Finding Bangladesh crew waiting for the pizza delivery guy to show up.
FROM THE DIRECTOR:
Finding BNAGLADESH 2
By Adnan M. S. Fakir
Photos by FBD2
What is there to find? The uncanny yet ever so familiar smell of pee around every block, traffic congestions that make Banani-Dhanmondi love stories a long distance relationship, political leaders that self-nominate titles such as the Bangladeshi father of cricket and poverty that come with labels such as “no-money,” “no-rights” and “no-girlfriends.” Amidst all this chaos, there is so much and so much more to find. Sea monsters, leaning temples, seductive ghosts, unintentional heroes, ruthless kings, tiger tamers and plenty else; all in our very own loving Bangladesh.
So what is Bangladesh to you? Is it a prison, a place full of restrictions where your mom doesn't let you wear those western outfits or stay out late? Is it simply a place full of people you love? Or is it more? The film “Finding Bangladesh 2” is a journey where we set out to answer that very question from the perspective of twenty or so young adults peeking through the lenses of history, mythology and legend. Perhaps it is not how you envision your country but the film is bound to add a whole new dimension to your perspective.
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“Finding Bangladesh” is as much as an ordeal as it sounds like (probably more). We are about half way through the production and on our various journeys or “escapades” (we usually end up having to escape from one thing or the other) to the deep and murky south of Bangladesh, we have already experienced colliding buses, mob attacks, biting snakes, hostile iguanas, huge-ass spiders (literally!), yawning alligators, crashing palaces, getting tracked down by the border guards, more crashing palaces, having to excrete behind bushes (finding a decent loo is the hardest job in Finding Bangladesh), scary scarecrows and a cute puppy that followed us around for days. And the trips to the Sundarbans in the boishakhi storms are still waiting.
Many have asked regarding the contents of Finding Bangladesh 2 and we have kept our mouths shut in a near-religious vow, unless of course there were hot chicks involved. Well this time, there were hot chicks involved (Rising Stars has very canny seductive techniques of persuasion) and so we decided to divulge the locations we are covering in the film exclusively in RS. “Some” is the key word here.
From Khulna, we have the brilliant saga of Raja Pratapaditya and the Bara Bhuiyans, the journeys of Khan Jahan Ali, the legendary tales of Gazi, Kalu, Chompaboti and the mythologies of the Makara, Bon Bibi and Kamini that have crossed the boundaries of mere customs. If most of these sound unfamiliar, well that's why we are making Finding Bangladesh 2.
We cover the beautiful Jora Shiv Temples, the magnificent Ishwaripur Rajbari and the 11 Shiv Temples at Abhayanagar that now lie almost in ruins. We visit the mysterious Navaratna Temple at Damrail; we uncover the mysteries of the Khodla or Ajodha Moth while we display the exquisite terracotta plaques of the Dhopadi Moth. Finally we cover the glorious structures of Bagerhat and take a dip in the murky waters of the Sundarbans.
From Barisal we have stories from the Rayerkathi Rajbari and its magnificent temples towering with the trees. We bring back the ghost tales of the Krittipasha Rajbari and visit the tranquility of the Misri Para Buddha Bihar while we dive into the roaring waters of Kua Kata. We do all this while travelling in our brand new super seductive, sleek and sly Damzel in Distress 2. Guess what we are making this time?
On the 19th, Thikassse bhaaaaaaaaa (the locally famous Facebook troll site) shared an update regarding Finding Bangladesh. It went like this, “Finding Bangladesh manei je World Map e Bangladesh point korba (jeta onekei parona ar bolo 'I don't care, I live in Umrika'), eta kintu na. Know about your country and know it well. These guys have worked day and night to ensure that they can capture the true beauty of this country on camera for you guys. Just so you can sit back and see how amazing it truly is. This is far better than watching dhaan khets in BTV. Before running off to visit India for their 'beautiful' tourist attractions, get to know your own beautiful country. Nijer country na china bidaeshe giya ki ghaash khaba? Know your country, Thikassse bhaaaaaaaaa?”
We couldn't agree more. So, buckle up with some extra straps of rope! Your seat belts are not strong enough for this journey.
