From the heady days of George Orwell’s no-punches-pulled diatribes to the depth of TS Eliot’s ramblings into social inequities, there was a richness of cultural activism that supported the aspirations of the common man at times when the great divide created a wedge between politicians and the populace.
Their work provided glimmers of hope in the midst of growing despair. Similarities, but not the same approaches, of writers, poets, painters, and philosophers that used creative space to put forward theories within theories enriched focused thought. Not everyone was as outspoken as Orwell in his undisguised attacks on communism. Bangladesh’s version was Ahmed Safa, Humayun Ahmed, and lyricists such as the late Gazi Mazharul Anwar who were adept at combining theory with creativity that had mass appeal and messages to convey.
Their departure from the world has left gaps that may never be filled leaving the fertile fields of hard truth bereft of punch. Literature today has been reduced to highlighting the rights of the lesser privileged, leaving everyone tut-tutting but not churning the grey cells.
In the glamorous world of Hollywood and Bollywood, filmmakers have struggled to produce masterpieces such as Laurence of Arabia or the delightful cross-cultural expose of The King and I. In its place we are dished out dark espionage of the more mercenary mafia-based goings-on in John Wick, Equaliser, or the Mission Impossible runs.
Curiosity killed all kinds of cats but these films feed heavily on the urge for many to know about the shenanigans that pervade our societies. These changes in perspective from gruesome killing to technology madness and everything about corruption and deceit. Everyone waits for a Jamal Khashoggi film, not to mention the inner happenings of the Russia-Ukraine War to hit the screens.
To an extent, Tollygunge films continue their efforts to highlight social conduct and change. Bollywood has also produced some excellent movies delving deep albeit into crime but outstanding in execution. During his lifetime, Humayun Ahmed’s initial work had much thought about the reflection of day-to-day life through characters one could identify with. There was a clinical depth to the persona regardless of whichever side of the law they were on.
He too was forced to commercialize his work thereby taking the heart out of his creation. Filmmakers have moaned and groaned about lack of investment to produce telling films. They have been as critical of the quality of scripts that are being made available. It has become more about what is expected rather than that which provokes thought.
The shrinking space of creative writing is largely responsible for the poor quality of prose being churned out, barring the few like Masrur Arefin who dared to translate The Illiad. There used to be a time when Bangladesh Television invited drama scripts for adaptation and production. The very best of actors sigh for the day when meaningful scripts will reappear. Barring OTT productions, most-watched dramas are retreads of the same plots. Technically, these soaps are losing out badly to a growing number of Bangla-dubbed Turkish serials that are well produced.
Barring a few, most of them too are short of meaningful content. It’s almost as if the realities of society can’t form the basis of well-written scripts. There’s enough comedy around without having to resort to lampooning to brighten moods. There’s also tragedy for those inclined to darker fare.
Perhaps the saddest part is the almost total absence of book reviews, audio books, and thought-provoking discourses in literature that should be promoted whether or not they are in the best-selling list. Gems are often to be found in the middle of a stack. Values aren’t propagated by all -- the connection of changes to such values are rarely weighed in proportion.
Everyone laments the erosion of values without delving deep into where and why it goes pear-shaped.
Mahmudur Rahman is a writer, columnist, broadcaster, and communications specialist.
