This is not the first time that a copied movie was given the national film award. But this is the first time that the government recently revoked the honour of a Bangla movie Brihannala as plot of the movie was plagiarised. This Bangla movie got not only national awards but international awards as well.The local film industry and plagiarising
It is learnt that
the ministry would take legal actions against the director of the movie and
relevant others
Abu Md Masani
This is not the first time that a copied movie was given the national film award. But this is the first time that the government recently revoked the honour of a Bangla movie Brihannala as plot of the movie was plagiarised. This Bangla movie got not only national awards but international awards as well.
Even before and after release of the movie, it became newspaper headlines on several occasions for different reasons. The film already participated in a number of international film festivals and grabbed quite a few prestigious awards in various categories.
According to media reports, the story of the movie, directed and produced by Murad Parvez, was copied without the permission of its writer and the ministry concerned launched an investigation into it. It was found that the allegation was true. It has also been known that the ministry would take legal actions against the director of the movie and relevant others.
Earlier on 4 April, Brihannala, a feature film based on the short story titled Gaachh-ta Balechhilo (The tree had told) was awarded the prize of the best movie. It also received awards in the best storyline and best dialogue categories.
Now this should serve as a wake-up call for those who always copy movies and stories without permission.
From the 70s to the 90s in the last century, fans of Bangladeshi cinema (Dhallywood) got so many memorable movies. After release of those movies in the theatres, they became superhits and earned so many awards at home and abroad. Nowadays, viewers hardly can watch quality movies that have been disappearing gradually from Dhallywood since the early 1990s.
Once the country had talented directors like Subhash Datta, Amjad Hossain, Alamgir Kabir, Moshiuddin Sharker, Sheikh Niyamat Ali, Chasi Nazrul Islam, Azizur Rahman and Abdullah-al-Mamun.
These eminent directors made many films where characters had strong personalities. The taste of such films as Surja Dighal Bari, Sareng Bou, Golapi Ekhon Train-e, Bhat De, Sakhinar Juddho, Padma Nadir Majhi, Nayan Moni, Sujon Sokhi, Alor Michhil, Badi Theke Begum, Onyo Jiban, Dahan, Emiler Goyenda Bahini, etc. are still fresh in the viewers mind.
These fantastic movies and their actors and directors earned name and fame for themselves and the country. Those days are gone. The future of Bangladeshi movies is at stake for not making such movies anymore.
From mid eighties, there are so many films, actors, and actresses who won national film awards. An actor got national film award for a film which was allegedly copied from Hindi film Hatya (Neelam, Govinda) if anyone watches those movies he or she can find so many similarities between the movies. Two actresses were awarded (best actresses) in 87 and 88. They got national film awards. Anyone can find similarities after watching Hindi movies Judai (Rekha, Jitendra) and Dusri Dulhan (Shabana Azmi and Sharmila Tagore).
Allegations also rose against those films but none was paid any heed and revoke the honour of those movies or actors. Maybe allegations against those films were not found to be true. But question arose of those movies. When a movie is selected for prestigious award like national film award the jury board should remain cautious.
An actor or actress can copy his or her favorite ones gesture, posture or body languages. Nothing is wrong with it. But when a director or script writer steals a story or script from others and makes a movie out of it without his or her permission that is indeed a crime and Brihannala did this crime.
After Liberation War, there were so many films made in the country which were either copied or remade from Hindi, Urdu or English movies.
Audience of Bangla movie have been witnessing many copied or remade movies from Hindi and English movies. The films like Sholay, Avtar, Mere Bad, Mera Sathi, Nimakhalal, Billu Badsha, Fir Milenge/ Philadelphia, Prem Koyedi, Hum Apke Hai Kaun, Rajput, Ram Lakhkhan, Bhabi da Churia, 9 to5 , Aina (Pakistani movie) etc., are salient examples of these. Most of the movies were allegedly copied or a portion of the movies were copied or remade.
Of them Pita Mata Sontan, remade from Avtar, got national film award. Three actresses got national film awards as best actresses in 1990, 1996 and 2008 respectively from three alleged copied movies.
But the question is that can a remade movie contest for the national film award?
Amzad Hossain, a famous director and several times national film awards winner, said, Copyright movies should not contest for national film award at all.
Anyone can make movie taking ideas from other film and story but in Bangladesh audiences witnessed that films were copied from original one without permission of writer or authority concerned. There are also similarities between many Hindi movies and Hollywood movies. One can bring to mind the films such as Sauda (Indecent Proposal), Main Aisa Hi Hoon (I Am Sam), Hum Tum (When Harry Met Sally), etc. here. However, Hindi movies like Kiyamat Se Kiyamat Tak, Sajan, Dil were remade in Bangladesh after taking copyrights. On the other hand, there were so many Bangla movies like Sotto Mithya, Mayer Doa were remade in Kolkata after taking permission. That was good.
But it is shameful for us that a movie was plagiarised and got national award and later that honour was revoked. The Bangladesh government has done right thing but what about those international awards that have been given to this movie?
According to media reports Brihannala was awarded Best Film in the competition category of the 10th edition A film for Peace Festival 2015 in Italy. On the other hand, at the 2015 Jaipur International Film Festival, Murad Parvez won the best original screenplay for Brihannala and Sohana Saba won the best actress award for the same movie.
The national award winning actor of the film Ferdous told this correspondent that It is very shameful for me that I was one of the parts of the movie and I want punishment of those who did this crime. It is a lesson for the next generation and they will think twice during doing such crime, he said. Ferdous is also against a copied movie competing for national film awards.
The writer is a Senior Sub Editor of The Independent
