Shyam Benegal to Direct Indo-Bangla Film on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
A film on the Bangladeshi Liberation War is also in the works.
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Acclaimed filmmaker Shyam Benegal has been roped in to direct a film on the life of the founding father of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, which will be jointly produced by India and Bangladesh.
The announcement follows a meeting of a delegation from Bangladesh led by Gowher Rizvi, Adviser to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, including Bangladesh High Commissioner Syed Muazzem Ali, with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry Secretary Amit Khare and other officials on 7 May.
The Bangladesh delegation assured full cooperation in ensuring smooth logistics for the shooting of the film. The movie’s scriptwriter Atul Tiwari is expected to travel to Bangladesh for research on the project, where he will be assisted by Bangladeshi filmmaker Piplu Khan.
A documentary on the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, which would be a collaboration between an Indian and Bangladeshi director, was also discussed.
It was also announced that State broadcasting agency Prasar Bharati has agreed to carry Bangladesh TV on DD Free Dish platform and waive carriage fees for the same. As a reciprocal gesture, the Bangladesh delegation announced that a Doordarshan channel will be adopted on a soon-to-be-launched DTH platform in Bangladesh. A working agreement on cooperation between All India Radio and Bangladesh Betar was also reached, the implementation of which is expected to start from June.
The Indian delegation also highlighted the strong network of community radio in both the countries and offered the services of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication to train Bangladesh personnel and explore the sharing of content and best practises in the field.
(With inputs from PTI)
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