“These critical times have opened up new avenues for storytellers”
Celebrated director and screenwriter Ashfaque Nipun is known for dealing with contemporary and political issues in his stories. Last year, two of his tele-fictions, Ei Shohore and Agontuk, were quite well-received by viewers. This year, his tele-fiction, Mukh O Mukhosher Golpo, was released on Valentine's Day. It depicts the complications in the relationship of a modern couple beautifully. In a recent conversation with The Daily Star, Nipun talks about the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the field of television and the probable changes in storytelling techniques in a post-coronavirus world.
As most television shows are produced bearing big festivals such as Eid in mind, the months around them are usually the busiest and most lucrative season for the television sector. However, concerns over the rapidly spreading coronavirus turned out to be a major obstacle for the fraternity, this year, as TV shoots are halted.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. To start things off, Nipun spoke about the stories that he wants to make after this ordeal ends. "Well, I have a few ideas in mind, but I don't want to give out any spoilers," he says. "For now, all I can say is that the audiences will be able to relate to the content."
According to him, storytelling techniques and representations of stories will change after the pandemic is over. "These critical times have opened up new avenues for storytellers," Nipun explains. "I believe that the predicaments, connections, systematic failures, responsibilities and mostly, the realisations we have all had will play into fictional stories as powerful elements. However, as a community, we are going to struggle to get back up on our own feet, once we begin working again."
Although television has been introduced to new and experimental creative techniques, Nipun noted that storytelling has become monotonous and repetitive, with intangible censorship being one of the biggest struggles for directors and screenwriters. "We can only show twenty percent of the story that we truly want to tell, especially when we are working with contemporary or sensitive issues that are connected to political matters," shares Nipun. "We have to leave the remaining eighty percent to the viewers' interpretations. This is a major drawback in exploring any form of art, for us."
While past shows such as Kothao Keu Nei, Bohubrihi and Shongshoptok were successful in striking a chord with the public, many find it difficult to connect with the stories on television today. "The lack of creativity and variety in the stories, along with the tendency to follow certain trends, rather than setting new ones, have resulted in a failure to connect with the audience," asserts Nipun. "You see, at present, two types of projects are being produced – one is based on the audiences' choices and the other creates its own audience. For the past five years, I have been trying to build a group of viewers who are interested in watching socio-political stories. My observation is that only a few directors have gradually succeeded in exploring that genre."
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