Celebrated director and screenwriter Dipankar Dipon moved to Dhaka from Rangpur after completing his higher secondary education to pursue his passion for filmmaking. He garnered many accolades for his debut feature film, Dhaka Attack (2017). He started off his television career with Shwapnoghuri in 2002, while he was studying at the Dramatics Department of Jahangirnagar University. After making tele-fictions for nearly ten years, Dipon worked with renowned Indian filmmaker Anurag Kashyap in Mumbai for two years, starting from 2012. Owing to the ongoing pandemic, his films, Operation Sundarban and Dhaka 2040, are on hold. They were set to release around Eid-Ul-Fitr this year. The director will be making a short film for the second season of Ghor Bondi Shomoyer Golpo, for Eid-Ul-Azha. In a recent conversation with The Daily Star, he spoke about the current state of the television industry and more.

 "Interventions of various agencies have damaged creative fields," he says. "As a filmmaker, I have experienced difficulties in getting approvals for serious, mature content. Many brilliant directors in our industry have discontinued their work because of such barriers and disappointments."

Dipon added that more often than not, genuine audiences of television are the sophisticated, middle-class populace, but unfortunately, the industry has abandoned them for the attention of seasonal audiences. He further explained that 'floating' subscribers will consume whatever they will get hold of. As a result, the demand for rich content began to drop in recent years and investments in such productions were discouraged.

 "Budget becomes a barrier because of the pressures of maintaining a balance between technicalities and creativity," he adds. "For instance, if we consider the cost of every minute in a local production, the amount we get differs largely from the Indian industry. We get half of the budget and time. As a result, directors have to compromise in different departments. That being said, budget is not always the main obstacle. A good director knows how to bring out the best work with the given budget. On the other hand, a big budget project might fail on all other accounts. So, at the end of the day, it depends on the talent and vision." He also added that a television production that should be done in five days, is now being completed in two days, resulting in quality deterioration.

With the increasing subscriptions to streaming platforms, the traditional television and advertisement industries are at stake. "Ad films are at risk because of the reduction in rates. At the same time, the presentations of advertisements have changed," says Dipon. "The distributors are no longer limited to television. They are releasing online content as well.  In such cases, agencies are not willing to invest as substantially as before. As a result, good creators are facing budget problems and the inexperienced individuals are taking advantage of the situation."

According to Dipon, people the world over rarely watch anything on television these days. "Our television industry needs reformation; we need to familiarise ourselves with new technologies. Streaming platforms have created new scopes for us, and we have to use them wisely," he asserts. "To keep up with international platforms, we need to have exclusive content, proper investments and business plans with practical and insightful guidelines for web platforms. Failing to do so will affect us both economically and culturally."

Dipon further added that in recent years, some brilliantly made productions were overlooked, while some poorly executed ones grabbed people's attention for their improper content. "Audiences play a key role in bringing about positive change in the industry, and they must be aware of their liabilities," he concludes.