By NUSRAT ZEBA
April 8, 2017
“In a patriarchal society that shows women as weak and incapable of being independent, Hossain managed to create a film that portrays a liberal Bengali woman who is independent and takes control of her own life (despite pressure from her loved ones to follow the traditional path that many Bengali women take).”
I am not sure how many times I have seen Bengali movies with almost the same plot ideas, same problems (usually involving the women getting kidnapped and/or raped), women depending on the men to save their lives when they can clearly save themselves by kicking the men’s reproductive areas, and love between two heterosexual people.
Eventually, I became so tired that I stopped watching Bengali movies (even though I’m a Bengali myself).
However, at an NYU event hosted by the Bangladeshi Historical Memory Project, Under Construction, a film created by filmmaker Rubaiyat Hossain, was screened.
The movie’s protagonist, Roya, is a liberal middle-class Muslim woman named Roya who struggles with her identity and purpose in life. She spends most of her life as an actress portraying the same character in the same play and eventually begins to question herself about her own self and about the character she plays.
Because of Bengali filmmakers like Rubaiyat Hossain, Bangladesh has the ability to change its societal values that are harmful to women in the country.
The struggles she deals with on a daily basis are problems most young Muslim women can relate to, especially young Muslim women from first world countries who have parents, significant others, and loved ones who hold on to traditional ideas and beliefs. However, from a panel with Rubaiyat Hossain, I discovered that many women from Bangladesh also face similar obstacles as Roya and have approached Hossain to speak about their experiences.
In a patriarchal society that shows women as weak and incapable of being independent, Hossain managed to create a film that portrays a liberal Bengali woman who is independent and takes control of her own life (despite pressure from her loved ones to follow the traditional path that many Bengali women take).
Because of Bengali filmmakers like Rubaiyat Hossain, Bangladesh has the ability to change its societal values that are harmful to women in the country. Films like ‘Under Construction’ inspires, motivates, and empowers women plus creates social revolution.
Movies like this deserve a lot of praise and support. So, if you are a liberal young person (regardless of whether or not you are a Muslim or a Bengali), this movie is a must watch!
