Will ‘MR-9’ be the next Bangladeshi blockbuster?
"Mr- 9: Do or Die," a Hollywood film that centres on iconic Bangladeshi spy Masud Rana, took almost five years to complete its journey. Masud Rana, a creation of Bangladeshi novelist Qazi Anwar Hossain, will see his biggest portrayal on-screen with this high-budget project.
With a multi-starrer international cast and tantalising teaser, "Mr-9" has been the center of attention globally. In an interview with The Daily Star, both director Asif Akbar and lead ABM Sumon revealed that they are massive fans of Qazi Anwar Hossain, and are obsessed with the character.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "Growing up in the US, I had a stack of Masud Rana novels; Qazi Anwar Hossain was my inspiration. The series inspired me to pursue filmmaking, and he was very much involved with the casting process," said Asif Akbar.
ABM Sumon, who plays Masud Rana, also opened up about his love for the spy-thriller series.
"Masud Rana is a different emotion for us 90's kids, the series was like a part of our life. At that time, we didn't have the internet, and so reading books took us to an imaginary world where we would imagine ourselves as the iconic spy. I can't believe that among so many fans, only 2-3 people had the opportunity to play Masud Rana, and I was one of them," said the actor.
Many people have compared the "MR-9" film to "James Bond" films. When asked what made it unique from the popular franchise, the director replied that the film represented the South Asian population.
"The main character is a Bangladeshi spy, which gives us an edge; we have a reality-based, unique storyline that represents people from America, China, India, and Bangladesh, among others, who come together to save the world. This story will represent unity and our minority culture," said the director.
In 2019, Channel i started a reality show called "Ke Hobe Masud Rana." Although contestant Rasel Rana won the show, it was ABM Sumon who finally got the coveted role.
"At that time, Jaaz Multimedia announced that nobody in the industry was adequate to play Masud Rana. The reality show happened after that, and before the finale, there was a big gap," said ABM Sumon. "One of my senior colleagues, who was involved with the project, asked me, 'Do you want to be Masud Rana?' and my answer was a resounding yes. When the director came with his Hollywood team to Bangladesh, they did a secret audition, and finally selected me for this role,' stated ABM Sumon.
Sumon's anti-hero attitude and incredible physique made him the perfect choice for the movie.
"I had Sumon in my mind, but I wanted to give everyone a fair chance. We came to Bangladesh with our Hollywood crew in 2019, and we auditioned in a secret closed-door audition comprised of top contestants from Channel i's reality show. We also had established media artistes who took part in the competition. Among them, we selected Sumon fairly, and Qazi Anwar Hossain also stated that he was the perfect choice," said the director.
Earlier on, "MR-9" was criticised for not taking more Bangladeshi artistes. The director also clarified his stance on the casting.
"Unfortunately, the first teaser released by Jaaz Multimedia didn't focus on the Bangladeshi part. It was more of an international first-look teaser. We will soon release the official trailer, and there will be tons of Bangladeshi artists, including Anisur Rahman Milon, Shahidul Alam Sachchu, Sajjad Hossain (contestant from "Ke Hobe Masud Rana"), Robiul Islam, Jessia Islam, and Alisha Islam. We also have one prominent character from the book, which will be a surprise for our audiences. We have tried to portray Bangladesh beautifully and positively through this film. The shooting of the Bangladeshi parts took place in Rayerbazar, Sadarghat, Gulshan and Mirpur, among others," added the director.
"Captain America" fans were surprised when the makers announced that Frank Grillo would play the antagonist in "MR-9." The director finally revealed what made Grillo take up the role.
"Frank is a close friend of mine, and he was keen on giving a surprise to his Bangladeshi fans by being part of the movie. He has worked in "Captain America" and Marvel movies with a huge fan base. He recognised that Masud Rana has a massive fan base in Bangladesh, and he wanted to be a part of the film," said Asif.
As the release date is coming closer, the makers have devised a promotional strategy to surprise their fans every week before August 25. Jaaz Multimedia and "MR-9" page will unveil the official trailer on July 25. The film will have songs composed by Grammy award-winning singer Ricky Kej.
The director also plans to do a "Meet the Press" and "Meet the Fan" event. There will also be a special premiere for the film. Asif will be coming to Bangladesh, and he is hoping to bring some of the Hollywood cast to the country as well.
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