Nafs-Atma-Psyche.
Islam Religion has three stages of human nafs.
Nafse Ammara, Nafse Lauamah and Nafse Mutmainnah.
The first step of the human nafs is its evil instinct. Man is a slave to his nafs.

The first scene shook the heart of the viewer by beating the warning of such a full voice and covering the night scene of Dhaka. In the dim darkness someone is dragging a body of a middle-aged woman whose body was covered in blood. Blood stains on the floor. Screaming of the street dogs with background music are trembling in the soul. That’s when the scene changed. A girl calmly sitting on sofa having French-fries with blood stains on her hands and nails. Who is she? Why is her vision so calm and lifeless?

This is how the Bangladeshi web series – August 14 started. It’s based on a true story. On the evening of August 16, 2013 police discovered the bodies of police officer Mahfuzur Rahman and his wife Swapna Rahman from a house in Chamelibagh, Dhaka. Daughter Oishee and housemaid Sumi have been missing since the incident. The next day on August 17, she surrendered herself to the police. Exciting information about the murders came out during the police interrogation. The August 14 web series is based on this incident. In this series, the director has portrayed Oishee’s personal life on the screen.

The six-episode series is directed by Shihab Shaheen. His name will also appear as the main author of the series. The producers were Saiduzzaman Mithu and Rafael Ahsan. The main character was played by Tasnuva Tisa. Also, Shahiduzzaman Selim, Monira Mithu, Shatabdi Wadud, Noor A Alam Nayan, Masum Bashar, and many others were in the cast.

In the need of the story, the names of the character were changes as well as the presentation of the story. The screenplay is beautifully arranged. Though it’s based on true events, the story is known to the audience. But thanks to the creators, the web series has been able to hold the audience well till the end. As a crime thriller, it felt exactly as it should have because of the screenplay. The presentation of the screenplay has also helped to maintain the sense of the thrill.

Realistic filming has made the story convincing. The different location of Dhaka at night seems to have made the story very aesthetic. The director also showed a glimpse of what Dhaka looks like from the morning of August 15 – The National Mourning Day. But it is not clear why the word August (আগস্ট) is called Augusth (আগষ্ট) in the title. However, this spelling mistake disappears after watching the intro of the web series.

But the regret remained in the case of background scoring. Because the background scoring is something that can make the screenplay more interesting and mesmerizing. Background scoring was an option to make it far better. However, the creator could not show much skill in this regard.

The cinematography has been quite good. Especially the psychological part. I was very surprised to see this part. Really Brilliant. Also, the scenario of Dhaka at night was aesthetic. Especially the drone shot looks great. And for this thanks goes to cinematographer Nazmul Hasan. But the disappointment comes from the action scenes. For some unknown reason, whether it is a web series or a Film, I don’t know why the action scenes are not pleasing at all.

The first action scene in the series got off to a good start – but with one criminal in the car, everyone else going to catch another one; it seems a little weird. And in the next scene, instead of imitating the main character, the other officers seem to overplay it to show their own attitude. You have to compromise this because there is lack of necessary equipment, skilled man and budget. But, it is possible to get better output than this.

Actress Tasnuva Tisha was in the lead role. Her acting was fantastic and brilliant. So much natural acting was seen after a long time. She has done a great job. Yeah, she beats all the senior actor and actress that played various roles in this web series. It is okay if this series isn’t enjoyable for you, but Tisha makes it possible for you with her talent. Delivered exactly the same reaction and expression where it needed. This is exactly the place where the web series overcome its all obstacles. The director seems to be successful here. Best wishes for her career.

Shahiduzzaman Selim played the role of the father. He played a role who is a successful police officer but not a successful father. He has done an amazing job. Monira Mithu another popular actress from Bangladesh. She played the mother’s role. A mother who doesn’t have enough time for her child but has enough time for her personal work. She justified the role very well.  

But the person who has been shown as the head of the forensic team seems very over reacting to me. He tried hard but eventually it didn’t come out. There is no need to talk about Shatabdi Wadud in general, as he is an actor of any character. However, in this web series, Shatabdi Waduds performance was not as great as his previous performances.  

Masum Basar and Nur A Alam Nayan have done fairly well. There was a scene where I laughed too much for Nur A Alam Nayan’s expression. When the police went into action; as soon as he saw the criminal he was like – Oh, you are the Chud**bhai! Though this is a slang but not as bad as others. It is well known for Bangladeshi people. That was really funny. But towards the end he has a scene of agility; I like that. Masum Basar was average but not best.

Above all, director Shihab Shaheen proved that it is possible to create a very good quality web series in Bangladesh. But it needs the cooperation from the producers. Not only producers but also needs the audiences support. Another thing is that many people say that this series has shown unnecessary nudity to attract audience.

That’s not right at all; at least that’s what I think after watching the series. It seemed logical to show such a small scene in the interest of the story. Even without such a scene, there is still a question of whether Tushi would have achieved perfection in the main character. So, please don’t judge a whole series by watching a viral clip. Please watch the series to judge whether it is necessary or not.

So at the end of the day, I have to thank all those who involved in the August 14 web series, including director Shihab Sahin. These kinds of real events are always present in the context of Bangladesh. So the directors will be requested to make this kind of work more in the interest of the audience. Thank you all.