Shooting at UTC Bhaban

(From left) Director Shokal Ahmed with actors Sajal and Bindu. Photo: ATL Aakash

UTC Bhaban is a building on Panthapath in Dhaka, the tenth floor of which has been used as a shooting venue for a while. Going there on a Friday, we ran into actor Sajal as soon as we stepped out of the elevator.

Sajal was busy talking on the phone, but he stepped forward to shake hands. Soon we entered the shooting space.

Unfortunately, there was a power cut, but the crew was busy arranging for the scenes: the production boy and light-man were chatting away, two assistant directors were taking a break, while director Shokal Ahmed reclined on a sofa -- busy reading the script.

We moved on to the makeup room, where we found Bindu in front of a mirror. Sajal also entered the room, and the actors struck up a conversation in which Shokal Ahmed also joined in.

An adda session followed on the sofa of the makeup room, with actor Selim joining in.

Sajal wondered whether there would be any shooting if electricity was not back. Bindu replied, “Count down an hour on your watch. There is little possibility of the power returning before that.” Selim said, “What's the problem? We are having a good time.” Shokal Ahmed jokingly replied, “Sure, all the losses are going out of the director's pocket.”

As the adda continued, it started to rain. Everyone seemed to enjoy watching the much-awaited rain outside. Ten/fifteen minutes of rain refreshed the whole ambiance.

Meanwhile, as the electricity returned, the director hurried everyone to get ready for a scene. Sajal and Bindu prepared themselves for the shot, while the unit readied all the equipments. The director gave instructions for the scene.

The reel started to roll and the scene was okayed without any glitch. Then the next shot was delayed as Sajal's phone rang.

A brief break was called, as Sajal and Bindu needed a change of wardrobe. Selim joined the duo for the next scene, which required two takes before getting a nod from the director.

It was time to rearrange the set for the next scene. The director informed us that the drama was called “Chena Chena Laage”. One shot after the other was captured on the reel, as we left the shooting spot around 9pm.