Nishwas: Amazing plot, weak execution

‘Poran’-famed filmmaker Raihan Rafi’s latest film ‘Nishwas’ hit popular Bangladeshi OTT platform Chorki. Though the action-packed teaser of the film was well received by Bangladeshi netizens, the actual film failed to leave a mark. Despite having an amazing plot the film felt sluggish at times. The Business Post’s Siam Raihan takes a deep dive into the different aspects of ‘Nishwas’

Plot - 9/10

The film’s plot was the main attraction for me. The storyline mainly deals with a moderate middle-class Bangali Muslim family struck with financial woes and brainwashed into terrorism. Three entirely different stories merge together as the non-linear story arc builds up gradually. The plausibility factor was also dealt nicely. The audience will not be able to predict what will happen next, which is a very good feature for a good action-thriller.

Attraction - 7/10

The Chorki original film packaged its promotional contents as if ‘Nishwas’ was an action-thriller. But the film is more of a family drama with an action sequence at the end of the film. Though the film’s director Raihan Rafi did claim in all of his previous media statements that this ‘Nishwas’ is one of the “most experimental projects” he did in his entire career. Keeping that in mind it did feel like an experimental project which seemed very different from his previous works like ‘Poran,’ ‘Dahan,’ ‘Janowar’ or even ‘The Dark Side Of Dhaka.’ If the audience starts watching the film keeping its action-thrileresque trailer in mind then they will surely be disappointed. Nonetheless, it is a very entertaining web film for all compared to recent mainstream Bangladeshi OTT content.

Theme - 10/10

The film revolves around a nurse called Nipa (played by Tasnia Farin). Though not worthy of critical praise, the film does have its own identity as it deals with Islamist terrorism from a very different perspective. ‘Nishwas’ tries to create a link between middle-class Bangali Muslim families’ financial hardships and how extremists are using this weakness to spread fundamentalism in this society. No other contemporary content has dealt with these themes or issues. Yet, these are the realities that are overshadowing our once liberal society which fought for liberation and communal harmony in this country. The three separate storylines which later on merge together mainly deal with lust, revenge and the afterlife. Each of the characters in the film; from the junkie boyfriend of Safa Kabir to Tasnia Farin’s banker husband who left his job to join a terrorist cell, are grey characters where we can not pin them as either good or bad. More films on sensitive yet educational themes like these should be produced in our industry. Chorki deserves a big round of applause for executing this.

Acting - 5/10

The main problem with all of Raihan Rafi’s films is bad acting direction and a lack of flow. Personally, I have never enjoyed Tasnia Farin’s acting performance though somehow she is one of the most in-demand actresses in the current OTT wave. In some scenes of this film, Farin’s acting was brilliant but mostly very bland. Safa Kabir and Sayed Zaman Shawon’s performance and on-screen chemistry were great. Apart from them, most cast members did a very poor job and their acting performance will not leave an impact on the audience.

Dialogue & Screenplay - 4/10

The most poorly handled part of ‘Nishwas.’ Despite having an amazing plot and theme the dialogues and screenplay were very poorly written. The actors’ performance felt weak and bland on-screen due to the bad dialogue writing. The climax and conclusion of the screenplay were confusing and boring. The long, single-take treatment felt even worse beacuase of the poor and unnatural dialogues. The poor and unnatural usage of English by the doctors in the hospital did not help either. The terrorist attack scene was the worst written sequence of the entire film.

Cinematography/ Visual - 8/10

Raihan Rafi chose long single takes for the film’s visual treatment. There weren’t any over-the-top stylistic shots but it wasn’t terrible either. The film was mostly shot indoors with moody and gloomy lighting which complemented the tone and theme of the film. The final action scene was also well shot. Costume, production design and makeup were also very well done.

Editing & Effects - 7/10

The non-linear editing felt out of place most of the time. The three separate storylines constantly went back and forth in their timelines which was not well executed. All of this can feel a bit jarring to the average media content consumer.

The VFX and SFX were very well done in the action scenes where a terrorist group attacks a local clinic.

Sound & Music - 8/10

The music of the film was very well done, especially in the last sequence. The sound was not given proper attention. The dubbing sound felt out of sync and sound mixing was not done very well. Foleys in the action and gun fighting sequences felt a little off. The room tone issue was not dealt well. A large hospital corridor and a tiny room in a launch had the same reverb and echo.

Direction - 8/10

The film was not properly executed by the director as it should have been. Acting direction and screenwriting are still two huge issues for Rafi. Yet, he deserves praise because he always chooses contemporary stories that resonate with the audience. From that point of view, he definitely is one of the most visionary and bold directors of our time.

Overall - 8

‘Nishwas’ does have a lot of loopholes and flaws that can not be avoided. Yet, I consider this one of the most important contemporary films.

A big shout-out to Chorki and Raihan Rafi for creating a bold project like ‘Nishwas,’ which dealt with the rise of fundamentalism in our country from a completely different lens. After watching the film, the average audience can actually relate to how extremists are trying to destabilise the communal harmony of Bangladesh with

bigotry. It also teaches the audience the importance of moral and sex education, which is unheard of in recent filmmaking.

Recently, the Bangladeshi film fraternity and regular movie-goers have raised issues with Bangladesh Film Censor Board (BFCB) and how they silence unconventional stories that do not fit their regulations. The government has already drafted a new set of regulations for OTT platforms which is also being criticised by the netizens. Even, Rafi’s upcoming film Liberation War-based film ‘Damaal’ received backlash from numerous fundamentalist groups online. With all its minor flaws, the brave and straightforward plot and storytelling of ‘Nishwas’ in this challenging phase we are passing as a society is definitely a breath of fresh air for cinema lovers.