Movie Review || Lalsalu - A Tree Without Roots

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My Dear Friends,
This is @eh-shohag from 🇧🇩Bangladesh

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Lalsalu

• Writer : Syed Waliullah
• Country : Bangladesh
• Language : Bengali
• Published : 1948

In eleventh and twelfth class it was a subject of our curriculum. I have already read and seen the novel & movie a number of times. The movie is based on Lalsalu novel. In beginning let's know the significant characters viz Majid (the central character), Khaleq Bepari (village leader), Akkas (educated person), Rahima ( 1st wife of Majid), Jamila (2nd wife of Majid, Amena (wife of Khaleq Bepari). Let's enter their roles in details.

The central character of this movie is Majid. The emaciated man wants to control man's religion, will and desire at Mahabbatnagar. In fact, Majid is the controller of all the events of the novel. His direct and indirect effects have created internal reactions of different characters and the strong presence of Majid became inevitable in all the social and family activities of the village.

The main purpose of the movie is to highlight that Majid is a symbol of superstition, deceit, and deception. Basically he wants to perpetuate the traditional belief structure and lifestyle and finally he wants to be the master of that way of life. Moreover, he wants to have unlimited power. For this reason he is ready to perform whatever he wants, no matter how unethical or inhumane. At a time, feeling challenged by his, he competed with the saint of Awalpur. Even, the matter escalated into a bloodbath and forced the saint to retreat in the end. After that he forced the Khaleq Bepari to divorce his child-seeking first wife.

^{Akkas Ali & Majid} (ss taken from the movie).
Thereafter, the dream of a newly educated man named Akkas to establish a school was ruined in the beginning. The reason is that he think that his dominance will be ended.

Although Majid has consolidated his prestige and establishment at Mahabbatnagar, Majid is very much aware that may befall him. He knows that normal life can break the invisible barrier of his religious discipline and exploitation. As a result, when the villagers sang songs of joy at the time of harvest, the song disturbed him. He became eager to stop that songs. He obstructs Rahima's smooth movement. Akkas humiliates in public. Although it is based on lies, it is the work of his calculating intellect to strengthen the foundation of his worldly establishment. He is a believer in God, his faith is strong but he wants to keep his shrine alive through deception or hypocrisy anyway. Sometimes frustration is seen in his face. Majid sometimes gets angry at himself for observing people's distrust towards him.

^{Majid & His 2nd wife Jamila} image source

Majid is the guarantor of selfishness, prestige and exploitation. In a child life after gaining economic establishment, he realizes a kind of emptiness about the future. He married a young girl with the intention of filling this void. Like his first wife Rahima, his second wife Jamila is not afraid of religion. He is not even afraid of the shrine of his. He fails to control her with fear of religion. When Rahima brought Jamila from the shrine and started caring for her with absolute compassion, Majid's heart was stirred.

The screenplay also speaks of his terrible sense of loneliness more than once. He has no relatives with whom he can share his feelings. He can never be emotional. Because he knows sincerity and emotion will start his downfall. And that is where his false empire, which he had built up, could decline. Despite all this, the fact that Majid is really weak and lonely is caught by Rahima. Majid is confused after failing to rule Jamila on a stormy night. The young bride is completely lost in the thought of how to control Jamila. In the midst of such uncertainty, for the first time in his life, he may become self-absorbed.

By the movie, Khaleq Bepari is one of the most representative characters in the movie "Lalsalu". The social leadership of Mahabbatnagar is on his shoulders as he is the owner of land and influence. There is no activity including festival-vows, religious activities, judgment-arbitration where his leadership and authority are not established.

^{Majid is handing over clothes to Rahima}source
It is also mentionable that Rahima is an excellent example of the gentle nature that pious people have because of their loyalty to God. He is a worthy representative of the believing people of the whole Mahabbatnagar. No question arises in her mind about her husband, she always accepts all the rules of religion uttered by her husband. He is very honest and disciplined. As much as he has fear and devotion towards the shrine, he also has a sense of dignity as the wife of the representative of this shrine. Rahima's mind is completely opposite to her husband.

Jamila came as his second wife in the child-wish of childless Majid. But in reality I notice that the one who arrives at his house as his second wife is a teenager the age of his daughter. Adolescent agility is the main character of Jamila. It is because of this agility that the seriousness about marriage does not touch him. Even his wife Rahima never became jealous of him. Rahima is considered to be her maternal sister and she is proud of receiving such affection from him.

In the movie, the story of a family other than Majid and Khaleq Bepari's family has gained importance. The character of Taher-Kader's father has attracted the attention of the spectors through the quarrels of their parents and so on. He is the only character in the novel who has disbelieved in Majid's spiritual power, and has shown resilient determination and personality. His fearless rational and advanced-head position is certainly exceptional. He has apologized to his daughter according to the verdict of Majid's trial but it is not out of respect or loyalty to Majid. He has done this out of a sense of human responsibility.

Conclusion

In essence, Lalsalu is an unforgettable addition to Bengali literature as an artistic social document. Its story is simple and insignificant. The choice of subject, the story and the sequence of events are also unconventional. But in this the writer draws the real view of human life. Its texture and format are very strong. The writer has made a simple incident meaningful by shedding analytical light on the outstanding craft. In Lalsalu, he gives a detailed account of how selfish individuals and society continue the process of exploitation by confusing and frightening the simple and pious common people.

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