DVD Meherjaan

Director of the movie Rubaiyat Hossain stated that she did her thesis on "rape of women", particularly the rape victims of 1971 war in Bangladesh. She said, "I felt as a Bangladeshi woman, who has been given a chance to raise her voice, I needed to work more on bringing out women's experiences in 1971, the inception point of this nation." But what she portrayed in her movie is not aligned with her words.

The truth is that during the 9 months war in Bangladesh, more than 3 million people were brutally killed, along with 200,000 to 400,000 women (including girls and teenagers) held captive, brutally raped and tortured by Pakistan military and their local allies. Most of these raped victims never got their positions back in the society after the war, and still suffering a measurable life 40 years after the war. For them, the war never ended. (Reference: "Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape", Susan Brownmiller, 1993: 80-86)

There was not a single family left in Bangladesh who did not lose a close one in that war. Even after the victory, the joy of independence was shaded with tears of millions of people.

While director Rubaiyat Hossain said that she would highlight these abused women in her movie and would portray the 1971 war of Bangladesh from their view, we expected it to be more in touch with the real history. But in the movie we see something totally different from what actually happened in Bangladesh during that time. There are 3 major female roles in this movie; Meherjan, Nila, and Salma. Meherjan, the main character of the movie fell in love with an enemy soldier while living in the same home with her cousin Nila who was group raped by enemy army. Her character was created as a symbol of love, but in the wrong time of history. She was educated, peaceful and against war. But despite being educated, she was totally unaware of the national demand of independence and the reasons behind that. The other character Nila, whose parents were killed during the war and who was group raped by enemy soldiers, was portrayed as a sex symbol in the movie. Her dress was modern and totally unconventional for a girl of Bengali society of that time. When she said in the movie that "This rape was not the first experience in her life, and she got raped before as well", it reduced the impact of mass rape of women during that war which was said to be focused in this movie. Not all of those 200,000 to 400,000 women were raped before this war. Even if there might be one or few of such incidents, that can not be taken as an example to represent these 400,000 women. The other female character Salma (acted by the director Rubaiyat Hossain herself) passed almost all the time asking her father to arrange for her marriage, as if marriage was the only intention a girl could have during the terror of war.

The only two positive male characters in this movie are the grand father of Meherjan, and the Pakistani soldier Wasim. The grand father was a politician of "Muslim League". This political party was totally against the independence of Bangladesh, and aided Pakistan army to kill civilians, burn and loot houses during the war.

40 years after the war, when majority of Bangladeshi people are demanding trials of 1971 war criminals and criminals against humanity of that time, this movie is trying to bring different message to the nation with misinterpretation of the history. Logically it seems to be a conspiracy against the current process of brining the war criminals to trial.

When a movie is based on special theme consisting love, war & history altogether, the director has to be extra careful making such a movie. This movie is an average movie from love perspective but from the point of view of war & history, this really really sucks because in this movie we hardly see any touch of war or the real reality of 1971. Sometimes it is also represented as a time of chaos (which is a word often used by war criminals of Bangladesh to hide their infinite sins). When 3,000,000 people died in the name of freedom, when 200,000 women was raped in the name of Islam, then how can the director make us believe that a Bengali women with normal common sense will fall in love with a Pakistani Soldier especially when Meher's cousin, Nila was gang raped by Pakistani Soldier. Even Nila's character was controversial. Where Nila could be the symbol of all the raped & suffered women of Bangladesh in 1971, the director somehow makes her sex-symbol!!! Now lets come to the characters of freedom fighter. They all seem coward, fat & womanizer. ROFL. When in reality farmer, university student, teacher – all kinds of freedom loving people were fighting only with their courage and light weapons against the severe oppression led by Pakistani Army equipped by superior fire power, then isn't it a degradation of the characters of freedom fighter & resulting the whole movie. Then comes Mr. Khaja. Her own daughter was raped by Pak Army & yet he never protest against it, not even a hint of sadness or revenge. There are lots of other controversies which lead this movie to its ultimate destruction.

Not only the story sucks, also the costume & choice of words were dreadful, They seem all time travel to 2011, then do shopping & flew back to 1971.LOL.

My last words. this movie is a waste of time, an insult to all the war victim women of the whole world & a lie on the face of history.