An ode to the superwomen of our RMG sector

As Shimu sits in front of the manager, she is faced with a tough choice- The manager has offered her money to stop the union -- while on the other hand, the fate of thousands of workers relies on her petite shoulders. The money would have paid off her financial burden, but would have weighed on her conscience. Shimu, with courage, stood up to her manager and told 'no' to his face. She was determined to change her fate, whether it is for better or worse.

"Shimu – Made in Bangladesh" attempts to portray the struggles of working class women, who had to stand up against the authoritarian rules imposed by a corrupt garments factory. Created by filmmaker Rubaiyat Hossain, the film is a continuation of Shimu's story from "Under Construction", as she leaves her job as a houseworker to follow her dreams in the apparel industry.

"When I screened 'Under Construction' in São Paulo, a lot of people wanted to know what happened to Shimu's character in the movie. Later, I decided to make a film on working-class women, and so I did primary research by watching documentaries and reading books. There, I saw that most of the women were portrayed as victims," says Rubaiyat Hossain.

Candid shot of Rubaiyat Hossain behind the scenes of “Shimu – Made in Bangladesh”

"However, when I got to meet the actual workers, I realised that there was a totally different side to the narrative. Most of the union members and activists in the RMG sector were women, and they are working hard to bring changes in society. I decided to pitch my story, not depicting them as victims, rather heroes in their field," adds the director.

200 garment workers participated in the movie, as most of the scenes required using specialized machines, and the film crew had to record the sound live. Most of the leads of the film consists of female crewmembers -- among which cinematographer Sabine Lancelin, sound designer Elisha Albert and art director Jonaki Bhattacharya put in some stellar work.

 "Shimu- Made in Bangladesh" which was premiered at the most of the prestigious film festival, will premiere tomorrow at Mohakhali's Star Cineplex, and will be released on March 11 in theatres.

"For the premiere, we have invited 'Naripokkho' and 'Awaaz' foundation, organisations who work for women," said the director. "We have also invited Dalia, the real-life superwoman whom Shimu is based on, to attend the premiere."

The movie revolves around Shimu, played by Reekita Nondine Shimu. The 25-year-old actress garnered numerous praises worldwide for her portrayal of the character.

 "I was scared of walking alone on the streets of Dhaka. One of the crew members actually had to take me to the shooting spot, as I was frightened of travelling alone. However, after walking with garments workers everyday, It ignited the free-spirited Shimu within me – someone who could stand up for herself," adds the actress.

Behind the scene photos of "Shimu – Made in Bangladesh” . Photos: Courtesy

Another important character in the movie is Dalia, Shimu's best friend and garments worker, played by Novera Rahman.

"I really had to transform a lot to get into the skin of this character. I had to gain weight and get more tanned, to play the naïve girl who feels completely out of place in the city," says Novera.

"Dalia is representative of a woman, who has given up. She is struggling hard to survive in Dhaka, as she has no place to go. She lives with her aunt and gets into a complicated relationship with her manager, who uses her for his illicit needs. Dalia represents the subjugated women, whose big dreams gets thrashed by the harsh realities of society," added the actress.

"Shimu- Made in Bangladesh" is based on the real-life story of Dalia, who came to Dhaka at the age of 11, and is still struggling for her livelihood.

"In 2011, I started working as an operator in a garments factory. Problems started to arise in 2013, when the factory was not paying us our bonuses during Eid. Then, we decided to meet with an organisation and they told us that we need to form a union inside our factory to demand our rights. Later on, we formed a union and decided to vote for a union leader and the workers decided to make me their leader," said Dalia.

 "I worked as a union leader for 3 years, and within my first year, I put forward our 21-point demand, among which 14 were approved. We got maternity leaves, special bonuses and medical leaves," says Dalia.

"However, after the Rana Plaza incident, everything changed for worse and we were left jobless. More than 2500 employees lost their jobs, and I had to move to Jordan to work as a garments' worker. However, I came back in 2017 to help with the shooting, and by the time the film's shooting was done, I was left with nothing. Currently, I am trying to apply for a work permit in Lebanon as I will have to take care of my ailing parents," adds Dalia.

Still image from the movie “Shimu – Made in Bangladesh”

"I am truly grateful to Rubaiyat ma'am for taking me to Denmark, France and Japan for screening of the movie. During the screening of the movie in Denmark, I literally cried when Shimu finally got her union certificate. It brought tears to my eyes," says Dalia.

"Shimu- Made in Bangladesh" is an inspiring tale of a woman overcoming her perils and standing strong against patriarchy. It is an ode to the superwomen, who despite all odds, make our RMG sector a powerhouse in our economy, sometimes even at the cost of their own well-being.