by Towheed Feroze

The film industry here in different stages has had an impact of Hollywood Bollywood and Tallygunj. To trace the roots of the cine-vision prior to the seventies, we land up with a film world which, to a large extent, influenced by the feel-good flicks of Calcutta Bengali films and the sixties' American large cars, happy homes, happy ending movies. In the pre-seventies movie arena, we got a sociological picture reflecting values like friendship, love, coexistence in a very pleasant and simple manner. What came up was the middle class consciousness and there was no place for violence. Of course the tussle between the good and the bad always maintained steady ingredients for our films, but in the past, the good won by the simple rule that good will always win, and the bad inevitably lost and was dumped in repugnance. No guns were needed.But post-Independence Bangladesh was a new beginning.

New thoughts began to flow in, new ideas were forged and, from the crucible of the nine-month bloody struggle, rose a demand for films where, bad guys lost not just by the twist of fate, but by being pulverised by the good. Bengali action films are arguably a post-war phenomenon and, it all began with Rangbaz. Rangbaz, and the discovery of a genre Zahirul Huq's Rangbaz was the beginning. It was the presentation of a protagonist in a different light. He was a contrast from the all virtuous, educated and well-behaved hero of the past. Of course there was that Robin Hood quality in him. But, then the character added the unprecedented elements of roughness, violence and aggression. Very quickly the idea of an action film became a fad.

Masud Parvez came up with the film adaptation of Masud Rana. A new dimension had come and producers were eager to try its different aspects. The addition of the espionage: Suspense themeLate sixties and the early seventies saw American movies predominated by espionage thrillers. Diamond smugglers, stolen microfiches seemed to lure more than just the ordinary family dramas. The wave hit India and eventually the wind came here too. Mintu Aamar Naam, Masud Rana, etc. tried to include action as well as the element of thrill and suspense. At about the same time Indian films with Amitabh Bachchan and others were finding a new look of masculine roughness blended with action.

Films like Sholay, Omar Akhbar Anthony showed a new path to film-makers here and the result saw productions like Barud, Dost Dushman and Gighansa. These films rode on pure male-ego. A set of new heroes came up with Sohel Rana leading them. The seventies also saw a change in the Hollywood film scenario. Stunt-men started to come into films, guns were used freely and here in Bangladesh the effect was felt. Small screen idols like Simon Templar, Steve Mc Garet, the Prisoner also influenced the characters in the films The late seventies and the emergence of the fantasy action filmsThe need was to lose all relation with reality.

Life was mundane and people wanted to find entertainment in a wonderland where there were kings and badshaas, beautiful princesses, evil ministers and swashbuckling heroes. The fantasy movie genre in Bangladesh started a bit too late. What Hollywood loved in the forties we found out in the mid seventies. Wasim became our Erroll Flynn, the sword that rose for the suppressed against the oppressor. People wanted to see a magic land where the evil ministers and tyrant kings found their end in the hands of the righteous hero. Paagla Raja starring Razzaq and Olivia was a super hit. The film saw a good king fighting off the evil brother and upholding the rights of the people. These films portrayed a distant past and an Arabian land. Arabian Nights perhaps had a tremendous impact on these productions. By late seventies and early eighties fantasy films or poshaki chabi as they were commonly known became a very solid side of Bengali films.

Naturally, the productions got better with the films and Saltanat, Razia Sultana, Al-Helal, Bidrohi, Shahi Durbar became hits. These films never attempted to distort history--the aim was to present an imaginary land full of fantasy. The wine, the colourful costumes and the durbar dances all were parts of a web which took the common audience from reality. The dasyu phenomenonIn mid seventies the idea of dacoits on horses hiding in the mountains appealed to the film-makers. But there were no such thing here in Bangladesh. But what does it matter? One could always make an imaginary mountainous region where the bandits ruled high and the intrepid police officer fought them. Sometimes it was the bandit who fought the cruel zamindar or sometimes it was the police officer who fought the merciless dacoit. But either way the hero always was a friend of the poor and an enemy of the power hungry.

Johny, and the beginning of a new line of action filmsIn 1983 Johny was released. It had the label terming it the film that had the most action in the country's film history. This was the beginning of the one-man-show films. Johnny, a kid who was lost during his childhood grows up, and, now is the king of the roads. The police look for him but he is Johny, he never is apprehended unless he wants to submit himself. This theme became extremely popular, and was replicated in many films later on with a sequel to Johny. Pratiggya, another film also saw Bengali films take a turn into the action lane, martial arts was the craze now and with the local halls showing Bruce Lee films the audience just whipped-up the idea of their heroes doing kung-fu. Sohel Rana presented another masterpiece titled Sharif Badmash in 1984. This is perhaps one of the best Bengali martial arts films made in the country.

The action genre was now moving away from the fantasy films and swords were put aside for the high socks and the Taekwando show downs. String of action films made from the early eighties to the late eighties stressed on one factor: martial arts. Rubel, Sohel Rana's younger brother, came into limelight with Loraku. Young and agile, Rubel could perform amazing martial art tricks on screen and it seemed that kung fu was here to stay for good. C.I.D, Himmatwali, Jalim, Duniadari, Sohel Rana, Challenge--all had different plot-lines, but the action was the same: karate and kung-fu.The demand for martial art films were so high that even the heroines were seen doing a few tricks on screen. Mid-eighties Bengali action films were so hot that a D.C. single ticket for an action film purchased 100 taka at the black market. Nineties, and a look into blood and goreThere is a saying that no matter how good something is, there is a time when it loses all appeal. By nineties martial art action films saw a decline in popularity. On the whole, action films were experiencing a limbo. But then by mid-nineties there came a new path that has so far earned a lot of criticism.

To stay in race action films went from entertaining fights to unimaginable violence. It all began with graphic slaughtering details and now in the new millennium everything is allowed from cutting off heads with machetes to showing brains coming out from a point blank shot. "The present action films do not have a category, previously in the seventies the films followed a style. In the eighties martial art was the catch but now action means showing shocking acts of violence," said Ahtesham a renowned film producer. "Durdesh, a film that I made, also had action but nothing like this, we see that these violent acts are replicated in real life," he added. Modern action films have no style--spilling of blood and how cruelly it is done seems like the major thrust.

The question is, if this the state of action films now, then what does the future hold for us? The action films of the seventies and eighties had no substance but they entertained. What we are getting now in the name of action somehow stirs the senses violently. It wouldn't be wrong to say that these films of excess blood and killing will adversely affect an aspect of film making? Action films of the present are no longer a few moments of excitement, they are now a few moments that try to kill civility. Isn't it time to do something about this?