| My Bicycle | |
| Native Name: | Mor Thengari |
| Director: | Aung Rakhine |
| Producer: | Ma Nan Khing |
| Screenplay: | Nasiful Walid |
| Music: | Arjun |
| Editing: | Shamsul Arefin |
| Distributor: | Khona Talkies |
| Runtime: | 61 minutes |
| Country: | Bangladesh |
| Language: | Chakma |
| Budget: | $130,000 USD |
My Bicycle (Chakma: Mor Thengari) is a Bangladeshi indie film directed by Aung Rakhine.[1] It is the country's first Chakma language film.[2]
The Bangladesh Film Censor Board blocked the commercial release of the film, which speculators have suggested may be due to the board not speaking Chakma or due to the film showing the army in a negative light.[3] [4] There were no professional actors involved in the production.[5]
On August 8, 2024, an independent film activist group organized an open screening called #CinemaDehuntis, as part of a reformist movement urging the government to abolish censorship. This initiative is a sub-movement woven into the broader July Revolution in Bangladesh against the Awami government.[6]
An indigenous man named Komol who is fired from a job in a town and returns to his hillside native village with only a bicycle. Although his son is happy to have his father back, but he has nothing to give his family except the bicycle. Komol decides to not return to the town for new jobs but tries to secure their livelihood through the cycle. He offers to ferry passengers and goods of villagers from place to place on his cycle and earn. Unfortunately one day an accident occurs, injuring an old man. Village goons threaten Komol and declare that no one can ride on that cycle. When Komol refuses to give them extortion, they destroy his bicycle.
The film received some international recognition after its exhibition in several international film festivals, that include Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Göteborg Film Festival and Zanzibar International Film Festival. However, it has been banned by Bangladesh Film Censor Board from screening in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Army took notice and lodged a complaint that the film showed the activities of the army in the Chittagong Hill Tracts which is a sensitive issue. The film was censored due to its unfavorable portrayal of the police and armed forces in Chittagong Hill Tracts conflict. Director Aung Rakhaine, alleged to the Censor Board for the violation of human rights.[7]