R E V I E W – S E R I E S
Sharika Sabha
Ashfaque Nipun’s state-of-the-art creation Mohanagar, a Hoichoi Originals series was released on the OTT platform on 25 June. With the bold storyline that was carried out satisfactorily by the lead casts, the first season of this realistic mystery-crime-thriller series is a feast for the eyes.
The opening scene introduced the stars of the series: Moloy Kumar, a Sub Inspector, and Harun Ur Rashid, the Officer in Charge at Kotowali Thana. Within the first 10 minutes, viewers get a glimpse of the lives of people from three primary societal classes in three different parts of Dhaka — a runway murderer in Tejgaon slum from the lower class, a middle-class office-goer in Dhanmondi, and a hotshot CEO in Gulshan representing the upper class.
As the story progressed, the plot became clearer. Mohanagar is an account of the aftermaths of an alleged hit and run case in the capital, where the perpetrator Afnan Chowdhury belonged to the upper echelon of the society — the son of a powerful businessman and politician, but the victim was a commoner. Although the tone of the storyline is not distant, the perspective we were presented with was different.
This entire series focused on Kotowali Thana which was handling the case, thus the story revolved around the officers of the station, arrested criminals and journalists who were present there. The main leads — OC Harun, an ethically compromised police officer, and his sub-ordinate – SI Moloy, an ardent, honest officer — were complementary characters. While Harun was orchestrating scenarios to hush it up, Moloy tried his best to collect evidence to ensure justice. Only in the last episode viewers got to know who succeeded, but was that really all to it? The next season will bring in the answers.
From the story, screenplay to dialogue, Ashfaque Nipun has done a tremendous job. The lead characters were cautiously constructed, each having distinct attributes. I loved how Harun was always sharing his philosophy of simplifying everything with two options and Moloy was rational throughout the series. Furthermore, introducing the character of a regular prisoner for comic relief (played by Nasir Uddin Khan) worked well with the plot. The gripping storyline with a powerful cliffhanger was enacted skillfully by the actors. The cinematography and visual effects were mediocre, but I thoroughly enjoyed the background score.
Prominent actor Mosharraf Karim made his Hoichoi debut through the character Harun Ur Rashid and he was as astounding as ever. He effortlessly portrayed this character of a morally corrupt police officer whom, as a viewer, I loathed from time to time. Nevertheless, as the end drew near with a twisted turn of events, I couldn’t help liking this character who turned out to be the lesser evil.
Shamol Mawla and Zakia Bari Momo are both proven actors of this industry and naturally, they aced at portraying their respective characters as Afnan Chowdury, the CEO of Sugandha Group of Industries and AC Sahana. It was the first time I have seen Mostafizur Noor Imran’s work who played the role of Moloy Kumar and executed it flawlessly. His dilemma of whether to unearth the truth or bury it away by following his superior blindly was intense to watch.
All in all, Mohanagar is an apt representation of the law enforcement system of Dhaka Mohanagari, the metropolitan city which is at the centre of money, power, struggle, and fame in our country; with an illusory hue of triumphant justice as it is difficult to find a Moloy Kumar in reality.
Sharika Sabha is tired of convincing people that Economics doesn’t teach you how to make money. She loves human babies, books, and submitting assignments a few minutes before the deadline. She can be reached at [email protected]