“Mukti”: Portraying the tragedy of war through shadows
"Mukti," a short film on the Liberation War of 1971 has been sent for selections for the Festival de Cannes.
“If selected, the festival authority will inform me before April 15 (when names of the selected films will be announced),” said director of the film Rasheduzzaman Uzzal.
The 55-minute film "Mukti" was shot in Rajshahi. What sets this film apart is the use of shadows of characters to portray all the actions.
Uzzal wrote the script, directed and produced it under the banner of Rajshahi Multimedia Productions.
“Our shadows cannot be separated from us. To me the shadow is a metaphor on many levels. I believe the Liberation War is like a shadow to our national identity; it cannot be separated,” Uzzal says.
The filmmaker researched on the subject for three years. Filming, however, took less than a week.
Hasan Raja is the music director of the film. Dr Asit Roy and Tapan Kumar Das have provided instrumental scores for the film. The cast includes Nawshin Zaman, Mithu, Shila, Ranga, Nur Muhammad, Tanmay Ghosh, Nishi, Jalil, Liton, Mono and others.
The film was premiered in Rajshahi on the Martyred Intellectuals' Day (December 14) last year. It has also been screened at different towns around Rajshahi.
The protagonist of the film is Kamal who leaves his wife Jyotsna behind to join to the war. The couple is expecting a child. They had decided to name the baby 'Mukti' (freedom). As Kamal fights for the country, Jyotsna carries 'Mukti' in her womb.
Prior to Uzzal, another filmmaker from Rajshahi -- Ahsan Kabir Liton -- produced a short film titled "The Flag" on the Liberation War. Unlike "The Flag" which has no dialogue, "Mukti" has dialogues and background music.
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