Mainkar Chipay: Dark thriller that could have been better

Super high on drugs, Samir rests on the grass while puffing a cigarette and says (in first person narrative) - "The smell of grass and soil feels different and it has a name. Saw it a few days ago on internet, forgot it, anyways I do not have time to *** literature about the smell of grass but you guys have plenty of ** to care for such **** things."

Then the scene cuts to the title credit.

Watch "Mainker Chipay" trailer here 

This is a scene from the first Bangladeshi original short film by Zee5 Global, "Mainker Chipay," directed by Abrar Athar, which premiered globally for audiences in 190+ countries on November 9.

Last year, Abrar's short film, "Life in Other Words," was screened at international film festivals and had won awards at various festivals around the globe. Later, the film was released on Amazon Prime, Vimeo on demand, Roku, and Shorts TV. That is why his latest thriller created a huge buzz prior to its release.

The story of "Mainkar Chipay" revolves around the character of an undercover police officer played by Afran Nisho who fools a drug dealer Shafiq (Shamol Mawla) and his customer, Samir (Sariful Razz) into believing he is a dealer himself.

The story is narrated from Samir's point of view and divided into chapters. The plot takes a new twist and turn in each chapter.

The film's storyline has certain loopholes, such as it does not explain who else is behind the hot- head undercover police officer and his master plan as he breaks the law in order to frame the drug dealers. 

And from the dialogues, it is difficult to understand that Afran Nisho is actually a police officer, unless you pay close attention. If montages or flashbacks were used in the script to give more information about the character, it would have been more interesting. 

The writers could have cut down Nisho's dialogues, as at certain points, they feel tedious and irrelevant in spite of his strong performance.

There is no character progression or any background information about them. 

The story had a lot of potential to be more interesting but it falls flat for the lengthy and repetitive dialogues.

The dialogues and references used in the film, in general, are quite relatable. However, the use of explicit words in pretty much every exchange - to demonstrate the drug world - feels a little unnecessary.

The film is enjoyable for good acting by the three actors, especially, Afran Nisho, who is phenomenal in the film as a police officer. Throughout the film, he delivers most of the dialogue and steals the spot light. His voice modulation and acting skills deserve praise.

Sariful's (Samir) acting is quite impressive as well; a spoiled drug-addicted brat. Shamol's performance as the drug dealer is mediocre in the film compared to Nisho and Sariful.

Tahsin Rahman's cinematography helped create the mysterious environment of the film as well as the night life of the drug dealers. 

Shot entirely at night, the title credit of the film features some great night time shots of Dhaka. Towards the end, the film has some great scenes where the cinematographer played with lights and shadows.

The editing and background score are fairly commendable and complement the film. 

The film clearly has a target audience because this is not a family friendly film for its X-rated dialogues and depiction of the dark underworld.