Indomitable souls

Continued from Vol 01 Issue 32
 

Scene from Shongshaptok

Teamwork is a crucial factor in making a good programme. Nowadays, only the producer and the director worries about the programme, while in those days it was a matter for all to think about. When Abdullah Al Mamun decided to make the famous novel 'Shangshaptok', the biggest worry was how to shoot a drama serial of that huge a magnitude.  Abdullah Al Mamun was worried too and used to consult regularly with his colleagues. Abdullah Al Mamun came to television from a newspaper – there, he became close to Shahidullah Kaiser. Thus Abdullah Al Mamun joined television receiving the authorization to make a screenplay of the novel from Shahidullah Kaiser. Abdullah Al Mamun was determined to get the job done.
The then chief engineer of television, Khaled Salahuddin came to the rescue. By then, construction of Rampura TV station had already begun – only the frame of the building was complete, nothing else. So, shooting started using wooden planks on the floor. The first shooting; light, sound and rolling was first heard at Rampura TV station during the shooting of 'Shangshaptok'. Coming out of the small studios of DIT building into the large open space of Rampura Abdullah Al Mamun proved his efficiency by presenting the audience with 'Shangshaptok'. For many, after the independence of Bangladesh, and gaining new technological facilities of Rampura TV station, Abdullah Al Mamun never managed to outshine his first production. 'Shangshaptok' is a milestone of BTV's drama serials. The way it touched the hearts of audience is never to be forgotten.
Abdullah Al Mamun even used a helicopter to shoot the last scene. Now, using helicopter to shoot is no big feat. Television wanted to present something new to the audience using an overhead shot using the helicopter. Those who were involved, I would request them to tell us more about the making of the drama. Just want the readers to know that there were two very popular characters in the drama: Kankata Ramzan and teenage character Malu. Before independence, ATM Shamsuzzaman played the character of Kankata (Ear-cut), and after the independence, it was Humayun Faridi. Malu's character was played by Master Ripon (his full name is Enamul Haque, currently Managing Director of an export oriented firm). After independence, Malu's character was played by Mujibur Rahman Dilu, anyone writing a history of Bangladesh television can't ignore 'Roktokorobi'.
Nowadays, most don't have a clue about rehearsal. Many think everything will go fine, once the camera is on. But those days, rehearsal was a must. Still today, the remuneration for the artistes includes three to four days of rehearsal, but many don't know about it. Before, if an artiste missed a day of rehearsal his or her free would get deducted!

The writer is Managing Director, Channel i
To be continued
(Translated by Zia Nazmul Islam)