If the hype around social media wasn't enough to get someone's attention to this movie, the buzz and response outside surely were. Aynabaji stormed through cinema halls at a time when Bengali movie industry was awaiting its impending doom and eventual loss of identity by morphing into just another counterfeit of more profitable Indian movie industries. Evidently, this was enough to make the Bangladeshi moviegoers rediscover their craving for Bengali cinema. But does it make Aynabaji the movie that it is fabled to be? My answer may not satisfy some.
As I am reviewing it anyway, let me get started with the positives first. Aynabaji is unique. There is nothing quite like it in Bengali cinema. And the titular character Ayna is certainly one of the most complex and fascinating characters in Bengali fiction. He can be seen as a meta-commentary to actors in a whole. The struggles that come with their professions and how this affect their sense of personal identity. The director did a tremendous job at fleshing him out. While not a comedy, it's dry humor was witty and fitting but pretty shallow as well. The soundtrack and background sounds were nicely placed in many of the scenes but grossly exaggerated in others. While it tried to break out of the shell of a typical Bengali movie, it failed. Attention to detail in set design, cinematography and the portrayal of Dhaka was accurately done. Another thing also worth mentioning is the way some recurring characters aren't just cardboard cutouts but characters somewhat resembling real human beings even if the primary focus was always on the titular character.
Sadly, Aynabaji isn't the perfect movie that many speak of. And many of its strong aspects are overshadowed by faults. The biggest issue of Aynabaji is that it tries to be too many things at once. A drama, a character study, a thriller, a satire, a love story, a psychological thriller, a slapstick comedy and in the end, it doesn't know what it is. The plot was needlessly convoluted and many plot elements were brought up and then thrown out without a warning or handled without necessary care. And some of the major events were made possible by plot conveniences which were undoubtedly immersion-breaking, The director bet his dollar on a willing suspension of disbelief too often and it doesn't pay off.
The acting is certainly sub-par. The actors are either overacting or underacting. The sound editing doesn't do it any good either. And the cartoonish and grossly stereotypical representation of some side characters makes them increasingly difficult to take seriously(Especially the major and minor antagonists). In fact, keeping a straight face and not cringing becomes rather challenging as the movie progresses.
The writing is filled to the brim with amateurish movie tropes. It doesn't try to think outside the box. As a result, the movie becomes predictable to anyone with minimal movie viewing experience. And the dialogue, oh the dialogue! It is undoubtedly the worst part of this movie. If I had a penny for every time the characters tried and miserably failed to say something profound, I'd have my ticket back. Bad dialogues don't make good chemistry either. As a result, character chemistry was forced. Most noteworthy being the chemistry between two main characters. Last, but not least, the movie's urge for crowd-pleasing ended the movie on a not so high note. And the ending certainly felt weaker than what I predicted.
So, is it worth watching? It is if you are a Bengali. Because its success will lead to more filmmakers taking risks or being ambitious and the condition of this decaying film industry may improve. If you are a foreigner swayed by the high ratings on its IMDb page, don't watch it.
Overall Aynabaji is a breath of fresh air in Bengali movie scene but only as a source of pure entertainment and nothing beyond. But even a popcorn flick as this comes with a fair share of positives to make one hopeful about the future of Bengali movies. Just don't expect it winning awards anytime soon and don't hype it to be something it's not.
P.S. Sorry for any grammatical errors.l
As I am reviewing it anyway, let me get started with the positives first. Aynabaji is unique. There is nothing quite like it in Bengali cinema. And the titular character Ayna is certainly one of the most complex and fascinating characters in Bengali fiction. He can be seen as a meta-commentary to actors in a whole. The struggles that come with their professions and how this affect their sense of personal identity. The director did a tremendous job at fleshing him out. While not a comedy, it's dry humor was witty and fitting but pretty shallow as well. The soundtrack and background sounds were nicely placed in many of the scenes but grossly exaggerated in others. While it tried to break out of the shell of a typical Bengali movie, it failed. Attention to detail in set design, cinematography and the portrayal of Dhaka was accurately done. Another thing also worth mentioning is the way some recurring characters aren't just cardboard cutouts but characters somewhat resembling real human beings even if the primary focus was always on the titular character.
Sadly, Aynabaji isn't the perfect movie that many speak of. And many of its strong aspects are overshadowed by faults. The biggest issue of Aynabaji is that it tries to be too many things at once. A drama, a character study, a thriller, a satire, a love story, a psychological thriller, a slapstick comedy and in the end, it doesn't know what it is. The plot was needlessly convoluted and many plot elements were brought up and then thrown out without a warning or handled without necessary care. And some of the major events were made possible by plot conveniences which were undoubtedly immersion-breaking, The director bet his dollar on a willing suspension of disbelief too often and it doesn't pay off.
The acting is certainly sub-par. The actors are either overacting or underacting. The sound editing doesn't do it any good either. And the cartoonish and grossly stereotypical representation of some side characters makes them increasingly difficult to take seriously(Especially the major and minor antagonists). In fact, keeping a straight face and not cringing becomes rather challenging as the movie progresses.
The writing is filled to the brim with amateurish movie tropes. It doesn't try to think outside the box. As a result, the movie becomes predictable to anyone with minimal movie viewing experience. And the dialogue, oh the dialogue! It is undoubtedly the worst part of this movie. If I had a penny for every time the characters tried and miserably failed to say something profound, I'd have my ticket back. Bad dialogues don't make good chemistry either. As a result, character chemistry was forced. Most noteworthy being the chemistry between two main characters. Last, but not least, the movie's urge for crowd-pleasing ended the movie on a not so high note. And the ending certainly felt weaker than what I predicted.
So, is it worth watching? It is if you are a Bengali. Because its success will lead to more filmmakers taking risks or being ambitious and the condition of this decaying film industry may improve. If you are a foreigner swayed by the high ratings on its IMDb page, don't watch it.
Overall Aynabaji is a breath of fresh air in Bengali movie scene but only as a source of pure entertainment and nothing beyond. But even a popcorn flick as this comes with a fair share of positives to make one hopeful about the future of Bengali movies. Just don't expect it winning awards anytime soon and don't hype it to be something it's not.
P.S. Sorry for any grammatical errors.l