Meherjaan

Meherjaan (Bengali: মেহেরজান) is the feature-length début film of Bangladeshi director Rubaiyat Hossain. The film was pulled from theatres due to the hostile response of some segments of the audience after its release in January 2011. Meherjaan claims to be a women's "feminine" re-visiting of the Bangladesh Independence War with Pakistan in 1971, while many feel discomfort with the deconstructive representation of the '71 conflict.

Meherjaan
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRubaiyat Hossain
Produced by
  • Ashique Mostafa
Written byRubaiyat Hossain
Screenplay by
Starring
Music byNeil Mukherjee
CinematographySamiran Datta
Edited by
  • Sujan Mahmud
  • Mita Chakraborty
Distributed byHabibur Rahman Khan
Release date
  • January 21, 2011 (2011-01-21)
Running time
119 minutes
CountryBangladesh
Language
  • Bengali
  • English
  • Urdu

Cast
  • Jaya Bachchan as Meher
  • Victor Banerjee as Khwaja Saheb (Grandfather)
  • Omar Rahim as Wasim Khan (Pakistani Soldier)
  • Shaina Amin as Young Meher
  • Reetu A Sattar as Neela (Birangona/Freedom fighter)
  • Azad Abul Kalam Pavel as Shumon (Communist Party worker)
  • Humayun Faridi as Khonker (Razakar)
  • Sharmili Ahmed as Meher's Mother
  • Khairul Alam Sabuj as Meher's Father
  • Monira Mithu as Meher's Aunt
  • Nasima Selim as Sarah (Warchild)
  • Rubaiyat Hossain as Salma
  • Ashique Mostafa as Shimul (Freedom fighter)
  • Shatabdi Wadud as Khalil
  • Iqbal Sultan as Major Baset (Pakistani Major)
  • Rifat Chowdhury as Arup
  • Arup Rahee as Rahee
  • Rajeev Ahmed as Sami
  • Tansina Shawan as Joba (Freedom Fighter)

Festivals and awards

Meherjaan has been participated in many film festivals including Kolkata Film Festival,[1] Festival International de Films de Fribourg,[2] Festival de Cine de Bogotá,[3] 31 º Festival Cinematográfico Internacional del Uruguay,[4] London Asian Film Festival,[5] Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian & Arab Cinema.[6]

Meherjaan wins a handful of awards at International film festivals and competitions including Best Critic Award (Jaipur International Film Festival),[7] Jury Award and Audience Award (Northampton International Film Festival), Orson Welles Award (Tiburon International Film Festival)[8]

Suspension

The film was withdrawn from movie theatres in Bangladesh due to the objections of different groups of people. "The film Meherjaan, which was released in Dhaka in January 2011, was quickly pulled out of theatres after it created a furore among audiences. The hostile responses to the film from across generations highlight the discomfort about the portrayal of a raped woman, and its depiction of female and multiple sexualities during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. The film's stance against Bangladeshi nationalism also created a stir among audiences."[9]

On 3 November 2011, there was a special film event and a panel discussion at Harvard University sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Boston, South Asia Initiative at Harvard University, Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights at UMass, and the CARR Center for Human Rights, Harvard Kennedy School. The film was screened in advance of a panel discussion by Cambridge/Boston academics.[10][11]

Reviews

Meherjaan has received mixed reviews.[9][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]

References
  1. "Schedule | Kolkata Film Festival". Kolkata Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2012-08-18. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  2. "Meherjaan". Fribourg International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2012-05-02.
  3. "30 Festival de Cine de Bogotá 2012 – Pagina Oficial". Xxix.bogocine.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-12. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  4. "Cinemateca Uruguaya". Cinemateca.org.uy. Archived from the original on 2013-08-16. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  5. "Meherjaan". London Asian Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2012-03-11.
  6. "Meherjaan". Osian's Cinefan. Archived from the original on 2012-08-01.
  7. "JIFF 2012 Award Winners". Jaipur International Film Festival. Archived from the original (DOC) on 2012-12-15.
  8. "Tiburon International Film Festival". Tiburon International Film Festival. 2012-04-22. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  9. Mookherjee, Nayanika (2011-03-19). "Love in the Time of 1971: The Furore over 'Meherjaan'". Economic and Political Weekly. 46 (12): 25–27. JSTOR 41151989.
  10. "Special Film Event: Meherjaan, directed by Rubaiyat Hossain" (PDF). Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. Harvard Kennedy School. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  11. Jonathan Richmond (2011-11-16). "Meherjaan on tour". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  12. "1971 love story wins city's heart". The Times of India. 2011-11-13. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  13. "The Pakistani Patient". Sunday Guardian. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  14. Karim, Elita (2009-11-06). "Meeting Jaya Bhaduri-Bachchan". Star Weekend. The Daily Star.
  15. "Bangladesh liberation film opens old wounds". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  16. Ethirajan, Anbarasan (2011-04-19). "Bangladeshi war film Meherjaan rekindles old enmities". BBC News. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  17. Naeem Mohaiemen (2011-01-23). "Meherjaan's women on the verge". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  18. Subir Bhaumik. "Book, film greeted with fury among Bengalis - Features". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  19. "A world without borders". Banglanews24.com. 2011-02-06. Archived from the original on 2011-02-08. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
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