“The University of Chankharpul”, a film exploring campus politics, political groupings and struggles for power, is set to have its world television premiere on Channel i on Friday (August 28).
Directed by Akash Haque, the film will air at 5:15pm as part of Channel i’s “Teleplex Exclusive”.
Drawing partly from Haque’s own experiences as a student at the University of Dhaka and the realities he observed around him, the film uses humour to examine university politics and the ways young people become entangled in shifting alliances and contests for power.
“The University of Chankharpul” depicts how power changes hands within student politics, the strategies involved in such transitions and how students can find themselves alternately benefiting from and being left behind by the political machinery. It also explores the culture of loyalty and the efforts of activists to remain close to their leaders.
The film’s song “Shohomot Bhai” has also drawn attention from audiences. Written, composed and performed by Tabib Mahmud, with music arranged by Shuvro Raha, the rap track sharpens the film’s political satire and observations on campus realities.
Haque views university politics as more than an isolated campus phenomenon. According to the filmmaker, struggles for influence, competition for positions, senior-junior dynamics and political groupings within universities reflect, on a smaller scale, Bangladesh’s broader social and political structures.
The director said the film does not target any particular individual or political party, but instead examines a political culture, its structures of power and the attitudes surrounding them.
Following screenings at film festivals and theatres, the film will now reach a wider audience through its television premiere.
The cast includes Debadyuti Aich, Rocky Khan, Bobby Biswas, Akhtaruzzaman Azad, Abu Sayeed, Ifad Hasan, Chayan Mondal, SA Jibon and Mehedi Hasan Sohan, among others.
Alongside directing the film, Haque served as its producer, screenwriter, editor and cinematographer.
