Osthir Somoy Shostir Golpo: Promoting Young Talent
Creative Producers/Mentors:
Amitabh Reza Chowdhury
Mezbaur Rahman Sumon
Directors:
Anam Biswas- Taile Shei Kothai Roilo
Nuhash Humayun- Hotel Albatross
Syed Ahmed Shawki- Kotha Hobe To?
Sukorno Shahed Dhiman- Mahut
Jaheen Faruque Amin- Sheola
Tanvir Ahsan- Buker Bhitor Kichu Pathor Thaka Bhalo
Abid Mallick- Protishodh
The first thing that would strike anyone about the project is the name. Why choose the name 'Osthir Somoy Shostir Golpo'? "We actually chose this name keeping in mind the very difficult times we've been going through due to intolerance", said Amitabh Reza Chowdhury. The project was initiated by him and Mezbaur Rahman Sumon, who had previously worked together for the hit Aynabaji Original Series. Sumon was then editing the television dramas for the series when Amitabh put forth the proposal. "We really wanted to tell some new and fresh tales, and invoke some fresh thoughts to our dramas. There has been way too much of the same content for years, and we wanted to give something new. Every one of these young directors who worked on it told a fresh tale", said Sumon.
The directors discussed their dramas for 8-10 days before the production even began. After the promos for the dramas were made, they were uploaded on social media and the shooting started afterwards. What ensured the quality of the drama, however, was the collaboration between the initiators of the project and the directors. Syed Ahmed Shawki, the director of Kotha Hobe To resonated that, "This was a completely new venture and a huge opportunity for us to showcase our talents. Amitabh bhai is an ideal producer; he did everything a producer should do to help out the director. They had already made the ship for us, and we just had to sail it".
There were a lot of expectations from Nuhash Humayun, who had shown sparks of brilliance previously in short films that he had made with very limited crew and budget. "I always knew that it would be a challenge. I hadn't done anything quite as big before, so it was quite daunting. Thankfully, I pulled through with Hotel Albatross. To everyone involved in the project, it was not about me, it was rather about the story and what was best for it", said Nuhash. Jaheen Faruque Amin, who had worked for Mezbaur Rahman Sumon for a long time, said that the previous experience had definitely helped him for the production of his drama Sheola. Sukorno Shahed Dhiman, a long- time assistant director to Sumon, also appreciated the initiative very much, "We really had a lot of freedom to work on the project, and a lot of advantages. The budget, accessibility of Osthir Shomoy made it easier for me to direct Mahut. For example, if we needed a jail premise to film a scene, a few phone calls here and there from Amitabh bhai or Sumon bhai would get that for us". Tanvir Ahsan, the director of Buker Bhitor Kichu Pathor Thaka Bhalo, faced quite the challenge with his debut drama. "I've only worked in add before, and this was by far my biggest project. I needed a skilled actress, and was lucky to have Tisha apu (Nusrat Imrose Tisha) as a lead. The rest of the crew was relatively unknown, but they did well and she (Tisha) gave her absolute best and is pretty much visible in the finished product", he said.
Protishodh was Abid Mallick's first fiction after 7 years. According to him, Osthir Somoy Shostir Golpo was a really professional and pleasant experience. He said, "If we keep getting this level of support, the finished product is bound to be great. Getting an educated and knowledgeable producer is tough these days, and their roles are not limited to just handing over the money".
In response to what needs to be done to increase viewership among the audience, the response was more or less unified. The directors suggested that the audience would definitely respond to quality and passionate work. "The audience needs to be kept under an 'umbrella' of familiarity", said Amitabh. "The change that we now see in the industry is very positive, and we have to uphold that and advertise our work as much as we can to the viewers", he concluded.
By Sadi Mohammad Shahnewaz
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