'Film industry won't grow if we just sit and complain': Nuhash Humayun

The poster of ‘Pett Kata Shaw’.

Nuhash Humayun loves making "weird stuff', as he jokingly phrases it. However, he is objectively one of the most open-to-experiment directors of our time. He recently won the Midnight Shorts Jury Award at the SXSW Film Festival for his film "Moshari", and is now making headlines with his ambitious series, "Pett Kata Shaw" on Chorki, which releases today.

We talk to the director, who is currently residing in LA, about his latest project, and thoughts on the industry.

Tell us about "Pett Kata Shaw".

"Pett Kata Shaw" is an anthology of supernatural stories based on our folklore, I would not call it horror, per se. They contain psychological and paranormal layers – ghost stories that explore the human condition.

Your take on our folklore is certainly interesting. What made you portray it?

I think ghosts in Bengali culture are different from the horror films that we see in western media. Jinns, Petnis and various creatures, we seem to have a special connection to them. Stories of darkness teach us light, and stories of fear teach us courage.

Like our language, I felt our folklores should be preserved, and thus set out on portraying them in my own style.

"E Building E Meye Nishedh", "Loke Bole", "Mishti Kichu" and "Nishir Daak" all have interesting casting.

They do indeed.  We have veterans like Chanchal Chowdhury and Afzal Hossain working together for the very first time, as well as Shohel Rana, Morshed Mishu, Masuda Khan, Shirin Akter Shela and Pritom Hasan.

You wrote, directed and edited "Moshari". How did the triumph in the SXSW Film Festival feel like?

The jury win of "Moshari" is a culmination of all the voices, pessimists, cynics that I did not listen to. It's me and my team listening to our inner child. The win was significant, to say the least, and it means so much to Asians around the world. We are not very well represented in media, especially in this genre.

What do you think is your future in the industry, given that you like to experiment so much?

After "Sincerely Yours Dhaka" went to Busan many thought I'd venture into arthouse films for good. I've had local filmmakers scoff at me when I said my next project is a pop music video, at that time. I've since done a cooking show, a drama, a horror short, and even a bathroom cleaning product commercial – but all with my personal touch.

The industry will not grow if we just sit and complain. Someone has to go out there and make new and weird stuff, like I do!