Paraan Review : Raw Love, Broken Promises

 I have given up politics,
I will also give up drugs for you.
But you won't give me up again, will you?

This dialogue is from the much-talked-about film *'Paraan' directed by Raihan Rafi. Even though the heroine doesn't keep the hero's words, the film has been very successful in winning the hearts of the audience. In a word, "Paraan" was a powerful and influential movie. Although there were some flaws in the story, the acting, production style, and emotional presentation made the movie come alive. 'Paraan' was released in Bangladeshi theaters on July 10, 2022. Shahjahan Sourav and Raihan Rafi wrote the screenplay of the film. Emon Chowdhury and Naved Parvez directed the music. Vidya Sinha Mim (Ananya), Shariful Raj (Roman), and Yash Rohan (Sifat) played the lead roles. Along with Shahiduzzaman Selim, Rosie Siddiqui, Shilpi Sarkar, Apu, and Lutfar Rahman, George caught special attention with their performances. The story of the movie is inspired by the controversial murder of Nayan Bond and Rifat Sharif in Barguna, as well as the love triangle in Minni's life. The story moves forward focusing on the lives, love, and crises of two young men and a young woman in the mofussil area. Love, addiction, politics, marriage, and separation, Real and sensitive issues, have been presented through an eventful story. The way director Raihan Rafi has given the story to the audience is undoubtedly praiseworthy. Although the pace of character development and the surrounding context seem slow in the first part of the movie, the story holds the audience firmly in the second part.

Rashed Mamun, playing the role of Roman's friend, Apu, has tried to create humor by mastering his stutter. Rosy Siddiqui's performance as the villain is particularly noteworthy. The timing of her dialogue delivery and characterization is very effective. She has clearly highlighted this reality through her character, showing how politicians exploit the youth for their own interests and cut them off when the need arises. Background music (BGM) plays a crucial role in a movie. Although the BGM of 'Paraan' is quite effective, it could have been more restrained in some places; it felt a little intense at times.

Songs are an integral part of Bengali cinema. The songs of 'Paraan' are beautiful and relevant to the story. I especially liked the songs *'Cholo Nirala'* and *'Sajiye Gujiye'*. None of the songs seems to have been forced in. Bengali cinema often tends to have unnecessary dialogue and overacting. However, this is not the case in 'Paraan'. Although there are not many memorable dialogues or characters, there is no overacting or unnecessary dialogue. The director has used the scenes and dialogues skillfully, and has not made the scenes unnecessarily long. As a result, the movie never feels boring, which is crucial for a film. The turns and twists of the movie are presented quite well. The way the story takes a turn after the interval is commendable. However, the twist at the end seems unnecessary. Perhaps this twist was added to separate the movie from the main story—the murder of Nayan Bond and Rifat. All in all, *'Paraan'* is a one-off. Time Watchable Cinema. This film is a good example of the positive development occurring in Bengali cinema. Viewers should go to the theater and watch 'Paraan' at least once to support the Bangladeshi and Bengali film industry.