Shaaticup: A Local Story with the Unconventional Screenplay

First Published on 25 Jan, 2022 in the Business Standard

Theft of the sohel’s drug shipment by a teen gang disrupted the supply of drugs in the Rajshahi city. Sohel assigns Uttam to find out the culprit. Using his source, Uttam found that Joynal may be the man behind all these things. However, Uttam knew that Joynal couldn't do this work alone. So, he made himself determined to catch others involved with it. What happens next is a great treat to enjoy of Chorki’s newly released web series Shaaticup.

This eight-episode-long Narco thriller series is entirely based on the city of Rajshahi. Even the series name 'shatticup' is also a local word of Rajshahi which means to put oneself underground. Being a border city, various syndicates are active in Rajshahi which are involved in drug trafficking. This web series focuses on this context.

Undoubtedly, the context of the story is a difficult task to portray. However, the creators have tried their best to justify the story. The entire series has been shot in Rajshahi and the dialogues of this series are also in the Rajshahi dialect. The conversations between the characters in the Rajshahi accent throughout the series will give the audience an authentic vibe. Also, if you are from Rajshahi then the mention of the places like ‘Guripara’, ‘Panchabati’ will give you goosebumps while watching the series.

Despite having no big names on board, Director Toukir Islam has made it work for him combined with the unique screenplay and unorthodox way of filming. The cinematography was so grand that the city, its alleys, the Padma River, and the surrounding chars have each been transformed into different characters. The storytelling was so beautiful yet realistic that at any moment it will not feel that the makers are forcefully making any statement. At the same time, unfamiliar but talented actors featured in this web series have portrayed their roles beautifully. There are 137 actors associated with this series, all of whom are locals of Rajshahi.

The background score of the Shatticup has wonderfully complimented the story. For a single moment, you will not feel detached from the plots of the series thanks to its background score. ‘GUJGUJ CHANG’ is the only song in this series. This song has been written by Omar Masum who has also played the role of Babu in the series. Containing strong language, this song adds an edge to the story by helping better understand the underlying situation that exists at that particular moment in the story. 

However, alongside all these positive aspects viewers can feel the lack of sub-plots and dark characters in the series. In some instances, the makers of the series refrained from exploring the details of the characters. Like, Hannan's character seemed a bit mysterious. The makers could have focused to explore more of the details of this character. At the same time, the context at which the series has ended, it seems that the second part of the series will also come. In that case, it would have been better for setting up the right tone for the second part, if emphasis had been put on the characters building in this part.

However, such local flavor-rich unconventional screenplays and stories are not usually made in our country. For the local audiences, Shaaticup will be a new experience to watch. Undoubtedly, it is a very bold decision for the makers of this series to work on something that has yet not been properly explored. At the same time, Chorki deserves a special mention for promoting content that doesn't have any big production house or renowned name as the cast. Recently, thanks to the OTT platforms, we are watching to come up many new and different genres of stories. We're slowly getting out of the trend of boredom, guttural stories, and the copy-paste from other Industries' films. This trend is encouraging many young and new creators to come forward with new ideas that are showing a bright future for Bangladeshi content in the coming times.