Rickshaw Girl (2021) [Movie Review] — Novera Rahman Shines in Amitabh Reza’s City Drama

Film Name: Rickshaw Girl

Director: Amitabh Reza Chowdhury

Writers: Sharbari Z. Ahmed, Naseef Amin, and Mitali Perkins

Stars: Novera Rahman, Siam Ahmed, Allen Shubhro, Champa, Momena Chowdhury, and Naresh Bhuiyan

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3 / 5)

Quick Snapshot — A heartfelt premise that never fully lands

Amitabh Reza Chowdhury’s Rickshaw Girl follows Naima (Novera Rahman), a determined village artist who heads to Dhaka to save her ailing father. The film is earnest and intermittently moving, but inconsistent craft choices and uneven execution keep it from becoming the affecting drama it aspires to be.

Synopsis — City dreams and small-town grit

Naima leaves home to earn medicine-money, taking on odd jobs in the city: maid, rickshaw-puller (disguised as a boy), and artist. Her resourcefulness propels the plot through a sequence of episodes that are meant to chart survival and self-discovery but often read like a checklist of hardships rather than a cohesive journey.

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What Works — A likable lead and vivid city moments

Novera Rahman holds the film together with natural presence; she makes Naima’s resilience believable and gives the role a core of dignity. Chowdhury’s affection for Dhaka shows — several location shots and aerials capture the city’s contrasts, from cramped stalls to glossy high-rises, and the production design effectively underscores class divides. Some episodic sequences — especially the rickshaw scenes and moments of street barter — offer genuine warmth and local color.

What Falters — Structural and stylistic missteps

The film’s biggest problem is structure: scenes stack up without fluid transitions, so Naima’s progression feels episodic rather than cumulative. Erratic lighting and inconsistent camerawork sap visual coherence; at times actors are washed out, at others the palette is richly saturated with no clear purpose. Language choice compounds the disconnect — awkward English interludes and uneven delivery from several cast members produce a jarring, sometimes inauthentic tone that distances rather than immerses.

Technical Notes — Nice ideas, uneven craft

Cinematography and editing oscillate between documentary immediacy and glossy tourism-like tableaux, leaving the film torn between intimacy and export-friendly spectacle. Sound and subtitling choices also frustrate — Bengali dialogue isn’t consistently emphasized, which undercuts the film’s rootedness. Costume and set detail are strong, but technical inconsistencies prevent these elements from coalescing into a unified cinematic voice.

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Verdict — Ambitious, watchable, but flawed

Rickshaw Girl aims for a heartfelt portrait of grit and female agency and occasionally succeeds thanks to a compelling lead and authentic location work. Yet the film’s patchwork structure, visual inconsistency, and problematic language choices make it a middling effort. Recommended for viewers interested in Bangladeshi social dramas or fans of Novera Rahman, but those seeking a polished, emotionally cumulative journey may come away wanting more.