Arai Mon Swapna: Bangladesh in the time of Covid-19
Fazlur Rahman Babu and Moutushi Biswas deliver compelling performances as a poor couple trying to survive the pandemic
The story starts with a couple leaving Dhaka city for the village as the coronavirus spreads. They reach there after enduring a lot of trouble on the road.
Then struck the reality; how will they survive the slump triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic? They ask for help from a local Union Parishad member.
The couple finds out that the name of the husband has been registered as 'dead' in the authorities' list. What now? How will they get food relief if his name is registered as dead?
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Upon the advice of the member, the wife stands in the line to receive relief goods by showing her husband as dead.
She comes back home with a sack of rice weighing two and a half maunds. At night, she sits with her very husband who she claimed as dead in the morning.
In a sardonic way, this is the story of Bangladesh and how its state machinery functions. Director Abu Shahed Emon has captured the story of the monster named corruption, that has shown its worst face during the Covid-19 pandemic, in his short film Arai Mon Swapna.
The short film has already been released on the OTT platform Binge. The main characters are played by Fazlur Rahman Babu and Moutushi Biswas. The supporting characters revolving around them are no less important.
The acting of Raunak Hasan, Deepak Sumon and many others have made Abu Shahed Emon's efforts to capture the worst side of our corruption a striking reality.
The story could have ended on the same note but it did not. The couple had left town when their child had high fever. But they could not take proper care of their child as they were busy managing food. As a result, they pay the ultimate price.
Viewers will be thrilled with the performances of Fazlur Rahman Babu and Moutushi Biswas in the whole short film. The half an hour film finishes in the blink of an eye.
