'Nirontor': An endless cycle

Shabnoor (L) and Dolly Zahur in the film

Produced by Impress Telefilm Ltd and directed by Abu Sayeed, Nirontor narrates an ongoing cycle. Frustrations of a lower middle class family, desperate acts, little joys of everyday life, powerlessness and coping with whatever life throws at one -- the cycle never ends.

Tithi comes from a financially strained family that has seen better days. Her family includes a legally blind father, an irritable mother, a nonchalant brother and another young sibling. The sole source of income is Tithi and since she could not continue after graduating from high school, chances of getting a decent job are little. So Tithi does what many desperate hard-up young girls do, turn to prostitution. Or was she pushed into it? The film delves into Tithi's past.

Jalaluddin, Tithi's visually impaired father never seems concerned. Sightlessness has perhaps made his other senses stronger but his conscience seems numb. Minu, Tithi's mother perhaps knows about her daughter's profession. Yet she cannot do anything about it. It's moral high road against her family's survival.

Among Tithi's clients, Dabir is perhaps a misfit. Dabir is out and out a family man with strong ethics and is rather shy. He loves his terminally ill wife and cannot keep his rendezvous with Tithi a secret from her. Farida, Dabir's wife takes this surprisingly well and out of curiosity even meets Tithi.

Tithi's apparently irresponsible brother eventually straightens his act and starts taking care of the family. But happiness is just a state of mind or rather illusive. Tithi's mother does not have to worry about where the next meal is coming from any more but guilt eats away. Tithi's fate does not go through major metamorphosis, rarely does for ill-fated girls like her.

Abu Sayeed's last film Shankhonad was impressive. Nirontor seems more polished. Sayeed tries to stick to the unabashed style of storytelling that made Humayun Ahmed's initial novels and stories popular. For a change the film does not mark everything as black or white. Tithi's pimp is greedy but he also looks out for his "girls" and tries to ensure their safety.

Sayeed's decision to cast mainstream actors in the alternative film seems to work. During the making of the film, in an interview with The Daily Star, Sayeed said, "I always feel that mainstream actors should be given opportunities to act in alternative films. I want to minimise the barrier between alternative and mainstream films, which will be healthy for both."

Shabnoor in the lead role seems at ease. From a brooding, vulnerable girl-next-door she becomes a flirtatious, chatty, happy for no reason entertainer when with her clients. As an actor she seems to have become more mature. However, the "mainstream histrionics" kick in at times. Seasoned actors Amirul Haq Chowdhury and Dolly Zahur as Tithi's parents are impeccable. In brief roles Jayanto Chattyopadhyay and Shilpi Sarkar Apu deliver impressive performances.

Music by SI Tutul does not become an individual identity in the film. Fortunately there are very few songs and they are all used as background scores. Subtitles are crucial for films that intend to go to international film events. Subtitles in Nirontor are often word-by-word translations and do not constitute the intended sense.