WTFry is a Quirky Romantic Film | The Asian Age Online, Bangladesh

ZEE5’s second Bangla Original after the hugely popular Mainkar Chipay is also hugely watchable. WTFry a short film starring Bidya Sinha Mim as Shama the Firefly, Pritom Hasan as Bashar, Sakib Bin Rashid as Johnny, and Iresh Zaker as Shama’s notorious ex-boyfriend. The film marks the OTT directorial debut of Anam Biswas, Bangladesh’s national award-winning director.

 The movie begins with a distraught Shama standing on a bridge, late at night, talking to her social media followers stating that it is her last selfie and last LIVE broadcast on social media, only to have reactions like “love” and “hot” from her fans. About to jump off the bridge, Shama is interrupted by an unknown person (Bashar) who only wants his friend’s cap back. What follows then is a quirky and fun story.

 Full of quirky dialogues and a subtle girl-meets-boy romance, WTFry is funny and heart-warming as the director takes us through the dual lives of celebrities and the simplicity of ordinary people. A nice take on online living vs living in real life, it exposes the reality of our lives without puncturing any wounds.

 Mim, Hasan, and Rashid portray their respective characters with ease. Mim starts off as any hot-headed superstar, but soon the audience warms up to her, understanding her pressures and lifestyle choices. Hasan is nonchalant as Bashar, and the audience will easily identify with him as a boy-next-door. Rashid as Johnny adds in the comic element, spouting dialogues like “Are you Shama or Lara Croft?”.

Under Anam’s direction, the beautiful cinematography enhances the performances by the actors. Shot beautifully in the outskirts of Dhaka where one usually would not frequent, WTFry portrays beautiful silences of the night and day, and the little joys through this landscape. While the contrasting world storyline has been used many times, WTFry captures the situation with utmost simplicity and that’s what makes it special.
The film has a lovely song highlighting how one’s perspective can change with a little love.

Titled ‘Kolijar Singara’, the song has been sung by young homegrown folk singer Nadia Dora and composed by rising talent Ruslan Rehman. The song mocks the film’s theme with Anam Biswas’s quirky lyrics and deserves a special mention in giving young artists global exposure through the platform. All in all, WTFry takes the viewer through the calm in the chaos and is a short, sweet ensemble that young viewers will particularly enjoy.