It is a good movie to watch. Nice cinematography, good plotting and acting. But the movie is kinda slow and unnecessarily lengthy. I would like to see more surfing stunts but that was missing.
But having said all these, I enjoyed the movie and would like to watch more Bangla movie like 'No Dorai'.
25 Reviews
Honest Review
terebaaphoonmein2 February 2020
I wasn't too optimistic about this movie since I thought this to be a social melodrama. But surprisingly this movie came out to be fast paced in terms of its genre, which is a Biography. Beside the protagonists, the other significant characters gave much more definition to the story. Kudos to the direction, cinematography, BGM, and obviously the Soundtracks. The screenplay could have been more compact and powerful. Other than that, it was a well made movie.
Send the movie to Portugal, Lisbon
pryelt19 December 2019
Beautiful film
lillivno29 November 2019
I was not really excited about the movie and went to the theatre without any expectation.. But what an amazing movie! One of the best Bangladeshi film i have ever watched.. The cinematography was top notch! Loved the background scores as well.. From me It's 9 (+1 star for cinematography an considering it's a Bangladeshi film)
Top Film
nahyanimam2 December 2019
Watched 'No Dorai' at Cineplex cinema today. Went in without much expectation having read the negative review written by Dhaka Tribune but the film turned out to be pretty amazing. This beach town surf drama was visually stunning, had a compelling story line with emotionally charged acting and great directions. Also the tasteful original soundtrack successfully complimented the ambience of the film. As it is a Bangladeshi film maybe I'm being a little biased but very much tempted to give it a 5 out 5. Recommended to watch at the cinema.
A movie filled with cliche storyline.
reazrahmanxd7 December 2019
Parts that I didn't like -
1. Worst Ending
2. Clickbait type Poster
3. In some scenes, the acting of foreigners were really unnatural
4. Somebody said it is based on a real life story, didn't feel that way. Felt like a fully commercial typical movie with good cinematography.
5. Everything seemed unrealistic.
6. The whole movie was missing english or bangla subtitle, not everyone understands Chatgaiya Language
7. The team had the potential to make a amazing film but the story was very commercial in my opinion.
8. Didn't find the strong message of Women Empowerment
parts that I did like- 1. Good filmmaking from bangladesh 2. Cinematography was great 3. Acting of Ayesha and Ayesha's Brother was good in my eyes 4. Some scenes were really eye pleasing.
Overall, This is not a good film nor a terrible film. I just dont know, they have the potential to make a very good film, but things were filled with a lot of cliches that broke my heart. I think they can and they will make great films for us. At least they made something.
parts that I did like- 1. Good filmmaking from bangladesh 2. Cinematography was great 3. Acting of Ayesha and Ayesha's Brother was good in my eyes 4. Some scenes were really eye pleasing.
Overall, This is not a good film nor a terrible film. I just dont know, they have the potential to make a very good film, but things were filled with a lot of cliches that broke my heart. I think they can and they will make great films for us. At least they made something.
Best Bangladeshi film so far
sunerahbinte30 November 2019
The acting skills of the actors were good
maharousewagdi19 June 2021
The story of the movie was great. Even Sohel's character was good. The movie songs were good. Its soundtrack Jontrona sung by Mohon Sharif created hype about the film.
Cinematography was at the top! The visuals of the movie were good. Even the scenery on the beaches of Cox's Bazar was great.
The acting skills of the actors were good. Sunerah Binte Kamal was great in her first film. I think she will make better films in the future.
Cinematography was at the top! The visuals of the movie were good. Even the scenery on the beaches of Cox's Bazar was great.
The acting skills of the actors were good. Sunerah Binte Kamal was great in her first film. I think she will make better films in the future.
Amazing film
roseshallow7 December 2019
Bad acting and direction.
smarifbillah6 December 2019
Brilliant
adnanbinrashid5 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
No dorai is a significant breakthrough for Bangladeshi movies. The cinematography and sound mixing was top notch. All of the 3 songs were brilliant. The cast, who were mostly new and young actors pulled of a fine job.
People have been complaining about the lack of surfing though. I do agree that surfing scenes were minimal. I think the movie could've gone in a different direction rather than promoting it in a way where the sole focus was surfing.
