Patriotic film songs in Bangladesh, name of a cavity

The cinema is mostly the relationship between the eye and the ear, and songs have the power to trigger a different cinematic mode. It interprets and illustrates the actions, provides continuity between scenes, and contributes tocreate a sense of unity.

Bangla patriotic songs are believed to be emerged at the beginning of the 19th century and Ishwar Chandra Gupta is considered as the pioneering composer of patriotic songs in Bangla. Songs for the country and the human rights became a very important part of the films in Bangladesh, erstwhile East Pakistan, soon after the establishment of the FDC in 1957.

Very soon the songs emerged as the strongest cultural weapon in the country to create patriotism in common folk and encourage them to struggle for the national identity. Film directors like FatehLohani, Shuvash Dutta, ZahirRaihan and Khan Ataur Rahman tried to develop Bengali national film productions even before the independence. The filmmakers sought to address the aspects of national identity relying upon local stories, themes and music, influenced mostly by glorious history of struggle.

Among the patriotic songs found before independence, "Amar Shonar Bangla" of Rabindranath Tagore,the national anthem of Bangladesh, actually gained immense popularity when ZahirRaihan used it in his film JibonThekeyNeyain 1970. "E KhanchaVangbo Ami Kemon kore" is a metaphoric song used in in the film that searched the way of freedom of the territory. The title song of the film E DeshTomar Amar (1961) directed by Ehtesham was another vibrant and popular pre-independent Bangla patriotic film song.

Songs like "BanglarmatiBanglarjol", "O amardeshermati", "Mayer deyamotakapor","DhonoDhanyePushpeVora", "Karar oi louhokapat", "Shikalporarchhal", "Durgamgiri kantar moru", "Ekioporooproop-e ma tomar", "Joy BanglaBanglar Joy", "Purbodiganteshurjouthechhe", "Mora ektiphoolkebanchaboboleyjudhdhokori", "Bicharpatitomarbicharkorbejara", "Hey SamhaloDhan Ho", "MuktiroMondiroShopanoTole" were energized the people during national struggles like the Language movement, the Mass revolt in 1969 and the War of Liberation. Those songs were used in the films of independent Bangladesh later on instead of new compositions.

OraEgarojon, Roktakto Bangla, BaghaBangali, ArunodoyerAngishakkhi, DheereBoheMeghna, Abar Tora Manush Ho, AlorMichhil, MegherOnekRong were prominent and popular patriotic films where directors used a good number of songs of upraise. But those were mainly RabindraSangeet, NazrulShangeet and the songs sung in the Shadheen Bangla Betar Kendra.Hardly a newborn patriotic song emerged during that golden period of Bangla cinema.

In the films like EkhonoOnekRaat andHangorNodiGrenade also had no patriotic song that can impress natives. A bunch of creative and patriotic directors like AlamgirKabir, Khan Ataur Rahman, ChashiNazrul Islam and Shuvash Dutta gave emphasis on manuscripts rather than the songs.

The MuktirGaanof TarequeMasudis the exception here, which is an assemblage of patriotic songs sung in the camps of freedom fighters but again the original and new patriotic songs were absent in hisfurther eminent works like MatirMoyna, Noroshundor or Runway.

Despite of great importance, the use of such songs in art and independent films are quite limited. Some creative filmmakers had great contribution in making patriotic films in recent decades. Morshedul Islam, TanvirMokammel, ManjareHasin Murad, NasiruddinYousuff andZahidur Rahman Anjan are among the familiar alternative storytellers, are also giving focus on the plot rather than using songs in their patriotic cinemas.

Humayun Ahmed, the writer, poet and lyricist,likewiseoverlooked the importance of patriotic songs in his films like AgunerPoroshmoni and ShyamolChhaya. In Tauquir Ahmed's Sfulingo, Joyjatra, FagulHaoway also had no mentionable patriotic song.

Laal MorogerJhuti of NurulAlamAtique is the latest inclusion in the list. The film is undoubtedly added a new dimension to the history of Bangladeshi cinema. But like others,Atique also considered the patriotic song as an unnecessary element for his film. Even, mainstream film directors like Motin Rahman and Shah Alam Kiron remained reluctant about the songs for the country.

A very negligible number of patriotic film songs however, claimed the heart of peoplein recent decades. "Ekattorer Ma jonoikothaetomarmuktishenardol" is such an example. Mohammad Hanna used the song in his film Bikkhov. Khijir Hayat Khan's Jaago was released in 2010. The 'Jaago Bangladesh' titled track of football based cinema had great reconciliation for the call of the nation.

"Hridoye Amar Bangladesh" is a song from the romantic genre's film EitoPremgot popularity in 2015. Meanwhile, Ami tomarinamgai, a song composed by Kalika Prasad of India, is probably the last such song that took place in the heart of millions. Prasad composed the song for the film BhubanMajhiwhich resealed in 2017.

The film on the War of Liberation between 1972 and 1975, contained blood warming songs for the nation. The trend nevertheless, took a turn to folktale songs, religious tracks and obeisance of myths after the assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975; but still the songs of Bangladeshi cinema vindicated the figure of the workers and the peasants addressing social inequality and were valiant and harsh in socio-political criticismin its longer historic part. The scenario though started to get worse from the beginning of the new millennium, and the patriotic and people-centric features in Bangladeshi film songs are now extinct like the Dodos.

Contemporary music test milieu as strongly Europeanized as the rock, rap and metal songs claimed the position of popular music genre while Bollywoodized danceable songs are being adapted ominously.

Playful, poetic realist film scores was a means of pointing to social problems one day,and in terms of song lyrics, the themes once advocated for the value of the rural world, encouraged humanitarian feelings, nostalgia, the landscapes, the history and the hymn of national heroes; are now giving place to 'Yo-Yo' culture and Salsa type Masala songs, which are full of erotic stanza.

In singing pictures, what we can see now a days, are seductive expressions with ill-mannered dances wearing dresses those are actually used to represent sexual exposure.

It is therefore, the high time to refocus in enhancing the number of patriotic songs in Bangladeshi films to create national unity and cultural upsurge amidst existing instable socio-cultural context.
Writer: Daily Observer journalist and Film society movement activist