Sphulingo

Plot

Partho, Irene, and Jafar are students at a contemporary Bangladeshi university. Partho is an economics student who writes poetry and sings in his spare time. Irene and Jafar, along with a few other classmates, are members of an amateur university music band, with Jafar as the lead vocalist. During a concert, a well-known musician, Raju, invites the band to perform with him. By chance, Partho ends up performing in Jafar's place. Impressed by their performance, Raju invites them to participate in an upcoming Victory Day concert. Irene then invites Partho to join their band and write a new original song for the Victory Day concert. Jafar, who is infatuated with Irene, struggles to accept this. To inspire the group, Partho encourages everyone to read books on Bangladesh's Liberation War and the works of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Partho also draws inspiration from watching the historic 7th March speech. As they read, everyone except Jafar imagines themselves as freedom fighters in training.

Partho visits his girlfriend Diba's house and discusses the country with her freedom-fighter father. Partho becomes deeply engaged in conversations about the Liberation War. The scene shifts to the past, depicting the Pakistani army's planned massacre on 25 March 1971. It also shows George Harrison and others performing the song "Bangla Desh" at the Concert for Bangladesh in New York's Madison Square Garden, raising awareness and support for the refugees. Recently, Partho performs this song at a concert, earning praise from the audience. However, Partho's teacher in the classroom disapproves of patriotic songs, labeling them as "political songs," and discourages Partho from singing, insisting that the university is a place for studies, not politics. The teacher often humiliates Partho in class.

Later, Partho and his friends are returning home late at night with banned drinks in their car when the police stop and interrogate them. The scene then shifts to 1971, where two young freedom fighters are among the passengers on a bus. The bus is stopped by Pakistani soldiers, who interrogate the passengers. When asked for their identity, the freedom fighters claim to be students and show their ID cards.

Partho's father is unable to receive his pension due to demands for a bribe at the government accounting office. When he goes to speak with the official in charge, Partho accompanies him. Despite their efforts, the official delays processing the pension because they refuse to pay the bribe. Frustrated, Partho loses his temper and physically confronts the accountant, but others intervene to stop him. Feeling despondent, Partho returns home and watches Sheikh Mujib's speech urging government employees to work for the welfare of the people.

Cast

Shamol Mawla as Partha

Pori Moni as Diba

Rawnak Hasan as Asif

Zakia Bari Momo as Airin

Naresh Bhuiyan

Abul Hayat

Mamunur Rashid

Shahidul Alam Sachchu

Production

The film is the seventh film directed by Tauquir Ahmed. During the COVID-19 lockdown in the United States, Tauquir spent two months writing the screenplay. He prioritized casting regular stage and television actors for the film. On 9 December 2020, the film's announcement was made, revealing the main cast. Although Fazlur Rahman Babu was initially included, he ultimately did not participate. Abul Hayat, Shahidul Alam Sachchu, and Raonak Hasan, who had previously worked with Tauquir on Fagun Haway, were cast again for Sphulingo.

The development of the film began on 11 December, primarily in various locations in Gazipur district. Indoor scenes were shot at Nakkhatra Bari in Rajendrapur, while outdoor scenes were filmed in locations such as Madhumati Model Town, the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial, the Shitalakkhya River in Kapasia, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, and Kharera village in Kasba, Brahmanbaria. Some scenes included the use of a bus from the Bangladesh Liberation War, with these scenes shot in Manikganj. Cinematography by Enamul Haque Sohel completed the filming in 26 days. Post-production, including editing by Amit Debnath, and some additional work, was done in Kolkata. The film's dialogue was translated into English by Arib Ahmed and Mousumi Roy Chowdhury.

Music

The music composition, arrangement, and direction were handled by Pintu Ghosh and Rokon Emon. Pintu Ghosh had previously worked on the music for Tauquir Ahmed's films Oggatonama, Haldaa, and Fagun Haway. For Sphulingo, three original songs were created, along with a re-arrangement of George Harrison's "Bangla Desh," performed during the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh. The film also features songs by Lalon, Shah Abdul Karim, Hason Raja, Apel Mahmood, Khyapa Baul, and Rizvi. The original songs were released on YouTube in the channel of Tiger Media.

Marketing and release

The promotion of the film was limited to the release of its trailer, posters, and interviews with the cast and crew. Unlike other films directed by Tauquir Ahmed, it did not receive a large-scale promotional campaign. On 1 March, a trailer was released featuring the historic 7 March speech, scenes from the Liberation War, and contemporary youth perspectives.

The Bangladesh Film Censor Board granted the film a clearance certificate on 14 March 2021. The planned release date was postponed twice, initially set for 17 March and later 19 March, before finally being released on 26 March, Bangladesh's Independence Day, in 35 theaters across the country, distributed by Avi Kathachitra. Following its theatrical run, the film was made available on the OTT platform Toffee. Sphulingo was also released internationally on 18 March 2022, in 23 theaters across the United States, distributed by Bioscope Films USA.

Reception

Marzia Akter from Kaler Kantho praised Tauquir Ahmed for "seamlessly blending the philosophy and thoughts of the Father of the Nation with the Liberation War of 1971 and connecting them to the current generation." She commended the film's music, lighting, sound design, editing, and the performances of the lead actors Shyamol Mawla, Pori Moni, and Momo, as well as the supporting cast. However, she criticized the repetitive use of the same locations, which she felt disrupted the film's aesthetic and credibility, and mentioned that compromises in cinematography occasionally affected the film's continuity.

In a mixed review, Salahuddin Lavlu from Samakal characterized Sphulingo as a well-made film. He lauded the performances of all actors, particularly Pori Moni for her restrained acting, and positively highlighted Tauquir and Pintu's contributions to production management and music direction. However, he noted that the film's first half felt slow-paced, stating, "The gripping momentum that should have persisted from start to finish was somewhat lacking."