Paying homage to the folk maestro Bari Siddiqui and noted actor S M Mohsin, Proshoon Rahman directorial "Dhaka Dream" has been released in six cinema halls across the country today.

In 2016, the shooting of "Dhaka Dream'' began whilst recording the song "Ekdin Amaro Chhilo Ghor''. It was the last recorded song of the legendary folk singer, Bari Siddiqui.

A still from 'Dhaka Dream'.

The track, composed by renowned musician Kumar Biswajit, was filmed on noted actor S M Mohsin. "Unfortunately both Bari Siddiqui sir and S M Mohsin sir are no longer with us," says the director.

Due to a lot of hurdles, the film took five long years to complete. The pandemic had also delayed the post-production process. In February the film received clearance from Bangladesh Film Censor Board.

"It was a challenging journey for the whole team," shares the "Sutopar Thikana" famed filmmaker.

"Managing a schedule at one time for all of the artistes was one of the most challenging factors here." 

Poster of the film

Under the banner of Imation Creator, "Dhaka Dream" is Proshoon's fourth directorial project. It depicts the story of underprivileged rural people internally migrating to the capital. 

These people weave dreams of having a better future that often shatters. 

"Once known as the city of rickshaws, gradually transformed into the city of humans," he says. "I was always curious to identify the reason why people are so desperate to migrate to the capital," says Rahman.

Proshoon did a survey interviewing people on the streets. "It was fascinating to learn about so many shades of life. Some are migrating willingly, while some are being forced, every individual has a story to tell."

"Dhaka is the only city in the country full of opportunities. If other divisions had similar facilities, then the scenario would have been different today," exerts the director.

"Dhaka Dreams" premiered in the prestigious International Film Festival of South Asia (IFFSA) in Toronto this year.

According to Proshoon, the film is multi-narrative fiction reflecting the stories of twelve individuals, while interconnecting the stories with a single journey.

"Picturing the script into reality was a major barrier since the making style is not conventional," he says.

Prominent actor Fazlur Rahman Babu has played an important role in "Dhaka Dream". "It is my first project with Proshoon, however, our tuning was really good, I enjoyed working with him," says the three-time National Film Award winning actor.

"Although we began filming in 2016, due to unavoidable circumstances, the shooting halted and resumed again in 2019. While watching the film at the premiere, I recalled many scenes that went completely away from my memory."

A snippet from the film.

Kumar Biswajit composed the song "Chaand Ta Jemon Baanka Re Bondhu", voiced by celebrated folk singer Momtaz Begum. Biswajit himself lent his voice in the title track, "Hey Dhaka" composed by popular singer-songwriter and composer Rezaul Karim Leemon.

Apart from producing and directing, Proshoon penned the lyrics for all the tracks of "Dhaka Dream".

The film also stars Shahadat Hossain, Purnima Brishti, Monira Mithu, Abdullah Rana, Shahriar Ferdous Sazeeb, and Anwar Hossain Chowdhury among others.

The director informs that the crew would go for screening the film in universities, open screenings, and different festivals in the future.