‘Never meant to hurt religious sentiments with Allah Meherbaan’

“Allah Meherbaan,” an item number, was supposed to be the flagship promotional act for the film Boss 2: Back to Rule, sequel to the critically acclaimed 2013 film Boss. Upon the video’s release, severe backlash from some groups resulted in actor Nusraat Faria attacked vociferously on social media and calls for boycotting the film’s distributor Jaaz Multimedia. The situation took a turn for the worse when two Supreme Court lawyers sent the producer a legal notice to remove the video from all social media platforms for “hurting religious sentiments.” Sources close to Jaaz Multimedia confided to the Dhaka Tribune that the owners had seen the legal notice and removed the video from YouTube, Facebook and other social media. However, the video is still online from the channel of the Indian distributor Grassroot Entertainment. One of the complainants, Supreme Court lawyer Md Hujjatul Islam Khan, said Jaaz Multimedia removed the song from their Youtube channel on Tuesday. He said: “We pitched two issues in the legal notice. The first was to remove the song from Youtube and the second was to cut that item song out from the film.” “We will track of their progress. If the song is not removed, my client may file a writ petition with the High Court,” said Hujjatul, who was also a counsel to condemned war criminal and BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury.

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Also Read- Nusraat Faria in the line of fire with Allah Meherbaan

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Talking to Nusraat

The Dhaka Tribune reached out to Nusraat Faria, an emerging star in the media industry of Bangladesh and West Bengal, who gracefully shared her thoughts on the ongoing attack against the film and her person. “It was just an item song for a commercial film and commercial films require imagination and entertainment. There are no subversive intentions behind entertainment. But the film and I have received much vitriol over it. “As an artist, I get to enjoy the fame I receive from the audience. Similarly, I also need to accept the ignominy and criticism that comes with it. It is part of my profession which will always be susceptible to public criticism.” Faria requested her viewers to understand that making a film is never about one single person. “As I’m the female lead in the film, the criticism veered towards me. But there is so much that goes into making a movie – like a director’s plan, choreographer’s plan, cinematography, screenplay, costume designs, music, producer’s investment. Everyone has a vision in mind, everyone has something they want to put in the film,” she said.

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A post shared by Nusraat Faria (@nusraat_faria) on Apr 28, 2017 at 6:32am PDT

While Faria received the brunt of the criticism, with distributor Jaaz Multimedia facing legal threats, little no criticism was directed towards the film director, music director, or lyricist who composed the track. Over the past two years, Faria has received high praises for her work and is considered by many to be one of several artists who are changing the industry for the better. “During the shoot, I never thought about the costumes and the song. I never meant to hurt religious sentiments with Allah Meherbaan. The director wanted to introduce me in the film with a bang and the team worked to manifest his vision.” Faria said the reception of the song may have turned bitter because the timing coincided with Ramadan. “Films these days are highly promoted on social media prior to their release. Since the film is scheduled for release this Eid, the promotional activity will continue throughout Ramadan. It is unfortunate that so many people were hurt by the video,” Faria ended.