People were also complaining that the promoters said that it would be a movie about woman surfers being stigmatised by society who would be seen breaking those stigmas. But instead it was a movie where a woman surfer was mostly seen being abused and losing her fights constantly. Well, I'd say the representation in the movie was damn correct. Because that's what happens in our society. Abuse against woman is very common everywhere, especially in this subcontinent. Seeing those things happen on screen can be intense and difficult to swallow but it's necessary. It's necessary for people to see the truth and realize or try to understand a bit of what women go through in our society. It must've been extremely and unimaginably difficult for a woman to surf in such a conservative community. But she did learn surfing regardless of that and was damn good at it. But it's almost impossible for a person to overcome everything when all the obstacles are stacked against them.
The story telling and character development deserves a ton of praise. I would like to congratulate everyone who were involved in making this movie. It was definitely a sensitive and difficult movie to take on and it must've been taken some brave people to take on this project. I definitely recommend this movie to others. These types of movies can really improve the Bangladeshi film scene and take it to the next level. We have a lot of catching up to do with other film industries. But with these type of movies, we can move up fast. We should support these movies and watch it in the theatres, that would definitely encourage film makes to take on these difficult projects.
People were also complaining that the promoters said that it would be a movie about woman surfers being stigmatised by society who would be seen breaking those stigmas. But instead it was a movie where a woman surfer was mostly seen being abused and losing her fights constantly. Well, I'd say the representation in the movie was damn correct. Because that's what happens in our society. Abuse against woman is very common everywhere, especially in this subcontinent. Seeing those things happen on screen can be intense and difficult to swallow but it's necessary. It's necessary for people to see the truth and realize or try to understand a bit of what women go through in our society. It must've been extremely and unimaginably difficult for a woman to surf in such a conservative community. But she did learn surfing regardless of that and was damn good at it. But it's almost impossible for a person to overcome everything when all the obstacles are stacked against them.
The story telling and character development deserves a ton of praise. I would like to congratulate everyone who were involved in making this movie. It was definitely a sensitive and difficult movie to take on and it must've been taken some brave people to take on this project. I definitely recommend this movie to others. These types of movies can really improve the Bangladeshi film scene and take it to the next level. We have a lot of catching up to do with other film industries. But with these type of movies, we can move up fast. We should support these movies and watch it in the theatres, that would definitely encourage film makes to take on these difficult projects.
Oh that poster!
kumarjitdutta58114 December 2019
I don't know if they got the idea from youtube clickbait videos or what, but that poster with ayesha in a bride's dress holding a surf board has no, absolutely not a single relevance with the storyline. They could have given the scripts to my niece, even she could have come up with a better ending. And what was all that crap saying 'based on a true story' crap I don't know. You would think from the poster and all other stuff that the movie is filled with surfing from that girl, but all she did in the entire story was get beaten up by her brother. Also they should have added subtitles.
Summing it all up: Not worth the money.
Few (only a few pluses): The way they presented Cox's Bazar and that boy playing ayesha's brother.
Summing it all up: Not worth the money.
Few (only a few pluses): The way they presented Cox's Bazar and that boy playing ayesha's brother.
No Dorai is
adnanbinrashid5 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
No dorai is a significant breakthrough for Bangladeshi movies. The cinematography and sound mixing was top notch. All of the 3 songs were brilliant. The cast, who were mostly new and young pulled of a fine job.
People have been complaining about the lack of surfing though. I do agree that surfing scenes were minimal. I think the movie could've gone in a different direction rather than promoting it in a way where the sole focus was surfing.
People were also complaining that the promoters said that it would be a movie about woman surfers being stigmatised by society who would be seen breaking those stigmas. But instead it was a movie where a woman surfer was mostly seen being abused and losing her fights constantly.
Well, I'd say the representation in the movie was damn correct. Because that's what happens in our society. Abuse against woman is very common everywhere, in this subcontinent. Seeing those things happen on screen in intense and difficult to swallow but it's necessary. It's necessary for people to see the truth and realize or try to understand a bit of what women go through in our society.
The story telling and character development deserves a ton of praise. I would like to congratulate everyone who were involved in making this movie. It was definitely a sensitive and difficult movie to take on and it must've been taken some brave people to take on this project.
I definitely recommend this movie to others. These types of movies can really improve the Bangladeshi film scene and take it to the next level. We have a lot of catching up to do with other film industries. But with these type of movies, we can move up fast. We should support these movies and watch it in the theatres, that would definitely encourage film makes to take on these difficult projects.
Amazing movie
islamkmrafiul30 November 2019
I Didn't expect but It's such a nice Movie "No Dorai"
ridkhan-6445627 August 2022
At first it seems like boring & normal story. But after a while you will get deep into the story. A fearless Ayesha is fond of surfing, but her family prohibits her. Later, she is forced into marriage while her best friend, Sohel, gets international recognition. The life is very difficult for our rural womens. They can't dream, they can't live their life bacause of socials dogma. Overall the movie is great. We hope to see more movies like this. I Didn't expect but It's such a nice Movie "No Dorai" Nowadays Bangladesh has made great great movies. It's feel good that our movies are updating day by day. I hope after a while it will go international.
