Director Amitabh Reza, actors Chanchal Chowdhury and Partha Barua – all members of the cast and crew of Aynabaji, have once again triggered curiosity among people by posting on Facebook a few photos, including selfies, from the shooting spot of their upcoming movie.
Posted on Tuesday, the photos raised the question of why they would still be shooting the much-hyped film, when it is scheduled to be released as early as March.
The answer came from Partha, who plays the role of a journalist in the film, as well as the director himself.
The shooting was mainly over in August last year, while the editing of the film was completed in the last four months. However, Partha said that he was at the shooting spot of Aynabaji in Old Dhaka’s Gendaria area when contacted over phone on Tuesday afternoon.
The actual story was revealed in the evening when Partha said over phone, “Today [Tuesday] Chanchal Chowdhury and I have shot a few sequences called ‘patchwork.’ This happens in the case of almost all films. However, our re-shoot was a little bit delayed.”
Amitabh Reza added that the patchwork shoot was over, along with photo-shoots for the film. Editing, sound and colour correction are also almost done, which means that the film will soon be submitted to the censor board.
Aynabaji showcases a city where the milkman still knocks at the door in the morning, hawkers sell daily needs with loud chants, children walk to drama classes in a group and roadside romeos chat at tea-stalls.
Ayna (played by Chanchal Chowdhury) is a resident of this city, where he falls in love with a girl named Hridi (played by Nabila). At one point, Ayna gets entangled with the complexities of the city. This is where Partha Barua, a journalist, arrives in the story.
Amitabh said, “The story portrays a city within this city, one that we seldom hear about. This is a film about that city, its love affairs and politics. I have tried to balance the story with songs, romance, break-ups and the projection of good and evil. However, in the end, commerce is important. I have never wished to make something that does not carry any financial benefit.”
The script of Aynabji is written by Anom Biswas and Gausul Alam Shaon, under the production of Content Matters. Lutfor Rahman George, Hira Chowdhury, Showkot Osman, Gausul Alam and Iffat Trisha have acted in the film, among others.