Riding on the wave of commercial success in its country of origin, Bangladeshi film Surongo directed by Raihan Rafi hit theatres in West Bengal last Friday. A tale of love, greed, betrayal and revenge, this crime thriller with breath-taking visuals and an unexpected climax stars Afran Nisho and Toma Mirza in lead roles. A t2 chat with the Surongo team that was in the city on the occasion of its release.
What sort of impact do you hope to achieve from Surongo’s release here in West Bengal?
Nisho: We are excited about the film doing well here. Besides, the release of our film here establishes an important connection. I hope it signifies the start of a new and beautiful journey for Bengali cinema. It is expected to open many doors and lots of new possibilities which all of us need to keep in mind while making films in the future. Through collaboration and exchange of films between West Bengal and Bangladesh, the scope for film professionals becomes wider and the market for Bengali films will increase manifold.
Toma: The people of Bangladesh and West Bengal have so much in common. Our language, our culture, our cuisine and even our emotions are very similar. Audiences should be able to relate to this film very easily from the aspect of emotions alone. So we are very hopeful of connecting with audiences here.
Raihan: I am very happy that my film has finally released here. All my OTT works are big hits with viewers in West Bengal. This film is a blend of many different genres and presents an innovative approach to filmmaking. So in terms of story and style, I am sure it will appeal to anyone looking out for excitement and entertainment at the theatre.
Tell us something about your roles. How did you prepare and what were the challenges?
Nisho: I am an actor who mainly believes in observing the people around me when looking for ideas to get into any character. My initial task was to blend into the person who was sketched in the script. And I did that by combining the traits of several people who were like Masud, my character, in some way or other. Apart from that the language and looks of my character helped me to bring him to life on screen. I thought that the look of this character somewhat resembled my father (who passed away three years ago) and I tried to portray it likewise. Later it gave me great satisfaction to know that my mother and other family members could find this connection as well when they saw the film.
At the same time, the situation and environment also suggest how a character will behave in a particular scene. I have choreographed and also improvised in certain sequences, and am fortunate that I have been allowed by my director to do this. I believe some of them have created moments of magic in this film.
As for the challenges, I face more of them once my work is over. I always feel that I could have done better whenever I look back on any work of mine. However, that becomes the inspiration for me to try harder the next time.Toma: As you may have seen, she has shades of greed, lust, thirst for money and power in her nature, which is not uncommon in the people we see around us. It was easier for me to become Moyna once I entered the sets and got ready for the shoots. The costume, make-up, my co-star, the setting… everything added to turn me into my character. Though I discussed with my director in detail all aspects of her character prior to the actual production, I could develop and polish my character and bring out its nuances better as shooting progressed.
Nisho, are you looking at more film projects in the future? What kind of roles would you prefer to do?
Yes, I am definitely looking forward to more opportunities to work in films in the near future. To me, each character is beautiful in their own way. The character outlined in a script is like a source of light and lights up the screen in many different ways. Every character has their own psyche and journey which I want to try and convey through my acting. I have always grown up with the ideology that I want to portray a variety of roles.
What are your views on Bangladeshi films being released in West Bengal? Do you think it will make both our industries more competitive and help create better cinema?
Nisho: Healthy competition is always necessary for growth and advancement, in any sector. I think an atmosphere of cooperation and understanding will develop once people from both sides of the border start watching each other’s content. In theatre too I have seen there is a positive competition among performers that prevents them from becoming lazy and stagnant. I feel that competition should exist within our own circle of work as well as with the world at large, for people to be able to learn, self-introspect and develop themselves the best. However, we must understand that the growth we are talking about will be slow and gradual. The dream or super-objective to present our work internationally is good and is to be encouraged always.
Toma: Though competition is never intentional, it should always be for good. We cannot let a situation develop where one will survive and grow at the cost of the other. Rather, a kind of rivalry should be encouraged where there will be mutual support and co-operation so that professionals on both sides are able to come up with better films. Having said that, if there is an exchange of content on both sides, it will be a huge boost for Bengali cinema as a whole. It offers great opportunities for learning and growth for the entire industry and viewers too will be exposed to more quality content.
Raihan: This kind of exchange of content is already happening in OTT. Now, if Bengali films from India and Bangladesh are also released in each other’s countries that will be a very good step. It will expand our market greatly and thus enable us to work on a larger canvas and deliver better films to our audience. As you know, OTT content in Bengali is being remade in another language. That is a huge achievement. I am also pleased to tell you that we have already received two offers from Bombay to adapt Surongo into a Hindi film. This is the wave that we have to build upon now. Rather than borrow stories from other languages, our original content must be good enough to deserve adaptations elsewhere. I think this shall become easier when the two Bengali film industries come together.
Recently, a Hindi movie was released in Bangladesh. But I think the audience of Bangladesh will be happier if they can watch a Bengali film made in India sitting in a theatre in Bangladesh.
