The University of Chankharpul releases on Thursday
The film explores the darker side of university politics through humour, drawing on the director’s own experiences.
Acclaimed independent film The University of Chankharpul will begin streaming on the popular OTT platform Chorki from midnight on 26 August (27 August), reaching audiences at home and abroad.
Director Akash Haque drew on his own bitter experiences of "gono room" life during his early days at Dhaka University, alongside the world he observed around him, to shape the story. The film uses humour to portray campus politics in its darker, more realistic form — the scramble for power and posts, hall politics, senior-junior dynamics, grouping, and how students are drawn into these conflicts.
"University politics, to me, isn't just a story about student politics; it's a smaller version of Bangladesh's wider power structure," Haque said. "The power games, the competition for positions, the grouping — these aren't confined to campus. They reflect our society and our state." He stressed that he targeted no individual or party, but rather "a culture, a system and a mindset," adding that the censor board had praised rather than disappointed the team.
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The rap track "Sohomot Bhai" — written, composed and performed by Tabib Mahmud with music by Shubhro Raha — captures the film's spirit in miniature. Haque said rap allowed complex truths to be voiced directly.
The cast includes Devodyuti Aich, Rocky Khan, Boby Biswas, Akhtaruzzaman Azad, Abu Saeed, Ifad Hasan, Chyan Mondal, SA Jibon and Mahedi Hasan Sohan. Haque also handled production, screenplay, editing and cinematography.
