his mother is a housewife, making Arakh the sole earner for his family of six people. He holds a degree and achieved good marks on competitive exams but still struggles to find work – currently he gives private tuition to school kids, though this income may not be enough for everyone’s needs. Ayushi is trying to start her own business but hasn’t had any success yet.

Arakh is in a relationship with Medha, who comes from a wealthy family. Like Arakh, Medha is kind and understanding; she knows of his financial problems and never asks for expensive gifts. Her parents are seeking someone suitable to marry her off and are unaware of Arakh’s existence. Medha wanted to tell them about him as soon as he got a decent job, so she kept rejecting marriage proposals.

Arakh’s father was a renowned professor, and everyone loved him. To end his son’s suffering, he asked one of his former students who is now successful to help him out. Arakh went for an interview but the student didn’t show much interest in hiring him. Furthermore, Arakh lost two or three tutoring jobs, making it even worse. He started teaching at coaching centers for double shifts and had hardly any time for himself. Despite all these hardships, Arakh managed to stay strong in front of his family and girlfriend. He bought chocolates for his little niece and gave his meager savings to his brother Ansh. He never complained about life or fate.

One day, Arakh got a call from Medha. Her father wanted to marry her off to the guy they had chosen, but she refused. When her father demanded a good reason, Arakh met with Medha and told her the truth: he wasn’t sure about his job or career; he had many responsibilities; his family depended on him. So, he suggested that Megha should marry the man her parents had picked for her. A few days later, Megha asked Arakh to meet one last time. She brought gifts for him and his family—something Arakh never accepted before—but this time she begged him to take them. As Megha drove away in her car, bidding goodbye to Arakh, tears rolled down his cheeks.

It lasted 1.5 hours, so there were many things that made the audience question why family members weren’t helping, why Megha didn’t ask her father to help Arakh and more. I’m no critic—I enjoyed every bit of the telefilm. We always want a happy ending, but does it come so easily?

[Edit: I mixed up the character names with another movie- however I was talking about story of Boro Chhele.]

That’s all for today. Stay well folks! Much love xo

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