''No Bed of Roses'' (''Doob'' as the Bengali version) is a 2017 Bangladeshi-Indian

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

film written and directed by

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki Mostofa Sarwar Farooki (born 2 May 1973) is a Bangladeshi film director, producer and screenwriter. His films ''Third Person Singular Number'', ''Television'', ''No Bed Of Roses'' were critically acclaimed across the world and received numero ...

. It was produced by Abdul Aziz,

Himanshu Dhanuka Himanshu Dhanuka is an Indian film producer and distributor. Himanshu is the head of Eskay Movies. Personal life Himanshu, the elder son of producer and distributor Ashok Dhanuka. He completed his graduation in Mechanical Engineering from N ...

and

Irrfan Khan Irrfan Khan () (born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan; 7 January 196729 April 2020), also known simply as Irrfan, was an Indian actor who worked in Indian cinema as well as British and American films. Widely regarded as one of the finest actors in In ...

under the banner of

Jaaz Multimedia Jaaz Multimedia is a film production and distribution house in Bangladesh. History 2011-2014: Initial Years Jaaz Multimedia released their first film, ''Bhalobasar Rong'' starring Bappy and Mahiya Mahi, in 2012. In 2013, Jaaz Multimedia rele ...

and

Eskay Movies Eskay Movies is an Indian media and entertainment company which started in 1988 by Ashok Dhanuka and Himanshu Dhanuka. The expanded Eskay Movies into becoming one of the biggest media and entertainment houses in eastern India. In the film indu ...

along with Irrfan Khan Films. It stars Irrfan Khan,

Nusrat Imrose Tisha Nusrat Imrose Tisha, (born 20 February 1986) known mononymously as Tisha, is a Bangladeshi actress, model and producer who has appeared mainly in Bengali television and films. She has garnered landmark popularity with her praised performances b ...

Rokeya Prachy Rokeya Prachy is a Bangladeshi theater, television and film actress and director. Career Prachy got her acting breakthrough in Morshedul Islam's film '' Dukhai'' in 1997. Her first directorial work was a docufiction for Channel I in 2009. She lat ...

and

Parno Mittra Parno Mitra (born 31 October 1986) is an Indian actress who appears in Bengali films. Mitra started her career on television. Her acting assignment was Ravi Ojha's Bengali TV series ''Khela'' (2007). She was catapulted to stardom after she ena ...

. The story builds up around the members of two families discovering the finer fabric of love when the headman of a family dies. The theme is that death doesn't always take things away: Sometimes it gives back. It was selected as the Bangladeshi entry for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the

91st Academy Awards The 91st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2018 and took place on February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the ceremony, ...

, but it was not nominated.

Cast

as Javed Hasan *

as Saberi *

as Maya *

as Nitu * Rashad Hossain as Ahir * Nader Chowdhury *

Ashok Dhanuka Ashok Dhanuka is an Indian film producer. He is the founder of Eskay Movies. One of the leading film production house, studio and distribution house in West Bengal. His son Himanshu Dhanuka is also a film producer and distributor. Filmography * ...

as Aynal * Mujib Pardeshi * Mohammed Rakibul Hasan Reza as Lotus

Production

Casting

Irrfan Khan was cast in to play the lead role opposite

and

later joined the film in a supporting role. This marks Khan's 10th international film.

Filming

Principal photography began in March 2016 in Dhaka. Filming locations include

Chittagong Hill Tracts The Chittagong Hill Tracts ( bn, পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম, Parbotto Chottogram), often shortened to simply the Hill Tracts and abbreviated to CHT, are group of districts within the Chittagong Division in southeast ...

, Sylhet, and

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...

. On 17 March 2016,

arrived in Dhaka,

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

to scout for filming locations. Internationally acclaimed director Farooki describes ''No Bed of Roses'' as a family story of loss and regain. Regarding the film Khan said, "When I saw his first film 'Ant Story', it immediately got me interested. I was impressed with his approach, style, and the way he unravels the story ... His works carry a strong humane angle, which is why his characters are multi layered."

Release

''No Bed of Roses'' had its world premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival on 25 June 2017. After months of waiting for clearance, the film was finally announced to be released on 27 October 2017 in Bangladesh and India. Talks were on with distributors of respective countries whether it can be released in Australia and Singapore on 27 October.

Reception

Upon release "No bed Of Roses" received positive critical acclaim from the prominent critics of both Bangladesh and India.

Film festivals

This movie has been selected to compete at the main competition round of the

Shanghai International Film Festival The Shanghai International Film Festival (, French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai''), abbreviated SIFF, is one of the largest film festivals in East Asia. "China's biggest film festival" according to the Hollywood Reporter. Nex ...

