That Mosharraf Karim can act in a variety of roles, especially as a shrewd police officer, is now an established fact. Mohanagar, the web series about urban decay, depravity, erosion of values plus the perennial fight between ethics and immorality is perhaps the most talked about Bangladeshi web production in recent times. The first series methodically explored a night in Dhaka in a police station where a very complex plot unravels, exposing layers of intrigue and subterfuge.
Karim as OC Harun, a person whose reputation is a mixture of vice and virtue,instantly won hearts, especially with his trademark line delivering life's unsavoury but harsh realities - jibone duita kotha mone rakhben, in life, always remember two things!
Well, the first instalment of Mohanagr ended in suspense with OC Harun taken away for questioning.
The second part opens in what seems to be a high tech office belonging to an unnamed state intelligence service. OC Harun is under scrutiny.
All is good! Meanwhile, the reprobate rich guy Afnan Chowdhury, played by Shamol Mowla, who, in the first series, is brought to the police station after running over someone on the road, is now hunting a woman, who is willing to testify against him for physical assault during a party.
Afnan along with a corrupt MP who masterminded the explosion of a bomb at a political rally are both after Harun. It seems all hell has broken down on the OC who is firmly told not to use his line: 'always remember two things'.
Undaunted, OC Harun comes with a novel line: 'in life, forget two things!'
The complex plot is enjoyable and Karim's acting deserves kudos. To be honest, he outshines most in the second part as all plot twists seem to have him at the centre.
Afsana Mimi is perfect as the political leader, showcasing the compassionate as well as the firm unbending side of a leader, trying to negotiate her way through the murky world of politics by the canny use of ideals and connections.
I don't know if Mimi realises but she is so immersed in the role that one may even be convinced that she has done politics in real life.
Mohanagar has a surprise in the end when the audience finds West Bengal actor Anirban Bhattyacharya playing the scheming MP.
Full marks for bringing in the actor, making ripples as truth seeker Byomkesh Bakshi.
Point is, can we really accept him in a villainous role?
Mohanagar 2 has twists, actually too many which often lose the thread of credibility. The flaws were minimum in the first series, unfortunately, in the second, they are glaring.
Let's take them one by one:
Too many coincidences: OC Harun is taken into custody and given special treatment, which is unheard of because a person under grilling cannot enjoy any latitude. Yet, he goes to a secluded spot to smoke unaccompanied and spends time in the toilet talking secretly on a phone with no guard.
At the interrogating office, he meets an IT expert whom he is supposed to have known in the past; however, this guy but turns out to be colluding with Harun's enemies.
Again, so much interaction with others during detention is hard to believe. Even for the films sake if we accept this flaw, the fact that the IT expert did not gather the right information of the person he is impersonating indicates that those who planted him did not do the homework properly. As we know in reality, if false identities are created for a purpose, some background checking is done.
The toilet is all mine: Also, Harun spends too much time in the toilet talking on the phone taken from the IT expert. The toilets are mostly empty, meaning no one else has urges of nature.
Well, with heavy suspension of disbelief, let us accept all these but once you do, the plot becomes banal.
While OC Harun is in custody, his friend, Sukumar, a detective branch officer, is roaming a district town. This person comes out of a rail station and, almost immediately, finds a CNG willing to take him around town the whole night - again, I find this little hard to accept.
Coincidences never stop as Sukumar also finds and helps Afnan Chowdhury fix a glitch in his car in the middle of nowhere.
Come on, how many miracles can happen in one night!
Losing touch with reality: Mohanagar 2 wanted to give us a jolt with the ending when OC Harun is shot at the dead of night on a Dhaka main road.
The person pulling the trigger is not wearing a mask and openly shoots him in a city where even nook and corners are covered by CCTV cameras.
Sorry to say, Mohanagr 2 slips more and more into Bollywood fantasy realm, losing touch with gritty reality. The reason why the first series won so many accolades was because it tried to minimise discrepancies plus coincidences.
This is not to say, Mohanagar 2 is a flop; Far from it, the series brings out the best in acting from both Mimi and Karim.
I will not be surprised if there's an OTT production just on OC Harun. The current feeling among OTT enthusiasts is that Mohanagar 3 will focus more on Anirban's character of the crafty politician.
As for OC Harun, well, if Sherlock Holmes can come back from death then why not Harun?
In making the third part, the story writer should keep two things in mind: 1. the production became a hit due to Harun, so he has to be there and 2. Modern day film lovers expect more credibility in plots so minimise the mistakes; if needed, hire experts to detect possible flaws.
Pradosh Mitra is a film buff!
