The first screening of Shei Raater Kotha Bolte Eshechhi (Tale of the Darkest Night) outside Bangladesh took place at the International Video Festival held in Kerala of India last May. An open forum was held after the show where journalists, critics and the spectators took part. A young Indian journalist asked me why we were still dealing with the incidents of 1971 especially since the Pakistani President Pervez Mosharraf had recently visited our country and pledged the nation to forget the dark chapter. I told him that we might forgive Pakistan for what it had done but, I asked, 'how can we ever forget the history through which our motherland was born?'

Along with such arguments, some furious response also followed. Another young journalist almost threatened me not to hold any further shows of the film. He argued that the film would spark antagonism among the Indians against their arch foe Pakistan, thus deteriorating the relationship between the two countries. I was apparently embarrassed by such harsh reaction. I could only tell him that I went to India at the invitation of the country and the shows were being conducted by the festival committee, not by me.

An elderly journalist fortunately came forward to my rescue. He told me that maybe the young man was not certain about his feelings and that I should be proud of my film. For, my 43-minute documentary 'is more powerful than the nuclear power of the two countries,' he remarked. The film finally had four shows in Kerala instead of the scheduled two.

I have always wanted to show my film to the Pakistani audience. In India there had been none. But in Nepal at an South Asian Film Festival, I found a few Pakistani filmmakers, the renowned Sharmin Obayed among them. Many other widely acclaimed journalists and filmmakers like the BBC's Mark Tully, India's Mahesh Bhatt attended the festival. Once Obayed asked me if I wanted to screen my film in Pakistan. I of course replied in the affirmative.

Tale of the Darkest Night was screened on the opening day of the festival. After the show I invited the Pakistani filmmakers too, along with all other, to speak on my film. One of them spoke rather diplomatically. Obayed, however, asked me, 'Do you really think you will be allowed to show this film in Pakistan?' She said that she had cried seeing the film, for she could not believe that the Pakistani armed forces could have really committed such brutal crime.

I told the Pakistani friends that the Bangladeshi people have no hard feelings for the Pakistani. 'Neither is my film against Pakistan and its people.'

At present Tale of the Darkest Night is being shown along with eleven other selected films from the festival, on a travelling tour in India, Spain and the US. I hope that more people will come to see the film and learn about the history of our country.

What was most disappointing in Nepal was that no officials from the Bangladesh High Commission were present at the screening although they had been duly invited. I was desperately looking for a flag of Bangladesh after I had been awarded. But I found none!