The fervor of the football World Cup is gripping the world, and it has reached the country’s football lovers as well. A lighthearted rivalry has already broken out between Argentina and Brazil supporters over the game. Even in Bangladesh, thousands of miles away, the passion, excitement and rivalry between the two camps go back a long way.
It is around all of this that the nightly drama series “Para’r Bishwakap” (The Neighborhood’s World Cup) has been built. Centered on the football World Cup, it portrays the relationships, love, conflict and social reality of neighborhood residents through a blend of humor and emotion.
The drama is written by Ahsan Alamgir and directed by Al Hazen.
In the drama, the marriage of two young residents of the neighborhood, Aziz and Manzil, is all but settled. But their relationship and engagement fall apart over a dispute about football. Aziz supports Argentina, while Manzil is a Brazil fan. The rift gradually splits the entire neighborhood into two camps.
A neighborhood “World Cup tournament” then begins. The young men form teams named after Argentina, Brazil, France and Portugal. Beyond the matches, love, revenge, superstition and the strains of family ties become entangled in it.
The story also features flag-making, a brawl over jerseys at a barbershop, refereeing corruption and even a tragic accident amid the football frenzy. In the end, however, everyone sets it all aside and comes together, with the message that football should be embraced as a source of joy.
The series will air at 9 p.m. every night on a private television channel.
The cast includes Ahna Rahman, Rashed Simanta, Sabbir Arnab, Sharmin Sharmi, Abdullah Rana, Saddam Mal, Ashraful Alam Sohag, Muskan Sikder, Javed Gazi, Shayla, Tanvir Masud and Fatema Hira.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report