I love the acting of Chanchal Chowdhury. I grew up watching his TV dramas. I became obsessed with his characters in "Aynabaji" and "Debi." And I was super super-excited when one of my closest friends, Siam, who is an ex-Dhaka Tribune colleague and a very knowledgeable film connoisseur (in my opinion), rated the Hoichoi thriller series "Karagar" a 9 out of 10 on his social media post.
A 9 out of 10 rating for a Bangla content! I was shocked! Amazed! Bemused! And I became very, very curious about "Karagar."
The show's “hook” definitely deserves an applause for the attempt. "Karagar”'s hook is a scene featuring a “head” hangman teaching the “ropes” to his apprentices, amongst whom, one will be chosen for the role of chief executioner after the former retires. The dialogues and sudden monologues of the old wise executioner seemed like a cliché. In fact, the entire scene seemed like a cliché.
Actors and their acting
In "Karagar," I think the opening scene suffered due to “too-much” acting by the apprentices.
And this I think is a recurring problem with Hoichoi shows. They build absolutely beautiful sets, hire really talented artists, do really amazing post-production work in terms of sound and video editing, and the colour of the content is to die for. But somehow the Hoichoi series' actors manage to over-act their sequences, so much so that the “suspension of disbelief” is irreparably lost.
I remembered the 9/10 rating, and tried to make sense of the hook, and went “Hmmmph”. However, next, the scenes with the principal cast started, and suddenly that rating by Siam started making a lot of sense.
The series features Intekhab Dinar and Bijori Barkatullah, who are veteran actors of Bangladesh, and they deliver really solid and believable performances from the get-go. Scenes featuring them should be just lessons in acting, as their mannerisms, expressions, and dialogue delivery is just spot on. It is because of their acting, their subplot started seeming less like manufactured commercial content, and more like a story that you often see in Bangladesh.
Another cast member A K Azad Shetu, whom I saw perform live on stage several times, is just completely at one with his role. He plays the role of an antagonist, and his performance of a scheming, conniving and completely corrupt police constable will seem familiar to those unfortunate people who have to deal with such people. Regarding the series, Shetu said: "This was a big experience for me. I play the role of a bad man (Haha). But I loved working with the cast. Everyone delivered a great performance. It was a very good teamwork I would say. Everyone in the production team worked really hard for this show."
There was NO ''overacting' by these three actors in my opinion. As for the rest of the actors, all of them are brilliant in their own way. However, you need to watch at least 2-3 episodes of this series to let them grow on your mind; so that you can get accustomed to their delivery. The first scenes with them may seem jarring, but if you get over the exposition, then you can actually focus on the story.
Another actor who deserves a mention is FS Nayeem. His acting seemed scattered on occasions, as in, in some moments he seemed like overacting, but in most instances, he made the character of a seedy detective his own. Watch out for a memorable performance he gives in a bathroom scene, where he is asking for information of a different case in a very subtle way to another fellow detective. It was acting within acting of the highest caliber. Just watch his demeanour and facial expressions.
Tasniya Farin is definitely talented and showed a lot of potential as an actor in this series, but the way her role was characterized, and the dialogues that were given to her, left a lot to be desired.
Finally, Chanchal Chowdhury once again delivers a consistent performance. I think I will not obsess over this performance as much as I did for his acting in 'Aynabaji,' but I will still say he looked like he worked really hard for this role. His method acting in this one is palpable.
The writing
I felt that the script was written remarkably well, until I watched the last scene of the finale of the first season.
The story started out as a mystery, with very prominent hints at this going a supernatural direction, the trending favourite direction of Bangla content makers as of now. However, the last scene of season one finale ruins the allure of the show completely. At least for me. You want to know what it is? Please watch the show and find out!
As for themes that I felt were present in this series, there is obviously gallows humour galore. Just watch the performances of some of the other actors playing prisoners, and you will be equal parts creeped-out and impressed at the same time.
The characters leave an impression in your mind. The subplots featuring them, albeit cliché, seem real and believable in the context of Bangladesh.
The showrunners of the series must be quite adept at inserting irony in their content. For example, the jail in which the story is set is called 'Matrichhaya' (mother's shade), and Intekhab Dinar's character has caged pet birds, which is ironic to the real purpose of his character. Watch the show and find that real purpose!
I think the writing of this show alone deserves an applause for all the subtleties, subplots and the interconnections between the subplots that the showrunners attempted. You don't see such attempts often from Bangali series producers, who are often susceptible to regurgitating clichéd one-dimensional scripts that worked for them in the past.
Regarding the story, Shetu said: "The entirety of the first part is like an exposition. The second part will debunk the central mystery of the show, and show each characters' destinies."
Well, after that remark, I am looking forward to the second part. I will give it an 8 out of 10. Why, you may ask?
Well, Hoichoi's generous efforts for making Bangla content popular in the world burns through the screen for this show. However, a script less grounded in reality (show us ghosts, please!), and better acting direction, as in encouraging the actors to rein in their portrayals with more 'realistic' acting, rather than overacting (which is more home at stage), will make Hoichoi content truly more popular across the globe. But then, what do I know? I am not as knowledgeable as Siam. This is just my two cents on "Karagar."
