‘Government-granted films should not feel like charity projects’

A half-opened mortuary freezer, the corpse of a lady inside, accompanied by an exhausted man. This is what the first look of Mishuk Moni's directorial debut "Dewaler Desh" exposed, and left many questions in the mind of the audience.

Starring Shobnom Bubly and Sariful Razz in the lead roles, the government granted film's "poster reveal" event was held today at capital's Krua Thai restaurant, with the crew present surrounded by the press and media.

"The first kiss on the lips of a lover at the end of a long lifetime,"— the director had previously shared his sentiments on social media. Mishuk earned his degree in film studies from Canada, and shared that he had come up with the plot 5 years ago. Writing the story all by himself was a great challenge for him. "We had submitted the story for government grant in 2021," he said, remarking that the crew shot the entire film in complete secrecy, from March 2022 onwards.

"Dewaler Desh" is a love story that explores certain tenets of human relationships. The crew was determined to not share in-depth details of the film. On being asked if this particular government-granted film will follow a stereotypical formula usually related to the liberation war or social issues, Bubly took the opportunity to answer.

"This film will break the 'taboo' that a government granted film only belongs to a particular genre," she asserted. "I think it is high time that we change the perspective that government granted projects are for niche audiences. With due respect to everyone, let's not consider government granted films as charity projects, rather, such productions should be hallmarks for the highest budget and quality."

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After "Poran", "Hawa", and "Damal", Razz is returning to the screen after a while with yet another physical transformation. He shared that the script of the film allured him towards the project. "When I work in a project, I believe that it is a personal journey for me," he shared. "During this journey, I have got to learn about a variety of characters, and I also would like to mention that Bubly's character is extremely challenging as well."

Theatre, television and film actor Shahadat Hossain played a pivotal role in this film. "As a director, Mishuk is very hardworking and honest, his script surprised me, and I couldn't say no to him," he said.

Produced by Mahfoozur Rahman and Mishuk Moni, the film also stars Zinat Sanu Swagata, Azizul Hakim, Shamapty Mashuq and Saberi Alam, among others.

According to the director, "Dewaler Desh" will hit theatres by the end of this year.