Anup Aich is a little known film-maker, unlike his brother Animesh, who has made quite a name for himself as both an actor and a director. Content in his own world of creations, Anup feels that the biggest problem in our films is in the stories. So, he concentrates on writing stories more than making films.
On February 7, the younger Aich is releasing a new book called “Shaat” (Seven), which consists of seven short stories. The book will be available at this year’s Ekushey Book Fair.
This is the writer’s third book and first short stories collection. His first was “Krishongkur Kororekha," published in 2008, while the second one was “Na Moria Proman Korilo She," released in 2014. Both of them were poetry collections.
The titles of the seven short stories of “Shaat” are: “Talpatar Superhero," “Gift," “Obhishopto Jounachar," “Mangsho," “Othoba Hoyni Ghum Bohukal," “Black Morning," and “Abhijeet Das Obhinito." The writer is already working on making “Othoba Hoyni Ghum Bohukal” into a film.
The collection's dedication note reads: “To those who heard the story of struggles at a time of losing comprehension, in a world of consumption.” If this sounds vague or abstract, it is an indication of what follows in the contents of the short stories in “Shaat."
Anup’s writing style for short stories is the polar opposite of his writing for the screen. He writes stories with “tell, don’t show," instead of the usual “show, don’t tell” approach of writing that film-makers must follow. You can tell he is rebelling against something, but the cause of the rebellion is not always apparent.
The themes of the stories are contemporary with ordinary protagonists, ranging from failed youths to lonely widows. It is easy to get lost in the long winding alleys of his stories, given the transitory nature of the narratives.
My final verdict is that if you enjoyed his film “Blind Man’s Buff," you will love this book. But if the film was not your cup of tea, then you can downright skip it.
