Tribute
Song of a filmmaker
Just hours ago, I learned about the tragic death of Tareque Masud in a road accident on one of Bangladesh's increasingly lethal roads. It will sound like a cliché but it must be said that his death, both untimely and heartbreakingly tragic, will cut a deep gash into the soul of Bangladesh.
Masud and his wife Catherine produced films that opened the door to Bangladesh society not only for international audiences but also for Bangladeshis themselves. Tareque Masud left only a handful of films but they are well-known ones like Matir Moina, Ontorjatra, Runway, among others. For myself, the Masud film that will leave the greatest impact upon me is his first one, Muktir Gaan. The documentary film set Bangladeshi cinema and the political arena alight when it was released back in 1995. Muktir Gaan tells the story of a cultural troupe traveling the warzones and the refugee camps during the 1971 Liberation War. The film captured on celluloid the essence of the cultural resistance movement during the early, bloody days of Bangladesh as it wrestled to free itself from the clutches of Pakistan. The film showcased the years of dedication and determination that the Masuds poured into the making of the film. The footage was not originally theirs but the editing and the final cut was one which was all their own, stamped with the indelible mark of the Masuds' raw polish.
For a student like myself who researched the birth of Bangladesh, the film proved to be an invaluable primary source as it contained raw footage from the Liberation War era. For Bangladeshis, both those of the war era and the post-war era, everything about the film was personal because it contained their story, their history. The film came at a time when warring political factions were distorting the story of Bangladesh's liberation for those who were either too young to remember or had not yet been born. The film jolted Bangladeshi society and sent shockwaves that reached the political arena. I watched the film almost fifteen years after its release in the classroom of a university in far-off Hawaii. Dr. Sonia Amin of Dhaka University, the visiting Bangladeshi scholar teaching the course, wanted to show the film as an introduction to her country's vibrant history. As I watched the film, even though I had no idea what was being said or sung about, I was moved by the seemingly indomitable spirit of the troupe members. I became inspired to find out the story behind the film and decided to focus my undergraduate research thesis on the troupe.
During the course of my research, I had the opportunity to correspond with Tareque and Catherine Masud over phone and numerous emails. They responded with politeness and kindness that are devoid today in most common areas of society. I was shocked that these prominent filmmakers were so receptive to my research goals. I was moved by their kindness and willingness to provide me with materials for my research, participating in an exhausting effort to track down a subtitled copy of Muktir Gaan for this novice researcher with no grasp of Bangla. I will always remain grateful to them for generously extending themselves in spite of their busy schedules to an unknown foreign student who called them out of the blue to talk about Muktir Gaan.
I started this piece talking about Tareque but it eventually morphed into Tareque and Catherine, the Masuds. For all of the credit that Tareque is given, we must remember that Catherine was, is his partner, whether in life or death; they will be fused together. The fate of Catherine remains unknown but we must only hope for the best. From the reports coming out, the Masuds were on their way to a location shoot for their newest film. Perhaps the greatest thing in this tragedy that one can take comfort from is that Masud died doing what he was meant to do: working on his films.
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