Honest review of No Dorai: Less surfing, more melodrama
Fahad-Shafin9 December 2019
The film does not live up to the hype
The movie buffs in Bangladesh have been eagerly waiting for the theatrical release of Bangladesh's first surfing film No Dorai (Dare to Surf). The film made hit the local theatres on Friday, despite a few complaints and edits from the censor board. A special premiere for the press and media personalities was held on Thursday evening. We rushed to take a first peek into the much-hyped drama, but was sorely disappointed.
The premiere itself dazzled the guests. Celebrities, media personalities and government officials, not to mention the film's cast and crew, filled up the premises of Star Cineplex at Bashundhara City shopping mall in Dhaka.
The film screening was supposed to begin at 7pm, but at 7:45pm, the film's producer and Star Cineplex Chairman Mahboob Rahman came on the stage and deeply apologized for the delay due to management issues.
Speaking about the film, he said how months of hard work went into the making of No Dorai, how amazing a team was assembled by the film's executive producer and popular Bangladeshi musician Xefer Rahman, and how incredible the audience's response was.
He said the film was inspired by the true story of a girl named Nasima, who overcame every barrier to fulfil her dreams to become a surfer in a religious conservative town like Cox's Bazar.
Mahboob said this film was a movement to further propel women empowerment and a new era in Bangladeshi film industry.
Beautiful visuals of Cox's Bazar
As the film began, the audience was captivated by the stunning visuals of Cox's Bazar. Taneem Rahman, the film's director, and Sumon Sarker, the cinematographer, must be praised for capturing the beautiful visuals of the world's longest beach as never seen before. No Dorai can boast about having the most spectacular visuals and colours in any Bangladeshi film in recent times. The director himself is one of the most talented editors and colourists in the country, and the film's images reflect that.
Oddly enough, the huge stain of dust on the screen was an eyesore, ruining the beautiful introduction sequence of Cox's Bazar beach and the roaring Bay of Bengal. Naturally, the audience complained. It was particularly baffling, seeing as Star Cineplex itself is the production company of the film, and one would expect them to take extra care while screening their debut production.
Poor storytelling
Although incredibly impressive, the beautiful visuals could do little to make up for subpar storytelling.
The screenplay was co-written by Mahboob Rahman and renowned Indian screenwriter Shyamal Sengupta. All of the dialogues were in the local dialect of Chittagong, but no subtitles were provided. Many in the audience were confused, wondering about the subtitles as most of them could not understand a word of the dialogues. The film-makers should have taken this into consideration.
The story revolves around Ayesha, played by newcomer Sunerah Binte Kamal, a teenager from Cox's Bazar who grew up surfing with her trainer Amir, played by Sayeed Babu. The story depicts the horrors she has to face since childhood, both in the hands of her family and the society, for her love of surfing on the waves of the Bay.
The plot is unique and depicts one of the most crucial social issues of our country, which is repression of women and how the Bangladeshi society is built upon what women can and cannot do.
However, this is not the way to start a massive conversation on such a sensitive issue like women empowerment. The intention and effort was evident, but their execution was not done well.
Almost every dialogue sequence was laced with typical melodrama from the days of yore - the mould that recent movies have been trying to break. A lot of the sequences were redundant and could have been edited out.
For example, in a scene, Ayesha's brother is seen beating her with a stick for going to surf in the sea, because it is not acceptable. The scene goes on and on for what feels like ages. In reality, if a person was beaten for so long and so brutally, surely that person would need to be hospitalized. Yet, our Ayesha walks again after a few days of bed rest.
Actors shine
The acting was the only good thing about the film. The casting of local actors was great, and each actor played their part well. The performances of the lead actors, Sunerah who played Ayesha, and Sariful Razz who played Ayesha's romantic interest Sohel, were particularly admirable. The writers gave Sohel a sidekick, who was clearly meant to provide comic relief. Sadly, that does more harm than good; that supporting role mumbles random unnecessary things to keep the audience engaged, but fails.
Each of the cast members are fluent in the Chittagonian dialect. The producer previously told the press that the actors went through months of training to learn the dialect.
As far as acting is concerned, the same cannot be said for the foreign actors; they are stiff in their movement and robotic in delivering their dialogues.
