Madam Fuli: An Echo of the Struggles of Women in Bangladeshi Society

Madam Fuli(1999) is an award winning creation of Shahidul Islam, the director of the film. It is one of the most remarkable films in Dhallywood, the Film Industry of Bangladesh, which won the National Film Award afterwards for its storyline and stunning acting by the protagonist’s (Fuli) cast Shimla. This film gave a jolt to the contemporary social systems of Bangladesh regarding our attitude towards the skin color of women and also towards our concept of beauty. Through the portrayal of various stage of Fuli’s life, the director, Shahidul Islam Khokon, who is the producer and the screen-play writer of this film, takes attempts to show what are the things and incidents a girl or a woman go through in the society in Bangladesh. By putting a tagline as ‘Fight for Right’ the director wants to visualize the struggle of a woman in the society of Bangladesh. But somehow, this film actually encourages the same follies and vices of the social practices that it intends to resist. This article shows how Madam Fuli actually waters into the roots of the same old racist concept of beauty.