Tareque Masud important for understanding society

In honor of the late filmmaker Tareque Masud, the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy’s dance and drama department hosted Monishi Shoron.

At the occasion, which took place on Sunday night, author A-Al Mamun gave a paper about the films of Tareque Masud’s significance today. Sajjad Sharif, a poet and executive editor of Prothom Alo, chaired the event. A-Al Mamun examined Tareque Masud’s views on idealism, nation-state theory, and secularism vs religious fanaticism in his study.

Film critic Sadia Khalid Riti, filmmaker Antu Azad, and sound recordist and Tareque Masud’s brother Nahid Masud were the three discussants on the paper.

Nahid Masud said, “The journey of Tareque bhai was not an easy one. He ventured forward against the odds. He used to say that it was an extremely unequal battle. ‘Muktir Gaan’ faced significant challenges. It was a struggle between the state and the individual.”

He revealed that the movie drew sizable crowds when it was shown at the Dhaka public library for about a month following its premiere. Nonetheless, attempts were made to get the movie banned. All copies of that day’s newspaper were taken out of circulation when “Bhorer Kagoj” released a report on the matter.

Tareque Masud had intended to make multiple more films, but he was unable to finish them, according to Nahid Masud.

“Tareque Masud is a very important figure for our generation,” said Sadia Khalid Riti. There was nothing like the topics he depicted in his films in modern cinema. He served as a tremendous inspiration to us.

Filmmaker Antu Azad said, “When we submit films to festivals, we often find ourselves making films that resemble Korean or Iranian cinema. Instead, we should focus on creating our own distinct films”. He emphasised the need to follow the path set by Tareque Masud in developing an independent cinematic identity.

In his closing statements, Sajjad Sharif said, “Following the July uprising, both positive and negative changes have taken place in the cultural sphere. In this context, Tareque Masud remains a crucial figure for understanding our society and culture. He addressed significant historical questions, such as secularism versus religious extremism, the concept of the nation-state and idealism”.  

Mohammad Jasim Uddin, the director of the dance and drama department at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, gave a welcome address to kick off the event. During the event, a documentary about Tareque Masud was also shown.