2017, which commenced from 17 June 2017. ''No Bed of Roses'' has been selected for the main competition section of the 39th

Moscow International Film Festival The Moscow International Film Festival (russian: Моско́вский междунаро́дный кинофестива́ль, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is the film festival first h ...

. The film wins the Kommersant Weekend Prize in the festival. * Film Bazaar 2013 - Winner - Dubai Film Market Award * Shanghai International Film Festival, June 2017 - Competition * Moscow International Film Festival, June 2017 - Winner - Kommersant Jury Prize * In competition, El Gouna Film Festival, September 2017 * Official selection, Vancouver International Film Festival, September 2017 * Official selection, Busan International Film festival, October 2017 * Closing film, South Asian Film Festival, Paris, October 2017 * In competition, Asia Pacific Screen Awards, November 2017 * Official selection, 48th International Film Festival of India, Goa, 20–28 November 2017. * Official Selection, IFFK Kerala 2017. * Official Selection, Munich IFF 2018. * Official Selection, SIFF 2018. *Official Selection, Asian World Film Festival 2018, California.

Reviews

Thoroughly modern and unlike Farooki's previous work, this is a sobering, engrossing separation drama... It takes an actor of Irrfan Khan's stature and magnetism to turn an intimate separation drama into something special, and a writer-director like Bangladesh's happy maverick Mostofa Sarwar Farooki to layer on subtleties and shades of meaning with realistic detachment that never slips into melodrama... Its visual style and pacing make as much of an impression as the head-shaking story. — Deborah Young, ''The Hollywood Reporter''

Directed with an assured and graceful touch that evokes the elegiac tone of a requiem, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki proves he's a singular voice in Bangladeshi cinema. With Irrfan Khan delivering another sublime lead performance (while being billed as co-producer), the film should bloom at festivals and secure a limited release in India, despite some censorship issues back home…..Other actors in the mixed cast of Bangladeshis and Indians are equally absorbing, especially Tisha. — Maggie Lee, Chief Asia Film Critic, ''Variety''

The latest work from Mostofa Sawar Farooki No Bed Of Roses (Doob) is an intimate family drama which eschews the usual melodramatic trappings of such fare to explore the quietly devastating impact of a husband's infidelity on those closest to him... Boasting an excellent central performance from acclaimed Indian actor Irrfan Khan... Khan is characteristically magnetic and surprisingly empathetic... While the story is salacious, Farooki's nuanced screenplay avoids cliche — sex scenes are notably absent — to instead focus on the very real pain of the situation... Alongside Khan, who will be familiar to Western audiences, the cast is universally strong... the evolving relationship between mother and daughter in the wake of Javed's seismic betrayal provides the emotional heart of the narrative, along with Saberi's feelings towards her father, and it's refreshing to see this age-old story told from the equal perspective of the women involved. Farooki handles the piece with grace and sensitivity; an approach augmented by Pavel Arin's evocative score, which mixes the traditional and the contemporary, and debut cinematographer Sheikh Rajibul Islam's arresting, contemplative visuals. — Nikki Baughan, Screen International

Farooqi never quite ventures to spoon-feed us with an explanation of exactly why and how Javed Hasan reached the tipping point of leaving his family and marrying the girl who had broken his home. The human mind, with all its complexities, is simply left to itself here, the viewer encouraged to make his or her own interpretation with ample hints that could mean more things than one.

Controversy

On 16 February 2017, the Ministry of Information halted the film's "no-objection" certificate. Earlier, writer

Humayun Ahmed Humayun Ahmed (; 13 November 1948 – 19 July 2012) was a Bangladeshi novelist, dramatist, screenwriter, filmmaker, songwriter, scholar, and professor. His breakthrough was his debut novel '' Nondito Noroke'' published in 1972. He wrote over 20 ...

's wife

Meher Afroz Shaon Meher Afroz Shaon (born 12 October 1981) is a Bangladeshi actress, director and playback singer. She won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for her performance in the film ''Krishnopokkho'' (2016). She was the wife of ...

had brought to the government's notice that part of the film resembles a period of her deceased husband's life.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack music composed by Chirkutt.

Accolades

''Doob'' was nominated for five awards from the

Filmfare Awards East Filmfare Awards Bangla is the Bengali segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by The Times Group to honour the artistic and cinematic excellence in Bengali. The first installment of the awards were held for Bengali, Assamese and Odia ...

References

External links

* * * * * {{Bangladeshi submission for Academy Awards 2017 films 2010s Bengali-language films 2017 drama films English-language Bangladeshi films Bengali-language Bangladeshi films Bengali-language Indian films Films scored by Chirkutt Films directed by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki Jaaz Multimedia films Film controversies in Bangladesh