Ghorbondi Shomoyer Golpo: Short films addressing the pandemic
Ghorbondi Shomoyer Golpo is a series of seven individual shorts, directed by seven talented makers. After it aired on Deepto Television this Eid, it garnered much appreciation from the audience. It was a unique way of storytelling, given the recent events after the COVID-19 outbreak. Produced by Alpha-i Broadcasting and Media Production, these short films were based on the situations people are going through, during these dire times. In conversation with The Daily Star, artistes and makers of these productions talked about their experiences of working under a totally new process and shared the challenges they were faced with.
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The Sumon Anwar directorial Kagojer Pakhi was aired on Eid day. The whole film was shot by different mobile cameras of the artistes, at their homes. "The most difficult part for me was to match up the scenes by Monira Mithu and the boy that played her grandson. They were in different places but it was visualised as if they were in the same house," shares Sumon. Monira Mithu shared that it was very difficult for her to handle the technical procedures. "Frankly speaking, I am not very tech-savvy. My cousin helped me shoot my scenes, and I tried to make my performance look believable," she explains.
Giasuddin Selim's Quarantine featured Deepa Khandaker and Shahed Ali with their son Adrik and daughter Arohi, among others. Shahed shared that despite the hardships, they all enjoyed working on this project. "Deepa and I were amazed to see our children performing on screen so well," he says. At the same time, the director mentioned that managing everything online was the most challenging part.
Shatabdi Wadud, Runa Khan and Ashna Habib Bhabna featured in Eka, directed by Animesh Aich. It was televised on the third day of Eid. "I have been experimenting with mobile filmmaking for quite a long time. While most of my director colleagues worked remotely, I picked my artistes from their homes, while taking all the necessary safety measures. We shot at my home, and after we were done, I dropped them off to their respective homes," says Animesh. Bhabna played the protagonist in this project.
The Shihab Shaheen directorial Lockdown aired on the fourth day, featuring Mumtaheena Chowdhury Toya and Sayed Zaman Shawon as the leads. It was difficult for the director to instruct everyone and coordinate everything online, from home. On the other hand, Toya shared that the she appreciated the way technology allowed her to work during the pandemic. "Starting from acting and art direction to light and sound, we did everything by ourselves. This multitasking was the actual challenge for us," asserts Toya.
Nurual Alam Atique's Coronar Phul featured Zeenat Sanu Swagata and Manoj Kumar Pramanik. Manoj shared that his part was shot in Naogaon. "I was really excited to represent my village on screen," shares Manoj. The director appreciated Manoj's effort as well. "Due to weak internet connectivity, I couldn't instruct him on video call. However, I had directed him over the phone and he did a good job in executing it," reveals Atique.
Rafiath Rashid Mithila starred in Goutam Koiri's Khola Janala, which also marked her daughter, Ayra's first appearance on television. The tele-fiction, also featuring Missouri Rashid, was aired on the sixth day of Eid. "Of course, Ayra's first appearance on screen was a special experience for me. The entire process was new and challenging for us," shares Mithila. Goutam directed the short film from Mymensingh, instructing them over Whatsapp video call. "Due to cyclone Amphan, we had difficulties while connecting, so it took more time to complete the work than we expected. I appreciate that the hard work of my artistes paid off," says Goutam.
Shafayet Mansoor Rana directorial Moddhonayok aired on the seventh day, featuring Naziba Basher, Fakhrul Basher, Mili Basher and Anaisha Hossain. "It is very difficult to work on set without the physical presence of the director. I am grateful to Rana for believing in me," says Naziba. "Instructing my six-year-old niece, Anaisha Hossain, is what I enjoyed the most". Despite all the challenges, the whole experience was enjoyable for us." On the other hand, Rana shared that it was tough to execute the shooting. "Since it is a short film, we could manage editing and the post production work online. However, there were limitations in constructing the plot, as technically it was very tough to gather and produce the final product. However, I enjoyed working with my team and they did a great job from their side," explains Rana.
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