Guerrilla 2011

On the ominous night of 25 March 1971, Operation Searchlight was unleashed by the Pakistan Army, a planned assault aimed at annihilating democracy-loving millions. Hasan Ahmed, Ferdous Ahmed, a veteran journalist and Bilkis Banu’s husband, vanishes while making his way to the newspaper office, and he remains untraceable to this day.

Bilkis Banu, Jaya Ahsan, a banking professional, begins a desperate search for her missing husband. Undeterred by personal loss and pain, she joins the growing guerrilla movement, taking on dangerous roles alongside Dhaka’s freedom fighters. Among them are fighters like Shahadat, Alam, Maya, Kazi Kamal, Fateh Ali and others, and Bilkis soon becomes deeply entwined in their perilous missions and the fight for liberation. She stays in constant contact with Altaf Mahmud, Ahmed Rubel, the legendary Bengali musician whose revolutionary songs fuel the spirit of resistance. Bilkis rises to a central position in the movement, and she becomes a direct target for the enemy forces.

As the resistance grows, Bilkis, along with Shahin and other comrades, begins publishing a secret English-language bulletin called The Guerrilla, an underground voice that keeps the world informed while the violence rages. The struggle is not only fought in the streets and forests but carried through covert networks and brave acts that keep the flame of resistance alive. The danger escalates when Taslim Ali Sardar, a traditional chief of old Dhaka’s subsector, shelters Bilkis and pays a brutal price for it; he is killed by the Pakistani Army and their Rajakar collaborators. A.T.M. Shamsuzzaman embodies this figure of courage in the film, a reminder of the costs paid by those who chose to stand with the people.

Altaf Mahmud’s name, along with Rumi, Bodi and other freedom fighters, recurs as a mournful thread through the narrative, as many of them are captured and never return. The film recalls these losses with a stark honesty that never shies away from the pain of betrayal and sacrifice.

Bilkis manages a perilous escape from the encirclement and boards a train bound for Joleswari in Rangpur. The metallic carriage becomes more than transportation; it turns into a character of its own, a moving symbol of a catastrophic journey toward freedom. Her path is illuminated by memory and resolve, even as the danger grows more acute.

Her tale is also a personal odyssey. Bilkis’ parents were killed in the communal riots of January 1971, and she longs to reunite with her brother Khokon, a commander among the local freedom fighters. Khokon’s unit blows up a vital railway bridge near Joleswari, cutting off key lines of attack and transform the landscape of their struggle. Bilkis presses on, guided by the hope of seeing Khokon and the burning clarity of a cause that refuses to bow.

On the road, she finds companionship in Siraj, a young fighter linked to Khokon’s group. Yet the price of courage remains high: Khokon is captured and slaughtered along with other freedom fighters by the Army and its Rajakar allies. Bilkis dares the most dangerous journeys to glimpse her fallen brother’s warmth and memory, but the path remains perilous and heartbreaking.

In the end, Bilkis refuses to yield to the oppressors. She moves through the brutal killing fields with resolve, ensuring that neither her body nor Bangladesh’s budding liberty be defiled by the occupiers. In a final, devastating act of sacrifice, she detonates explosives to destroy the surrounding enemies, choosing to become a beacon of resilience for a nation’s fight for independence.

This story, anchored by Bilkis Banu’s unyielding courage and the network of people who stand with her, paints a portrait of a people’s struggle under siege. It is a chronicle of loss, resilience, and a steadfast commitment to freedom that continues to echo through history.