Bangladeshi award-winning filmmaker Noor Imran Mithu said that artistes in his country have failed to take a stand against injustice happening around. Mithu is attending the third edition of Guwahati International Film Festival (GIFF) where his film ‘Komola Rocket’ was screened on Monday.

“There has been an issue with freedom of expression across the globe, not only in Bangladesh. Whatever is happening around us – be it political or other injustice – we, as artistes, are not being able to speak out,” Mithu told The News Mill.

Speaking further on the topic, Mithu said that it’s the duty and responsibility of any filmmaker or artiste of any form to portray the society and its happenings of the era.

“It can be a painting, music or a film. When we watch films from Iran, we can see the issues prevalent in their country. Many of them are in jails but they continued to speak up and portray the reality. But we are not being able to do that for various reasons. Not just political pressure, there are other issues involved…maybe somewhere the honesty of the artistes is also at question,” he added.

His film ‘Komola Rocket’ was screened at the festival on Monday. Komola Rocket is based on Bangla Academy Award winner Shahaduzzaman’s stories ‘Moulik’ and ‘Saipras’.

The story of the film revolves around a steamer in the name of Komola Rocket what will show Atik- a first class passenger who gets on the steamer along with other regular passengers. Atik is a wealthy man with moral flaws that are common among rich men of the country.

Speaking on his film, Mithu said that he was little worried that his film would not be cleared by the censor board as there are some anti-establishment elements in it.

“I was pleasantly surprised that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina liked the film and she called up the producer. And it got cleared. The whole film is on the steamer. The steamer depicts a mini Bangladesh. It shows corruption and other humanitarian issues,” Mithu added.

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The News Mill is a Guwahati-based digital media with focus on content from across Northeast India and beyond. We can be reached through [email protected]