TBT REPORT
Stories involving cattle, smuggled goods and people constantly pass through the gaps in the barbed-wire fences along border areas. Some disappear into the air, some are buried in the ground, while others return again. Those who carry out such activities by evading the border fences are known as “Danggoal.”
Local cultural personality Shahiduzzaman Lablu from Lalmonirhat has written a play about these Danggoals. A short film titled Danggoal has now been made based on the story behind the creation of that play, directed by Jyotirmoy Roy.
However, the short film is not based on Shahiduzzaman Lablu’s play; rather, it draws from a true incident in his own life. At one point, Lablu decided to bring to the stage various incidents from the border that remain hidden from the public. But he became hesitant, wondering how much of the truth he could reveal and how society and its people would react. The short film explores the inner conflict of a writer caught between truth and hesitation.
Director Jyotirmoy Roy said, “I had been planning for a long time to work on stories from the border areas of the former enclaves. After watching a play by Shahiduzzaman Lablu, I was fascinated. I met him and asked how he had found the story. He then told me about an incident from his real life.
“This short film explores how he turned that experience into a play and the mental conflict, hesitation and doubts he faced while writing it. The story follows Amirul Gidal, who is writing a new pala for his travelling theatre troupe based on people involved in cattle smuggling along the border. But some stories demand that you put many things at stake, even though a sense of meaninglessness lingers at the end.”
Deepak Kumar Goswami, Dilruba Doyel, Shahana Sumi, Ujjal Mia, Bidhan Roy and members of the Bhatibari Lok Natya Dal have portrayed various characters in Danggoal.
The director said the short film is now being prepared for submission to various international film festivals. After its festival screenings, it will be released on an OTT platform or YouTube.
