A spectacle of opulent excess unfolds on screen: scantily clad women dance suggestively to a raunchy rendition of the children's lullaby "aye aye chaand mama, chimti diya ja."

This calculated provocation aims to ignite a frenzied response from the audience, urging them to "bring out the beast."

Slapping the cinema seats, banging the floor and cat calls are permitted, but no vandalism! 

On screen, guns are flaunted, opulence is everywhere, money flies, swanky vehicles add to the cachet of the characters and all this is layered with unlimited (often risible) braggadocio.

Voila, there you have the modern day blockbuster formula. 

Ostentatious with a big ‘O’

If ostentatious has always had a negative connotation then the word has been redefined.

It now refers to celluloid extravaganza where glitz, glamour, eroticism and swagger blend to form a hedonistic cocktail.

Have a swig, you may like it!

Honestly speaking, this formula, which may seem vulgar to many, is the staple for movies, aiming to make profit and, well, make us forget drab reality for a few hours.

For some time, the Bangla film template has seen a significant change. 

Especially during Eid, when people are in a celebratory mood, movies try to create an alternative world of fantasy.

Stands to reason, if one can watch all those superhero flicks then why not our own masala creation!

This Eid, Shakib Khan starring Barbaad has set the screen ablaze.

Ariyan Mirza, a privileged heir, leads a life of reckless indulgence, consumed by drugs, lust, and violence.

His infatuation with Neetu, a seemingly altruistic woman dedicated to aiding the underprivileged, prompts him to attempt a dramatic reformation.

However, Neetu's apparent benevolence masks a hidden agenda, complicating their burgeoning relationship.

Further complicating matters are the Mirza family's intricate political connections, which entangle them in a web of political assassinations and power struggles.

Amidst this turmoil, Ariyan becomes the target of a rival family's carefully planned attack.

In what appears to be a rather implausible ending, he along with his acolytes unleash hell, killing about half a dozen scheming politicians and countless goons belonging to the opposite gang.

Look for logic and you’ll be lost 

Logic and realism are strictly forbidden in these cinematic adventures. After all, we don't dissect the plausibility of Avengers or Batman, do we?

So, when our hero decimates an entire gang with military-grade weaponry, all you can do is chuckle.

Where did Ariyan procure an M34 Gatling, anyway? And who's supplying the endless ammo?

Not to mention, the army of automatic weapon-wielding bodyguards—a delightful disregard for reality, given that real bodyguards are limited to permitted shotguns.

And how does a cop-killing, policewoman-violating criminal jet off to a life of luxury?

Shakib Khan, with a finger to his lips on the poster, suggests we simply shush and enjoy the absurdity.

It’s just a movie, after all.

Is it really just a film?

At the cinema hall, we all take it as a movie because it’s a season for fun and laughter with hardly anyone looking for hard core reality.

In that case, the film should never mix reality with fantasy.

Either be a total entertainer or be a realistic production with as few incongruities as possible.

Barbaad was going well for around one and a half hours although in the end it waded more into grim reality. 

Is it wise to mix two separate genres?

Perhaps it would be prudent to follow one format till the end without making wild turns because it all began with something unreal.

Anyway, that’s my opinion, others may differ.

Predatory culture beneath the razzmatazz

The swashbuckling formula with bravado filled lines delivered with whisky tumbler in hand is certainly enjoyable to watch although the relentless glorification of the life of a gangster or, an underground crime lord, has become a little trite.

This Eid, another movie called Daagi, has been made following the ‘Glitz-gangster’ formula.

How about something new for a change!

By the way, the kill count has to be brought down too. Action films will show death but in Barbaad it became really disturbing at one point.

Fewer men were killed during the Battle of Waterloo, someone commented at the hall.

Don’t get me wrong here, a dash of decadence on film is always welcome for Eid and other holidays.

However, let’s reduce the crude elements a bit.

Not all underworld leaders need to be seen drinking all the time and neither is it necessary to make the guns so visible.

The bravado can be more subtle while the ‘beast’ element refined to showcase composed indignation. 

Shakib Khan has thrilled us with Toofan, and he has done a fairly commendable job in Barbaad but in both the movies, the characters are somewhat similar.

It’s time for him to emerge as the ‘sophisticated’ badass – a sybarite using quotes from Byron, wearing bespoke attire, sipping single malt, driving not a Rolls but a classic Jaguar, carrying not a mobster style flashy 9MM but a black Luger and lighting a Cohiba.

In that ‘suave swine’ role, he will be able to woo Bangladeshi expats abroad.

What say you?

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Towheed Feroze is a former journalist