Bad sound-mixing
The sound of No Dorai, in short, is horrible. No live location sound was used in the movie. The dialogues were dubbed in post-production, and the lip syncs in the first few sequences are terrible.
What I don't understand is how a production of this scale went with the ancient Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR) process - and even that was done poorly. I would not call myself an expert in Chittagonian dialect, but even I could tell that the lip sync was completely off.
The sound design, done by Ripon Nath, and mixing are mediocre. Some scenes have unnecessary sound effects. The surround mix is so bad that in some instances, you have to cover your ears because of how loud the background score is.
The score could have been great if it wasn't so monotonous. There are some scenes that are visually striking and would've been perfect with just the sound of the ocean, but are ruined with local flute tunes which are not only unnecessary, but also poorly mixed.
Where's the surfing?
The biggest issue I have with this film is that, it is about local surfing culture, but there are barely any scenes of people surfing in the movie. The producer claims that Razz and Sunerah had three months of training to shoot the surfing scenes. We see Razz on a surfboard for a couple of seconds, but our protagonist, who fights for her right to be able to surf, is never seen on a surfboard in the film that is more than two and a half-hours-long. In one scene, Ayesha is seen jumping into the sea with her surfboard, but in the following shot, we see a match cut of someone else surfing with the board - wearing the same clothes. Some of the audience burst into laughter seeing this scene.
The verdict
With the glaring errors in the film, the question is: Was the hype justified? Certainly not. No Dorai could not achieve what it set out to do. The film was widely anticipated around the country, with its amazing soundtrack Jontrona by the talented young singer Mohon Sharif, brilliantly shot by the director. Another good part of this movie is the amazing depiction of Cox's Bazar's natural beauty as never seen before. The lead actors also deliver good performances. Unfortunately, the bads outweigh the goods.
But the movie shows the personal progress of the director. No Dorai was Taneem Rahman's third film - after Aadi and Shopner Ghor. Among them, Aadi never received a theatrical release. He is a promising film-maker who is getting better with each project and has a thirst for giving the audience something new.
The movie buffs in Bangladesh have been eagerly waiting for the theatrical release of Bangladesh's first surfing film No Dorai (Dare to Surf). The film made hit the local theatres on Friday, despite a few complaints and edits from the censor board. A special premiere for the press and media personalities was held on Thursday evening. We rushed to take a first peek into the much-hyped drama, but was sorely disappointed.
The premiere itself dazzled the guests. Celebrities, media personalities and government officials, not to mention the film's cast and crew, filled up the premises of Star Cineplex at Bashundhara City shopping mall in Dhaka.
The film screening was supposed to begin at 7pm, but at 7:45pm, the film's producer and Star Cineplex Chairman Mahboob Rahman came on the stage and deeply apologized for the delay due to management issues.
Speaking about the film, he said how months of hard work went into the making of No Dorai, how amazing a team was assembled by the film's executive producer and popular Bangladeshi musician Xefer Rahman, and how incredible the audience's response was.
He said the film was inspired by the true story of a girl named Nasima, who overcame every barrier to fulfil her dreams to become a surfer in a religious conservative town like Cox's Bazar.
Mahboob said this film was a movement to further propel women empowerment and a new era in Bangladeshi film industry.
Beautiful visuals of Cox's Bazar
As the film began, the audience was captivated by the stunning visuals of Cox's Bazar. Taneem Rahman, the film's director, and Sumon Sarker, the cinematographer, must be praised for capturing the beautiful visuals of the world's longest beach as never seen before. No Dorai can boast about having the most spectacular visuals and colours in any Bangladeshi film in recent times. The director himself is one of the most talented editors and colourists in the country, and the film's images reflect that.
Oddly enough, the huge stain of dust on the screen was an eyesore, ruining the beautiful introduction sequence of Cox's Bazar beach and the roaring Bay of Bengal. Naturally, the audience complained. It was particularly baffling, seeing as Star Cineplex itself is the production company of the film, and one would expect them to take extra care while screening their debut production.
Poor storytelling
Although incredibly impressive, the beautiful visuals could do little to make up for subpar storytelling.
The screenplay was co-written by Mahboob Rahman and renowned Indian screenwriter Shyamal Sengupta. All of the dialogues were in the local dialect of Chittagong, but no subtitles were provided. Many in the audience were confused, wondering about the subtitles as most of them could not understand a word of the dialogues. The film-makers should have taken this into consideration.
