''Shonibar Bikel'' () is a 2019 Bangladeshi-German-Russian co-production film directed by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, a one shot
political thriller
A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle, high stakes and suspense is the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics. The ...
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 has been cleared for release in Bangladesh by Bangladesh Film Censor Board after 4 years.
Plot
On a nice Saturday afternoon during Ramadan, citizens enjoy sleepy day time. Suddenly, a group of terrorists takes over a cafe in the city holding hostages of employees and customers. The police soon surround the building and demand negotiation and surrenders, the terrorists fortify the cafe with gas cylinders continuing their unfair tribunal. Foreigners, the disabled, women, businessmen, artists, non-Muslims, and even Muslims with different sect are subject to brutal hostility. The media streaming live news to attract more viewers doesn't care for the safety of the hostages. Each time a hostage is executed one by one, the nightmare of violence is amplified.
Cast
*
Zahid Hasan
Zahid Hasan (born 4 October 1965) is a Bangladeshi film, television and stage actor. He has been working as an actor in the show business arena of Bangladesh since the 1990s. He is also a TV commercial model. He was awarded Bangladesh National F ...
*
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 ...
Iresh Zaker
Iresh Zaker ( bn, ইরেশ যাকের; born 6 November 1976) is a Bangladeshi advertising executive, television and film actor and a musician. He is the managing director of Asiatic 360, a marketing and advertising company, owned and oper ...
*
Intekhab Dinar
Intekhab Dinar is a popular Bangladeshi actor known for starring in the Ekushey Television tv series ''Bondhone'' and Chorki series '' Unoloukik''.
Early life
The paternal grandfather of Dinar owned Purabi, a movie theater in Mymensingh.
Career ...
* Nader Chowdhury
* Gousul Alam Shaon
* Parambrata Chatterjee
* Eyad Hourani
* Selina Black
* Ellie Poussot
*
Manoj Pramanik
Manoj Kumar Pramanik ( bn, মনোজ কুমার প্রামাণিক) is a television and cinema actor and producer from Bangladesh who also teaches at universities. Manoj has participated in a number of Bangladeshi TV dramas both ...
Release
Screening
The film was premiered in
41st Moscow International Film Festival
The 41st Moscow International Film Festival was held from 18 April to 25 April 2019.
Russian film director Nikita Mikhalkov was the president of the festival.
South Korean film director Kim Ki-Duk was head of the main jury.
The Emperor of ...
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. On July, 2019, it was screened for
Filmfest München
The Munich International Film Festival (german: Filmfest München) is the largest summer film festival in Germany and second only in size and importance to the Berlinale. It has been held annually since 1983 and takes place in late-June/earl ...
and
London Indian Film Festival
London Indian Film Festival is a film festival established in 2010 to showcase Indian independent film. It was screened as official Selection in Busan International Film Festival in October 2019. It was also screened in 2019 Hong Kong Asian Film Festival.
Home media
The film was digitally premiered in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
In January 2019, the Film Censor Board of Bangladesh banned the theatrical release of ''Saturday Afternoon'' which portrays the July 2016 terrorist attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery as it would "damage the country's reputation". The censor board said that the film could "incite religious fervour in the Muslim-majority nation of 165 million". In January, 2021, a group of artists led by Farooki protested by many ways against the decision. In August, 2022, netizens of Bangladesh protested online against the ban. On 26 August 2022, a group of filmmakers and artists demanded clear explanation for ban the film. On 28 August 2022, a television drama directors' organisation named Director's Guild protested against government and demanded censor clearance of the film. On 29 August 2022,
Hasan Mahmud
Shakib Al Mahmmad Tamim( bn, হাসান মাহমুদ; born 12 October 1999) is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He made his international debut for the Bangladesh cricket team in March 2020.
Domestic career
He made his first-class debut fo ...
, the information minister of the country, expressed the decision to give permission to release the film under the condition that the director should add extra scenes advised by appeal board. He also claimed that the film didn't show the whole fact. In October 2022, Farooki said that some dialogues may be added to the film's ending to get clearance from the Censor Board. On 21 January 2023, it got green signal of the appeal board to release theatrically in the Bangladesh market.
Reception
Critical response
Deborah Young of ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' said about the film, "As in most films that attempt to do everything in a one-shot single take, viewers soon forget technique in the heat of the evolving story. It doesn’t seem to faze either the professional cast or cinematographer Aziz Zhambakiyev (Harmony Lessons), as Valerii
Petrov’s Steadicam goes flying around the airy restaurant with its picture windows onto a police stakeout and walls that seem to change color from blue to red to heighten the drama". Calling it a modernised version of ''
The Petrified Forest
''The Petrified Forest'' is a 1936 American film directed by Archie Mayo and based on Robert E. Sherwood's 1935 Broadway drama of the same name. The motion picture stars Leslie Howard, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. The screenplay was written ...
'', Wally Adams of Easternkicks.com praised performance of its actors.