Aynabaji

Aynabaji (Bengali: আয়নাবাজি pronounced [äɪ̯naːbäd͡ʒi]) is a Bangladeshi crime thriller film directed by Amitabh Reza Chowdhury and produced by Gousul Alam under the banner of Content Matters Production. The film was released on 30 September 2016 and received critical acclaim for its storytelling, cinematography, and performances. Aynabaji has maintained a strong reputation since its initial release, and is commonly cited by critics as one of the best South Asian films of the 2010s and 21st century.[3][4][5]

Aynabaji
Theatrical release poster
আয়নাবাজি
Directed byAmitabh Reza Chowdhury
Screenplay by
Story byGousul Alam
Produced byGousul Alam
Starring
CinematographyRashed Zaman
Edited byIqbal Ahsanul Kabir
Music byIndradip Dasgupta
Production
companies
  • Content Matters
  • Half Stop Down
Distributed byHalf Stop Down
Release date
  • 30 September 2016 (2016-09-30)
Running time
146 minutes
CountryBangladesh
LanguageBengali
Budget৳1.7 crore (equivalent to ৳2.4 crore or US$220,000 in 2022)[1]
Box office৳5.13 crore (equivalent to ৳7.3 crore or US$680,000 in 2022)[2]

The film follows the story of Ayna, a professional imposter who is hired to impersonate different individuals for financial gain. As Ayna delves deeper into his work, he becomes embroiled in a web of deceit, murder, and intrigue that threatens to unravel his life.The lead charactes of the film are Chanchal Chowdhury, Masuma Rahman Nabila, and Partha Barua.

Aynabaji has received numerous awards and nominations, including the Best Film Award at the 2016 Dubai International Film Festival. Nominated for 11 awards at the 41st Bangladesh National Film Awards and won 7, including the awards for Best Director and Best Actor in a Leading Role, tying Matir Moina (2002) for the most awards won by a single film.[6][7]

Aynabaji was the highest grossing film of 2016 in Bangladesh[8] and considered a breakthrough for Chanchal Chowdhury. It was remade into the Telugu language film Gayatri.

Plot

The story is about Ayna, a struggling actor who gets to live his profession in real life after failing in his career. Gifted with the natural talents of acting, he is a man with a versatile character and can morph into anybody he wants. For this, he faces different circumstances in his life and thus the story evolves. It is also a story about the dark side of metro city Dhaka, depicting the constant combat between the ruling class and mass people living the city.

Cast

Arifin Shuvoo,[10] and Bijori Barkatullah makes guest appearances as AC Sajjad and Saber's separated wife respectively. Producer Gousul Alam and director Amitabh Reza Chowdhury have special appearances.

Production

Gousul Alam Shaon had written the story for the film, while Anam Biswas adapted into a screenplay. Esha Yousuf was the executive producer of the film while Amitabh Reza is the director of the movie.[9] The entire film was shot in Dhaka. Shooting of the film officially began in February 2015 and ended in August 2015. The film was released on 30 September 2016.[11]

Soundtrack

The music for Aynabaji is composed by Arnob, Fuad, Habib & Chirkut Band. Songs have been well praised by critics.

No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Alu Piyaj er Kabbo"Shaan1:31
2."Dhire Dhire Jaw Na Somoy"Habib Wahid, Anweshaa3:58
3."Duniya"Chirkut Band3:44
4."Ei Shohor Amar"Arnob3:29
5."Lag Velki Lag"Fuad, Johan Alamgir, Sheikh Istiaq2:02

Release

The film was released on 30 September 2016 in Dhaka and later in Chittagong and other cities. It was screened at Marché du Film at 69th annual Cannes Film Festival, where it scored well.[12] Aynabaji has won the award of the best film at United States's 11th Seattle South Asian Film Festival.[13] The movie was pirated after it was released on Robi online TV.[14] The film had a limited release in theaters in the United States, France, Canada and Australia.[15][16]

Reception

Aynabaji received large positive reviews.[17] The movie has received a good response from both critics and audience.[18] Zahid Akbar from The Daily Star gave the film a 4 out of 5 star rating, saying "The film provides the viewers with an empathic view to its characters, which is coupled with brilliant storytelling making the audience wanting more." He praised the film for its story, cast, Chanchal Chowdhury's performance, and "impeccable" cinematography, but criticized the film for being too long.[19]

Box office

Rafi Hossain of The Daily Star described it as "an instant blockbuster hit". It did a record 91 shows in 10 days, the highest number for any Bangladeshi film. With an occupancy record of 98.89%, in eight weeks it collected BDT 20.3 million.[20]

Awards

Spin-off and remake/Influence

Aynabaji has a spin-off TV series titled Aynabaji-Original series. Gayatri an official Indian Telugu remake of Aynabaji has been released on 9 February 2018.

See also

References
  1. "এবার 'আয়নাবাজি' তামিল ও তেলেগু ভাষায় রিমেক". Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). 8 August 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  2. "ঢালিউডের ইতিহাসে সবার ওপর 'বেদের মেয়ে জোৎসনা'". Jugantor (in Bengali). 4 January 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  3. "Best South Asian Movies of the 2010s, Ranked". MovieWeb. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  4. "Aynabaji ranked world's second highest rated film". The Business Standard. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  5. "Aynabaji wins award for best film at Seattle". Dhaka Tribune. 26 October 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  6. Aynabaji - IMDb, retrieved 20 February 2023
  7. "Oggatonama bags best film award of 2016, Aynabaji wins big". New Age | The Most Popular Outspoken English Daily in Bangladesh. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  8. "A year on the silver screen". The Daily Star. 1 January 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  9. "Aynabaji: Against all odds". The Daily Star. 1 October 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  10. "Shuvo surprises 'Aynabaji' viewers". Prothom Alo. Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  11. টিজারেই চমকে দিল আয়নাবাজির আয়না! (ভিডিও) [Aynabaji, A Surprise Package]. Jago News 24 (in Bengali). Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  12. "Aynabaji scores well at Cannes Film Festival". The Daily Star. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  13. ""Aynabaji" bags best film award at Seattle". The Daily Star. 25 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  14. "Internet service provider arrested over 'Aynabaji' movie piracy". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  15. "Aynabaji to begin world tour". New Age. Dhaka. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  16. "Aynabaji to be released in theatres overseas". Dhaka Tribune. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  17. Ferdous, Fahmim (7 October 2016). "Aynabaji: A gripping story told well". The Daily Star. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  18. Javed, Nadim (15 October 2016). "Aynabaji: A breath of fresh air". The Financial Express. Dhaka. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  19. Akbar, Zahid (8 October 2016). "Aynabaji Review". The Daily Star. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  20. Hossain, Rafi (22 October 2016). "Decoding aynabaji". The Daily Star. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  21. "National Film Award winners announced". The Daily Star. 6 April 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
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