BANDHOBI

I am generally interested in films and particularly interested in Korean films. I think they are amongst the best film-making nations. I regularly keep track of what’s happening in the Korean film-world and on my last such reading session, I came across a very interesting film which has just released in Korea. It is called Bandhobi. Now Bandhobi is not exactly a Korean term but a Bengali term meaning ‘female friend’. From what I read about it, it is quite an interesting film. It’s a story about growing pains and the meeting point of different cultures says the review I read. A story about a Korean Teenaged girl and an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant who have to team up due to some circumstances. Teenage actress Bae Jin-hui portrays the cheeky 17-year-old Min-seo, while Mahbub Alam, who, I read is a migrant worker-turned-documentary filmmaker (which in itself, is so interesting) plays Karim, who is what else, but an illegal immigrant in Korea.

Korea has a HUGE western hangover, much like the rest of Asia. In some ways, more so, than the rest of the Asia. Even when we are geographically closer to Korea, they have much more affinity to the west. More often than not, Hollywood films are bigger grossers than the home grown movies. So they often end up making films which has western characters or setting. The very bad but hugely successful D-War is a case in point. But Bandhobi is a totally different ballgame; one of its protagonists doesn’t come from the west but from an ‘undesirable’ country like Bangladesh. The director of this ‘crude socio-political satire’, Shin Dong-il is already hailed as Korea’s Woody Allen, thanks to his previous films.

This movie promises to be an exciting ride. One which will be quite new and refreshing, as it comes from a society we don’t much know about. One which and I quote from the original review, the “director Shin Dong-il translates to screen “uncomfortable” issues of illegal immigration, racism and social toadyism through the universal languages of ticklish humor, teenage angst and priceless friendship.”

I can’t wait to lay my hands on the movie.