The story revolves around Ayesha, played by newcomer Sunerah Binte Kamal, a teenager from Cox's Bazar who grew up surfing with her trainer Amir, played by Sayeed Babu. The story depicts the horrors she has to face since childhood, both in the hands of her family and the society, for her love of surfing on the waves of the Bay.
The plot is unique and depicts one of the most crucial social issues of our country, which is repression of women and how the Bangladeshi society is built upon what women can and cannot do.
However, this is not the way to start a massive conversation on such a sensitive issue like women empowerment. The intention and effort was evident, but their execution was not done well.
Almost every dialogue sequence was laced with typical melodrama from the days of yore - the mould that recent movies have been trying to break. A lot of the sequences were redundant and could have been edited out.
For example, in a scene, Ayesha's brother is seen beating her with a stick for going to surf in the sea, because it is not acceptable. The scene goes on and on for what feels like ages. In reality, if a person was beaten for so long and so brutally, surely that person would need to be hospitalized. Yet, our Ayesha walks again after a few days of bed rest.
Actors shine
The acting was the only good thing about the film. The casting of local actors was great, and each actor played their part well. The performances of the lead actors, Sunerah who played Ayesha, and Sariful Razz who played Ayesha's romantic interest Sohel, were particularly admirable. The writers gave Sohel a sidekick, who was clearly meant to provide comic relief. Sadly, that does more harm than good; that supporting role mumbles random unnecessary things to keep the audience engaged, but fails.
Each of the cast members are fluent in the Chittagonian dialect. The producer previously told the press that the actors went through months of training to learn the dialect.
As far as acting is concerned, the same cannot be said for the foreign actors; they are stiff in their movement and robotic in delivering their dialogues.
Bad sound-mixing
The sound of No Dorai, in short, is horrible. No live location sound was used in the movie. The dialogues were dubbed in post-production, and the lip syncs in the first few sequences are terrible.
What I don't understand is how a production of this scale went with the ancient Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR) process - and even that was done poorly. I would not call myself an expert in Chittagonian dialect, but even I could tell that the lip sync was completely off.
The sound design, done by Ripon Nath, and mixing are mediocre. Some scenes have unnecessary sound effects. The surround mix is so bad that in some instances, you have to cover your ears because of how loud the background score is.
The score could have been great if it wasn't so monotonous. There are some scenes that are visually striking and would've been perfect with just the sound of the ocean, but are ruined with local flute tunes which are not only unnecessary, but also poorly mixed.
Where's the surfing?
The biggest issue I have with this film is that, it is about local surfing culture, but there are barely any scenes of people surfing in the movie. The producer claims that Razz and Sunerah had three months of training to shoot the surfing scenes. We see Razz on a surfboard for a couple of seconds, but our protagonist, who fights for her right to be able to surf, is never seen on a surfboard in the film that is more than two and a half-hours-long. In one scene, Ayesha is seen jumping into the sea with her surfboard, but in the following shot, we see a match cut of someone else surfing with the board - wearing the same clothes. Some of the audience burst into laughter seeing this scene.
The verdict
With the glaring errors in the film, the question is: Was the hype justified? Certainly not. No Dorai could not achieve what it set out to do. The film was widely anticipated around the country, with its amazing soundtrack Jontrona by the talented young singer Mohon Sharif, brilliantly shot by the director. Another good part of this movie is the amazing depiction of Cox's Bazar's natural beauty as never seen before. The lead actors also deliver good performances. Unfortunately, the bads outweigh the goods.
But the movie shows the personal progress of the director. No Dorai was Taneem Rahman's third film - after Aadi and Shopner Ghor. Among them, Aadi never received a theatrical release. He is a promising film-maker who is getting better with each project and has a thirst for giving the audience something new.
So much potential....
sadruzzaman-122 December 2019
I actually liked the initial scenes where there was a little suspence that was driving me to look forward. After about the initial half an hour or so the movie lost track.
This was marketed to be a movie about the bay and surfing and the amazing story of a woman. This turned out to be a cliched rural social drama, a tale of family politics that have been told many times.
Good side is the making. Acting is tolerable. Story is disappointing.
This was marketed to be a movie about the bay and surfing and the amazing story of a woman. This turned out to be a cliched rural social drama, a tale of family politics that have been told many times.
Good side is the making. Acting is tolerable. Story is disappointing.
A poor movie
mrlton13 December 2019
Garbage
mamunraju5528 December 2019
Waste of time
jamihaqjoy14 February 2020
Nothing Healthy,Only anti-Islamist
idole4623 June 2021
Trying to watch.
timebaexoxo11 May 2020
See also
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