Someone has created conflict between Mr Morteza and I : Ananta Jalil
Ananta Jalil's "Din-The Day" has been in the headlines for the discussion revolving around its budget. The actor has claimed that it was made at a whopping BDT 100 crore budget, while "Din- The Day" co-producer Morteza Atashzamzam announced on Instagram that the actual budget of the film is merely BDT 4 crores.
Ananta Jalil posted a video on Facebook to refute the allegations pressed by Iranian filmmaker Morteza Atashzamzam.
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"There have been a lot of speculations regarding Din- The Day's budget on social media. Co-producer and Iranian filmmaker, Morteza Atashzamzam posted an agreement in Bangla, which said that I am supposed to pay him a certain amount. The media started making news that "Din-The Day" is actually made with a budget of BDT 4 crores, from that speculative post," said Ananta Jalil.
"Previously, he posted another post in English, where he claimed that I have not paid according to his agreement, and deprived the Iranian team of their rightful earnings. The Iranian filmmaker also claimed that I have made the movie in my own way and didn't provide justice to his original representation. Here, I will be counteracting each of his points justifiably in the video," added the actor.
1. First of all, "Din-The Day" is a joint production between Iran and Bangladesh. I don't think a Bengali agreement would be acceptable, as the other party won't understand the terms and conditions. Thus, this agreement is false and fabricated. The journalists can ask Misha bhai and Khorshed bhai, whether I have given any direction in the shooting. Apart from Morteza bhai, we had our own talented Bangladeshi director working on the film, Sheikh Jamal. He has been working in the film industry for more than 35 years. Both Morteza and Sheikh Jamal directed the film.
2. Major parts of the movie were shot in 3 countries. Mr Morteza handled all the artists and technicians of those countries. There were some technicians from Bangladesh as well, but as they couldn't decipher the language, they couldn't work well on the set. So the question remains, how was he able to write Bengali so fluently in his status?
3. Now, let's talk about the budget for the film. The shooting of the movie commenced in 2019, and was completed by 2020. If you would see my interviews on television and in the newspapers, you would see that I have never claimed to be the sole investor in the movie. I have only stated that I have only invested money in the Bangladesh portion. On February 27, 2021, we arranged a press conference regarding "Din - The Day" and "Netri: The Leader'', which was held at Le Meridian Dhaka. Morteza and his team of 17 Iranian crew members were present at the event. During the press conference, Mr. Morteza announced that he has spent more money on the film, compared to his actual budget. I have only reciprocated his stated figures to the media at the press conference. Morteza has claimed that I need to pay him 4-5 lakh dollars for his investment, and that I have not paid him fully according to his agreement. However, according to our actual agreement, I am only supposed to pay for the Bangladeshi portion only. It's none of his concern whether I have paid only 1 crore or 4 crores for the Bangladeshi shooting. I am not answerable for any shooting expenses abroad except the shooting expenses of Bangladesh – excluding the airfare of the crew members. There is no way I am going to pay him in dollars.
Mr. Morteza did not pay a dime while shooting in various countries. He stated a figure in Instagram and the whole media industry started making controversial news regarding the budget of the film.
4. When we went to shoot abroad, Morteza gave us a lot of respect and put us in a five-star hotel. The filmmaker also invited our entire team to his house for two days. We offered the same treatment to his team of 17 members as well, when they came to Bangladesh. We kept them in Sonargaon hotel, and paid for their expenses while they were shooting in Bangladesh. Morteza and I never had any differences in opinion before, and so I am shocked by his allegations. Someone has created conflict among Morteza bhai and I, for their own personal gain. I believe that one day Mr. Morteza will understand the truth, and will uncover the real face of the perpetrator.
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