Nimphul: Nuhash Palli bustles again

Meher Afroze Shaon (sitting, right) with the cast and crew.

With shooting for the remake of “Nimphul” scheduled to begin at Nuhash Palli on the morning of May 17, most of the crew had already travelled there the night before. I arrived there on the morning of the shooting, and so did Agun, Jayanta Chattopadhyay, Shamim Shahed and Chanchal Chowdhury.

Our first destination was a big room near the entrance of Nuhash Palli, where Humayun Ahmed would enjoy having a good adda with everyone.

While we were chatting, our breakfast arrived. The menu? Khichuri, fried eggs and chicken. Director Meher Afroze Shaon joined the table a while later, and exchanged pleasantries with us before sitting down to eat.

Once we were all full, Shaon asked for the script, which was promptly brought to her by assistant director Ibrahim. Skimming through the script, Shaon asked her deputy if everything was ready for shooting near the jungle. Ibrahim assured her that everything was in order.

The director then told us that we would offer our prayers at Humayun Ahmed's grave. After that, Shaon said, “I believe that Humayun Ahmed is still with me. The people I'll be working with today are artistes who are very close to my heart.”

The assistant director then called for the actors to get ready for the first take out in the Gajari forest. Agun and Chanchal Chowdhury put on their costumes and headed to the spot. With the sun burning bright above, Shaon and Jayanta Chattopadhyay pulled up chairs to sit on. Shaon gave instructions before the camera started to roll.

The shooting began with a scene where Mona Dakaat was captured. The director called for a cut when a bicycle tumbled unplanned. Shaon added that she couldn't hear the shouts of the people who had captured Mona Dakaat.

The next take started, and people dragged Mona Dakaat to the front. Chanchal Chowdhury-- as Mona Dakaat, and Agun -- as Kuddus, were both sweating under the heat. The scene got the director's approval after two takes.

The next scene took a long time to attain the directors satisfaction. Shaon told the child actor in the scene to act more scared, and it took a number of shots to get the scene right.

With the jungle portion of the shooting over, the crew took refuge in the shades of the veranda of the Brishti Bilash house. Watermelons arrived to provide relief in the heat. Resting on a sofa, Shaon asked Chanchal, Agun and Shamim Shahed to rehearse.

Chanchal acted surprised after looking at Shahed Shamim, saying, “You didn't have a moustache a minute ago.” Shamim Shahed also laughed, “I put it on in the makeup room”.

Shaon asked the assistant director to hurry Jayanta to join the rest of the actors. With his arrival, the rehearsal gained pace, with the director passing her instructions.

Chanchal in the middle of a shot

The camera, monitor, and other instruments were brought in front of Brishti Bilash. Mona Dakaat and his son were tied to a tree for the next scene. A crowd gathered for a lynching scene. The director shouted “Action”, and the villagers started to scream and beat Mona Dakaat, who began to scream in agony in response.

It took over an hour to get a perfect shot, especially since the entire cast was on the camera.

Lunch break was called soon after, with the clock hitting 4pm.

After the meal, the director elaborated on the TV play. She said, “Humayun Ahmed and I watched 'Nimphul' when we were in the US. Humayun Ahmed told me how technology had progressed since the original version. It was then that I became interested in remaking 'Nimphul'”.

I made way out of the famous Nuhash Palli, as more visitors poured in.