Irrfan Khan to star in Farooki’s ‘No Bed of Roses’

In an exclusive interview with Variety, filmmaker Mostafa Sarwar Farooki announced that Bollywood star Irrfan Khan will play the lead role in his next film “No Bed of Roses” (“Doob” in Bengali).

The cast also includes Nusrat Imroz Tisha, star of Farooki’s “Third Person Singular Number” that was Bangladesh’s entry to the 2011 Oscars and of “Television” that was Bangladesh’s entry to the 2014 Oscars, Parno Mitra (“X: Past Is Present”) and Rokeya Prachy (“The Clay Bird”).

Principal photography will start in late March in Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s Jaaz Multimedia (“Detective”) will produce alongside India’s Eskay Movies (“Romeo vs. Juliet”) with Khan’s IK Company on board as co-producer. Jaaz will distribute in Bangladesh.

Farooki describes the film as a “family story of loss and regain.” “Life can be unkind at times, but death is a great equalizer which restores love, honor and compassion. In this story, the members of two families discover the finer fabric of love when the headman of a family dies. Death doesn’t always take things away, sometimes it gives back,” Farooki told Variety.

Khan said: “When I saw Mostofa’s film ‘Ant Story” it immediately got me interested. I was impressed with his approach, style and the way he unravels the story. (Farooki’s) works carry a strong humane angle, which is why his characters are multi layered.”

Farooki is one of the proponents of an avant-garde filmmakers’ movement in Bangladesh called Chabial. His 2012 feature “Television” closed the Busan festival and won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2013 Asia Pacific Screen Awards.