Shangkhanad: An appeal to return to our roots

Zahid Hasan and Rebeka Deepa in a scene from Shankhanad

Popular musician SI Tutul has composed the music for the film while Mahfuzur Rahman Khan has done the camera work. The cast includes Zahid Hasan, KS Firoz, Najma Anwar, Fazlur Rahman Babu, Sayeeda Islam, Mirana Zaman, Rebecca Deepa, Mehnaz Parveen Bony, Insan Ali, Syed Sultan Alam, Shahadat Hossain, Sagar, Khushi, Inab, Sultan Ahmed and the inhabitants of the village Bhandarbari.

The central character of the film is 37-year-old Osman, who ran away from home 27 years ago to escape from the killers of his parents. He spends many years in the city but the village where he was born carries many memories for him and he wants to go back to his roots. He returns through a difficult journey.

However, it does not occur to him that he will face monetary problems in the village. He takes shelter with Monnaf Khan, who is actually the son of the murderer who killed Osman's parents. Monnaf gets scared that Osman will take revenge on him. But Osman assures him that he has no such intention.

Finally, Monnaf's fears are allayed and he even arranges a house and a job for Osman. But the Kunjoburi, who plays the fortuneteller's role in the village, declares that poor villagers will get rich because a man has come back home after a long time. Monnaf Khan believes that Osman is the man. The story takes a new turn as a series of incidents occur.

Abu Sayeed considers 'the universal appeal for our roots' as the central message of this film. 'The movie also stands against the harmful human tendency to accumulate wealth,' Sayeed adds. He is uncertain about the commercial success of the movie, because films of the alternative genre rarely achieve box office success. He says, 'I have not made the movie from a commercial point of view. Certainly it gives great pleasure to filmmakers to have a large audience. Nevertheless, I am hopeful that the moviegoers will appreciate this alternative film.'

Sayeed also adds that some movie theatres are discerning in their choice of films, which is highly encouraging for quality filmmakers. He suggests, 'If this trend is also followed outside Dhaka, the whole film scene will get better.' He considers national film awards as another encouragement for promoting high quality films. Sayeed describes this development as a 'very inspiring and encouraging step in promoting good films.'