This is a story about a friendship that began accidentally on a rustic winter night about a year ago over Diet Coke and cheeseburgers, which quickly grew to become more epic than Harry Potter 5.
It’s a story about a friendship that went halfway round the world, from Montreal to Dhaka, beating, btw, the 30-day record set by Phileas Fogg (thanks to the services offered by Etihad Airways). And, ultimately, how that friendship (metaphorically) went to seek its fortune at Cannes.
This is the incredible true story of my friendship with the inimitable Paul Telner, who came to Dhaka last month to shoot a TV show called “Good Morning Bangladesh,” and how me and my cousin, the one-and-only Ahad Bhai, went to Cannes to sell it.
It was indeed a wintry night when I met Paul and his writer friend Spencer Walker last year in Montreal. But the bluster of cold air Paul brought in with him dissipated quickly with the warmth of his cheer and his viciously jolly catch-phrase, delivered with his patented grin, neon baseball cap, and welcoming hug: “Hey, how are you! Good to see you!”©
Cut to one year later, we’re the best of friends sitting in the lobby of the Mandarin Oriental in Toronto, listening raptly as Ahad tells us his idea for a new TV show, conceived as a result of our friendship with the inimitable Paul Telner.
The show is called “Good Morning Bangladesh.” Paul plays an entertainment TV show host in Canada who makes a series of unwittingly offensive remarks and gets kicked off the air. Now, the only place his agent can find him a job is as a serious business host … in Bangladesh.
Oh, and he’s a Jew.
Five months later and we’re shooting the pilot in the sweltering heat of Dhakaberg. Five days later and Ahad’s furiously editing the trailer with our partner Mushfiqur Rahman back at our Bioscopewala Productions office. Five hours later and we’re on the plane to Cannes, headed to the largest entertainment fair in the world.
Touchdown on the French Riviera. Five days of meetings at the Warner Bros yacht pier, phone pics with Katy Perry at the Mediterranean Sea, beach parties with French DJs at the Hotel Majestic, fresh orange juice in the sun at the BBC rooftop office, and explosive laughter from everyone who watched the trailer.
They loved it. The inimitable Paul Telner’s a star. Ahad’s a genius. Spencer’s a made man. And I’m the producer, baby.
The idea was inspired. Ahad wanted to make a show centred on a loveable fish-out-of-water character to showcase the lighter side of Bangladesh and the vibrancy of its culture and its people.
Filmed entirely using local crew – like the talented MK Khan – and well-known local actors, the show is an homage to the quality of the local film industry, the liveliness of Dhaka, and the historic multiculturalism of the region. From Bangladeshi crew to Canadian actors, and UK producers to American writers, the show brings together the best of Dhaka’s global vibe to showcase its best side.
And it’s hilarious.
Paul is comedy. His silly grin and colourful suits set against the backdrop of Dhaka are the hilarious ingredients that Spencer whipped into an even more hilarious script (sure, there were seven full script rewrites each day of shooting, but who’s counting).
The show is a testament to friendship. My friendship with Paul – a Canadian TV executive who had his own MTV comedy show – led to our partnership with Ahad, the CEO of Bioscopewala Productions Ltd and one of the hottest young producers in Dhaka, which led to a script by Spencer, the American author of the book, Cook to Bang.
Paul and I met last year, but our camaraderie is timeless. His honesty and goodness are rare traits, and that’s what makes his comedy as classic as Coca-Cola and cotton candy. Good people make good things happen.
And that’s what we did in September when a good-natured fellow named Paul Telner left North America for the first time, flew halfway round to world to shoot a TV pilot, and experienced all the inevitable cultural mishaps he could in the wildness of Bangladesh, a place in which his colourful character and unstoppable kindness brought out the best in the country.
It was basically Hangover 2 meets ET. And we got it on film.