Arshinagar (Reflection)

The title ‘Arshinagar’ is a philosophical term coined by Lalon Shai–a social reformer and mystic poet in Bengal in the 18th century. Etymologically speaking, the word ‘Arshi’ means ‘miror’ and ‘nagar’ means land or city. In this film, the two protagonists—Humpy and Dumpty— resemble the famous foil characters Gogo (Estragon) and Didi (Vladimir) in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. However, this duo is now on a new quest—seeking someone who can save the world, but from what and who is this savior? As usual, they know nothing and therefore film reaches nowhere. In this Sishyphian journey, they meet interesting characters to ask for that someone, and it seems all of them know Him/Her with this pronoun without mentioning the name in the absurd setting. Lalon’s mysticism is explicitly bridged with their apparently meaningless but deep venture.