Shuvro

Shuvro
Shuvro character
The cover for Shuvro (শুভ্র) (2000), with a sketch of the character
First appearanceEkti Shada Gari
Last appearanceShuvro Geche Bone
Created byHumayun Ahmed
Portrayed byRiaz
In-universe information
NicknameKana Baba (addressed by friends)
GenderMale
OccupationStudent (and later forced to become a Businessman)
Family
  • Iajuddin / Motahar Shaheb (father)
  • Rehana / Jahanara (mother)
SpouseUnmarried
Significant othersBinu, Jori
NationalityBangladeshi

Shuvro (Bengali: শুভ্র), sometimes transliterated as Shubhro[1] or Śubhra,[2] is a fictional character created by Bangladeshi writer Humayun Ahmed. Shuvro is one of Ahmed's recurring characters, who first appeared in the short story "Ekti Shada Gari" ("A White Car").[3] The character became popular, and Ahmed wrote six novels about Shuvro between 1990 and 2010, including Daruchini Dip (Cinnamon Island), which was adapted as a film in 2007 starring Riaz as Shuvro.[4]

The character, whose name translates as "White", is meant to be a perfect spirit, set apart from the world. As Syed Monzur Morshed put it, Shuvro "is the 'white' of the mind, that is far from all the filth of the earth."[5] He is seen by Bengali readers as a role model.[6] However, Ahmed constantly tested Shuvro's pure spirit with new dilemmas and revelations; in the fourth book, titled simply Shuvro, the character discovers that his real mother is a prostitute, not the mother that he has known.[7]

In 2017, Apurba Jahangir wrote, "Shuvro was Humayun Ahmed's attempt at writing about the purest human being—the ultimate boy next door. Though Shuvro was not a cult character much like Humayun's other famous creations such as Himu or Misir Ali — he had his own share of readers and fans. Shuvro was the go-to character when readers needed to be at peace. When one thinks of Shubhro, one thinks of him as the friend we go to when all else fails. Much like in the book Ei Shuvro! Ei — with using just the simplest words, he can portray life as the grand theatrical show it is."[3]

Just before his death in 2012, Ahmed was working on a film adaptation of his 2010 novel Shuvro Has Gone to the Forest, and he cast actor Riaz in the title role as he really liked Riaz as Shuvro in Daruchini Dip. Ahmed died before work could begin on the film.[8]

  1. ^ Ahmed, Humayun (Feb 2, 2010). Shubhro Geche Bone. Annyaprokash. p. cover and throughout. ISBN 978-9848685563.
  2. ^ "Śubhra". ISBN Search. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b Jahangir, Apurba (February 3, 2017). "Shubhro: An Epitome of Perfection". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  4. ^ Reza, Faridi (April 18, 2008). "A visit to "Daruchini Dwip"". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  5. ^ Morshed, Syed Monzur (March 8, 2018). "Shuvro: The softest hero created by Humayun Ahmed". Roar Media. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Happy Birthday Humayun Ahmed!". Bangla News 24. November 13, 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  7. ^ Das, Subrata Kumar. "Humayun Ahmed: The light of some novels". Bangladeshi Novels. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Humayun Ahmed cast Riaz to return as the Shuvro character". Jagonews24. July 19, 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2020.