''Meherjaan'' ( bn, মেহেরজান) is the feature-length début film of Bangladeshi director

Rubaiyat Hossain Rubaiyat Hossain ( bn, রুবাইয়াত হোসেন) is a Bangladeshi film director, writer, and producer. She made the films ''Meherjaan'' (2011), '' Under Construction'' (2015) and '' Made in Bangladesh'' (2019). Education Inspi ...

. The film was pulled from theatres due to the hostile response of some segments of the audience after its release in January 2011. Meherjaan claims to be a women's "feminine" re-visiting of the

Bangladesh Independence War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali n ...

with Pakistan in 1971, while many feel discomfort with the deconstructive representation of the '71 conflict.

Cast

* Jaya Bachchan as Meher * Victor Banerjee as Khwaja Saheb (Grandfather) * Omar Rahim as Wasim Khan (Pakistani Soldier) *

Shaina Amin Mahmuda Amin Shaina (born February 26) popularly known as Shaina Amin is a former Bangladeshi television and film actress and also a model. She began her career as a model appearing in commercials in 2005. In 2006 she made her debut in television ...

as Young Meher * Reetu A Sattar as Neela (Birangona/Freedom fighter) * Azad Abul Kalam Pavel as Shumon (Communist Party worker) * Humayun Faridi as Khonker (Razakar) *

Sharmili Ahmed Sharmili Ahmed (8 May 1947 – 8 July 2022) was a Bangladeshi television and film actress. Early life Majeda Mullick was born on 8 May 1947 in Belur Chok village, Murshidabad. She passed matriculation examination from Rajshahi PN Girls High ...

as Meher's Mother *

Khairul Alam Sabuj Khairul Alam Sabuj is a Bangladeshi actor, playwright and translator. As of 2020, he published four story books and wrote more than 35 television dramas. He received Bangla Academy Literary Award (2019) in the translation category by the Governmen ...

as Meher's Father *

Monira Mithu Monira Akter Mithu is a Bangladeshi television and film actress. Career Mithu debuted her acting career in the television drama ''"Openty Bioscope"'' directed by Humayun Ahmed. Works Television dramas * ''Openty Bioscope'' (2001) * ''Nil Towal ...

as Meher's Aunt * Nasima Selim as Sarah (Warchild) *

as Salma * Ashique Mostafa as Shimul (Freedom fighter) *

Shatabdi Wadud Shatabdi Wadud is a Bangladeshi film and television actor. He won Bangladesh National Film Award Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies ...

as Khalil *

Iqbal Sultan Iqbal, Eqbal, Ikbal, or Eghbal may refer to: Geography Iran * ''Eqbal, Iran'', a village in West Azerbaijan Province *''Eqbaliyeh'', rural district in Iran * ''Eqbal-e Gharbi Rural District'', western provincial district in Qazvin, Iran * ''Eqbal- ...

as Major Baset (Pakistani Major) *

Rifat Chowdhury Rifat (also transliterated as Rifaat, ar, رفعت, , a conjugated form of the Arabic verb رفع with the meaning "lifted", "elated", "joyous") is a masculine name. Variants also include Refat, Rafat, Refaat, etc. Notable people with the name i ...

as Arup * Arup Rahee as Rahee * Rajeev Ahmed as Sami * Tansina Shawan as Joba (Freedom Fighter)

Festivals and awards

Meherjaan has been participated in many film festivals including

Kolkata Film Festival The Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) is an annual film festival held in Kolkata, India. Founded in 1995, it is the third oldest international film festival in India. The festival is organized by the West Bengal Film Centre under the W ...

, Festival International de Films de Fribourg,

Festival de Cine de Bogotá A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holida ...

Festival Cinematográfico Internacional del Uruguay The Uruguay International Film Festival ( es, Festival Cinematográfico Internacional del Uruguay) is an international film festival that takes place every year in the city of Montevideo, Uruguay. Established 1982, it is organized by Cinemateca U ...

, London Asian Film Festival, Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian & Arab Cinema. Meherjaan wins a handful of awards at International film festivals and competitions including Best Critic Award (Jaipur International Film Festival), Jury Award and Audience Award (Northampton International Film Festival), Orson Welles Award (Tiburon International Film Festival)

Suspension

The film was withdrawn from movie theatres in Bangladesh due to the objections of different groups of people. "The film Meherjaan, which was released in Dhaka in January 2011, was quickly pulled out of theatres after it created a furore among audiences. The hostile responses to the film from across generations highlight the discomfort about the portrayal of a raped woman, and its depiction of female and multiple sexualities during the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

of 1971. The film's stance against Bangladeshi nationalism also created a stir among audiences." On 3 November 2011, there was a special film event and a panel discussion at Harvard University sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Boston, South Asia Initiative at Harvard University, Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights at UMass, and the CARR Center for Human Rights, Harvard Kennedy School. The film was screened in advance of a panel discussion by Cambridge/Boston academics.

Reviews

''Meherjaan'' has received mixed reviews.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Meherjaan 2011 films Bengali-language Bangladeshi films Bangladeshi war drama films Films set in the 1970s Films based on the Bangladesh Liberation War Film controversies in Bangladesh