'Debi': Bangladeshi horror film done right for 1st time
I read Humayun Ahmed's famous novel 'Debi' just five days before the release of its silver screen adaptation. I was so hooked by the story, that I immediately looked for the second book of the 'Misir Ali' series to see if the 'Debi' story was continued.
Did I feel the same way after watching the adaptation by Anam Biswas? Yes. I will look forward to an adaptation of 'Nishitini,' the book that acts as a sequel to 'Debi,' if it is made by the same team and cast.
The setting of the film 'Debi' is in 2018. Instead of publishing advertisements on newspaper, the mysterious serial killer Ahmed Sabet finds prey on Facebook. However, nothing else from the novel was changed for the 2018 setting in the film.
This can be interpreted as a half-hearted setting change, but I honestly think, that the credit was due to Humayun Ahmed, who as a writer was light years ahead of his contemporaries. 'Debi' was written in such universal setting, that any film-maker may base their adaptation of this story in any year and still make it work.
The change in modus operandi of the killer Sabet was necessary, as the film team rightly predicted that a lot of new people like me will go to watch the film. It would look far-fetched to people like us, who live and breathe social media, if someone tried to post advertisements on a newspaper to get someone to socialize with, and also succeed.
