840 (2024) [Film Review] — A sharp uneven political satire that holds up a mirror to power

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki’s 840 (aka Democracy Private Limited) is a bold, topical satire that translates national political theatre into the microcosm of a district town. Made with obvious anger and affection for the craft, the film reworks themes from Farooki’s earlier political storytelling and aims squarely at censorship, spectacle politics, and the machinery of power. At its best, 840 is sharply funny and uncomfortably familiar; at its weakest, pacing and tonal wobbles hold it back.

Story & Themes

A mayor’s scramble becomes an X-ray of political theatre

Set in the fictional Phoolmonirhat, the film follows Mayor Kaji Dablu as a murder and shifting loyalties threaten his position. What unfolds is less a whodunit than a study of how authoritarian survival tactics — staged disasters, surveillance apps, viral stunts and manufactured sympathy — are used to manage public perception. Farooki frames the town as a metaphor for the country, and the narrative often reads like an X-ray of recent political tactics: censorship, top-down narratives, and the hunger for spectacle. The screenplay leans hard on satire, sometimes to the point where the absurdity of the methods feels almost plausible — and therefore chilling.

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Direction & Writing

Confident satire tempered by episodic rhythm

Farooki’s direction is confident: he stages set-pieces and public spectacle with an eye for the grotesque and the comic. The script deliberately echoes real incidents without becoming a documentary, which gives the film moral teeth while keeping it cinematic. That said, the second half loses momentum at times; a few sequences repeat the same point in different registers, and the film’s rhythm falters when dramatic urgency is needed. Still, Farooki’s willingness to put politics on the line — to provoke, to lampoon, and to sympathize with the civic fallout — is the film’s primary virtue.

Performances

Lead work that balances satire and pathos

Nasir Uddin Khan is an inspired choice for Dablu: he walks the tightrope between cartoonish egotism and a plausible political survival instinct. He makes the mayor’s vanity, cruelty and desperation feel lived-in rather than merely performative. Fazlur Rahman Babu, Zakia Bari Mamo, Marzuk Russell and many in the ensemble deliver sturdy support, with several moments of genuine comic timing. A few supporting turns — notably a high-profile cameo — feel underused and could have been more impactful with stronger writing for minor characters.

Technical Notes (Cinematography, Sound & Pacing)

Clean visuals, uneven BGM and tempo

Visually, 840 benefits from a clear sense of place: Phoolmonirhat is rendered with satirical clarity and believable detail. The film’s production design helps the satire land. However, the background score sometimes overplays its hand, cueing importance where the scene’s content doesn’t always match the music’s promise. Pacing is the other technical blemish — the first half is brisk and incisive, while the latter portion stretches moments that could have been tightened.

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Verdict

An important political satire that asks to be seen — flaws included

840 is not flawless, but it is necessary: a film that dares to laugh at and indict the machinery of political image-making. Farooki’s return to political satire succeeds more often than it fails because of its gutsy voice, its strong lead performance, and its willingness to be uncomfortably specific. With sharper editing and a more disciplined second half, this could have been a classic; as it stands, it’s a memorable and timely piece of cinema that will spark debate and — importantly — laughter. Recommended for viewers who appreciate politically charged satire and performances that anchor the absurd in human terms.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10