Despite the hype generated by a star-studded cast, a big budget and well-timed teasers, Mostofa Kamal Raj's much anticipated Tarkata seems to be missing the mark. Released on June 6, the film is currently showing at more than 90 cinema theatres across the country. We quizzed audience members outside Balaka theatre to gauge the response to the film and following are a few reactions that should help you decide if it's worth a watch or not.
Family drama vs romance
The film puts an old-school emphasis on the relationship between siblings portrayed by Arefin Shuvo and Moushumi, while the romance between Shuvo's character and Bidya Sinha Mim is reported to be lacking chemistry and passion. This movie is worth a watch if you rate family drama over romance; otherwise you're in for some disappointment.
Big screen, small plot and soured boredom
Commercial cinemas demand big plots and high stakes for the big screen. This is absent, and efforts to maximise on a small plot has not sat well with the viewers. Nusrat, 20, a student and audience member, says that the transparent attempt to exaggerate the plot bores her, and she doesn't like to watch such films on the big screen.
TV drama plus sides
A possible reason for the disappointment could simply be in the choice of the cast members, and the filming technique, all of which have been borrowed from the small screen. With close and medium shots framing the television actors, the film has more of a TV drama flavour. Ashraful, 19, said that the film felt like a TV soap with songs.
Undeveloped screenplay
Artistic license may be an argument, but when the audience isn't buying the story, it may be worth considering. Iftekhar, 23, a private service holder, said that the film seems to suffer an undeveloped screenplay and he compared it to the recently released “Ami Shudhu Cheyechi Tomai”, which he felt had a better story.
Sights and sounds
While many commercial films from Dhaka struggle to afford clear print and colour correction, this film easily passes the test and the audience seems satisfied with the effort in the field. Furthermore, The background score was composed by Arefin Rumey and seems well-received.
So if nothing else, it's a great sensory experience.
