Natural disasters can alter human life in an instant, changing reality for thousands in the blink of an eye. It’s something no one wants to experience, but it’s hard to avert one’s eyes when it’s playing out on a theater screen. Many films have been made about natural disasters in Hollywood or Bollywood. The natural calamity has also come up in the Bangladeshi movies. Here are a few Bengali and other films on natural disasters.

Simana Periye

One of the notable Bangladeshi films is Alamgir Kabir’s “Simana Periye”. Bulbul Ahmed and Jayasree Kabir’s impeccable acting has made the movie history. The 1977 film is based on the disastrous cyclone and tidal bore that attacked Bangladesh in 1970. That vast spate washed away an opulent girl and a destitute man to a secluded island where no sign of other humans was found. Then struggle for the survival of the two begins. Dumping the class distinction, they fell in love and found that isolated island as their paradise. Even after their rescue, brutal social prejudices could not separate them and thus they forded across that primitive fringe with the message of love and equal-ism.

Sareng Bou

“Sareng Bou” is a 1978 Bangladeshi film directed by Abdullah Al Mamun, based on the novel of the same name by Shahidullah Kaiser. The film stars Kabori Sarwar and Farooque in the lead roles. The film received critical acclaim, particularly for the performance by Kabori Sarwar, who won the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actress.

The story of the film shows the suffering of the people of the coastal areas affected by the floods. In the movie, one day when a strong wind blows, all the people in the coastal area take it as a prediction of a tidal wave. The struggle for the survival of the people of the coastal region began. After the flood, everything seemed to stop, only corpses all around. Neither man nor animal was spared from the storm. The survivor Kadom Sareng is crying. There is not a single drop of water anywhere.

Dukhai

Another natural disaster film is Morshedul Islam-directed “Dukhai” (1997). This film shows the struggle of the people on the shore in the face of a natural calamity. Starring Raisul Islam Asad, Rokeya Prachy, Chandni and others, the film got National Film Awards in 9 different categories. In the story, a man named Dukhai lost his entire family due to cyclone and flood. He started a new life again. He got married and became the father of a beautiful girl. Dukhai names his daughter Sukhai. His daughter will have all the happiness in her life, this is what he wants. But Dukhai’s tragedy does not end. Again the storm comes and destroys everything. Basically, in this movie, the director shows that the struggle of life is never-ending.

The Day After Tomorrow

“The Day After Tomorrow” is a 2004 American science fiction disaster film conceived, co-written, co-produced, and directed by Roland Emmerich. The film signals the beginning of a new global ice age. With the superstorm fast approaching, Dennis Quaid must get to Manhattan to save his stranded son, played by Jake Gyllenhaal.

The Impossible

The Impossible (2012), starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor, tells the true story of a family of tourists as they are caught in the insanity of the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean. The family was vacationing in Thailand when the storm suddenly struck. The film follows their journey to survive the event and its aftermath as they are separated in the chaos. Tom Holland, who would become a breakout star just a few years later as Spiderman, makes an early career appearance as the family’s oldest son, Lucas, one of the film’s central characters.

Tum Mile

The 2009 Bollywood romantic drama disaster film is directed by Kunal Deshmukh. The film stars Emraan Hashmi and Soha Ali Khan. It is a love story set against the backdrop of the July 2005 Mumbai floods. On a flight to Mumbai, Akshay meets with his wealthy ex-girlfriend, Sanjana, who is in the company of another male, Rajeev. He, a struggling artist, recalls how he met her in Cape Town and they moved in together. Differences crop up, and get worse, when he does not meet with her busy dad, leading to their taking different paths. After the plane lands they head out to their respective destinations – little knowing the danger that awaits them after the city experiences life-threatening heavy rains and floods.