The trailer of the long awaited Liberation War film, Shongram, was screened at a hotel in the capital on Tuesday. The film features Hollywood star Asia Argento and Bollywood star Anupam Kher, alongside Bangladeshi actors Dilruba Yasmeen Ruhee and Amaan Reza.
The director of the film, British-Bangladeshi film-maker Munsur Ali, chaired the event, which also saw the launch of Amader Porichoy (Our Identity), a collaborative project of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s CVE Unit and Moringa Entertainment Limited. The platform will enable students from Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet to share their views on cross-generational experiences on the topic of Bangladeshi identity.
In the next six months, this special roadshow will be partnering with educational institutions in Dhaka around December 16, Chittagong around February 21 and Sylhet around March 7 to commemorate key dates in the Bangladeshi calendar.
Other speakers of the panel included CVE Capacity Building Officer Assan Ali, Director of International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Syed Muntasir Mamun, Executive Director and Publisher of Daily Ittefaq Tareen Hossain, and youth leader Fahmida Faiza.
Among the many dignitaries present at the event, the British High Commissioner in Dhaka, Robert Chatterton Dickson, shared his thoughts on how the film’s context of 1971 relates to the identity conflicts we see today.
“The issue of identity is complicated,” he said.“Your film (Shongram), which I was lucky enough to see a few months ago, does bring out for the new comers (the issues of 1971), and it’s interesting how many are new comers to the events that happened 50 years ago. I think your film will be a very powerful introduction to that.”
The lead actor of the film, Amaan Reza, told Dhaka Tribune Showtime that Shongram gave him artistic fulfilment.
“I always carry this Shongram (Struggle) with me as a Bangladeshi,” he said. “The Liberation War is our identity and our pride.”
The film Shongram, which targets chiefly foreign and non-resident Bangladeshi audience, will be released in local theatres soon.
