Shawdesh Desk: In the biographical film ‘Mujib: The Making of a Nation’, popular actress Nusrat Faria played the role of Sheikh Hasina. She has recently made headlines for her arrest in connection with a murder case under the jurisdiction of Vatara Police Station in Dhaka. On Sunday, while attempting to leave the country for Thailand, she was detained by immigration police. The following day, a court ordered her to be sent to prison.
The film, centred on the life of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was released in Bangladesh on 13 October 2023. It was directed by the late Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal and produced by the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation, in collaboration with the Indian government as part of the Mujib Centenary celebrations.
Key Cast Members:
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – Arifin Shuvoo, Young Sheikh Mujib – Dibya Jyoti, Renu (Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib) – Nusrat Imrose Tisha, Young Renu – Prarthona Fardin Dighi, Adolescent Sheikh Hasina – Wania Zarin Anvita (aged 8–12), Sheikh Rehana – Sabila Nur, Adolescent Sheikh Rehana – Samanta Rahman, Sheikh Kamal – Kamrul Hasan, Adolescent Sheikh Kamal – Ishraq Turjo (aged 8–12), Child Sheikh Kamal – Tawhid (aged 5), Sheikh Jamal – Sharif Siraj, Sheikh Lutfur Rahman (aged 65–94) – Khairul Alam Sabuj, Sheikh Lutfur Rahman (aged 45–65) – Chanchal Chowdhury, Sayera Khatun (elder) – Dilara Zaman, Young Sayera Khatun – Sangeeta Chowdhury, Tajuddin Ahmad – Riaz, Syed Nazrul Islam – Dewan Mohammad Saiful Islam Sayem Samad, Kamaruzzaman – Samu Chowdhury, Mansur Ali – Khalilur Rahman Kaderi, Shamsul Haque – Siam, A.K. Fazlul Huq – Shahidul Alam Sachchu, Mahatma Gandhi – Deepak Antani, Muhammad Ali Jinnah – Rahul Singh.
Additional Notable Roles:
Khandaker Mushtaq Ahmed – Fazlur Rahman Babu, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani – Raisul Islam Asad, Abu Sayeed Chowdhury – Ziaul Hasan Kislu, President Abdul Hamid – Gazi Rakayet, M.A. Wazed Miah – Gaius Uddin Sheikh, Manik Mia – Tushar Khan, Yahya Khan – Anup Puri, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto – Rajit Kapur, Pakistani Army Officer – Shahiduzzaman Selim, Payenda Khan – Rajan Modi, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy – Tauquir Ahmed,
Akhtar – Anjum Khan, Major General Osmani – Abhijit Sengupta, General Ayub Khan – Raju Sarkar, Elderly Woman – Rokeya Prachy, A.F.M. Mohitul Islam – Swapan Bhattacharya, Jail Superintendent – Azad Abul Kalam, Sultana Kamal Khuki – Najiba Bashar, General Tikka Khan – Zayed Khan, Mohiuddin Ahmed – Ashiul Islam, Ziaur Rahman – A.K. Azad Setu, Tajuddin Thakur – Kamrul Hasan, Bazlul Huda – Chandra Shekhar Dutta, Khaleda Zia – Elina Shammi, Tofail Ahmed – Sabbir Hossain
Background & Production:
This film was produced under the patronage of the now-defunct Awami League government in honour of Mujib Year. The total production budget was Tk83 crore (approx. USD 7.5 million), of which Bangladesh contributed Tk50 crore and India Tk33 crore. Notably, lead actors Arifin Shuvoo, Nusrat Imrose Tisha, and Zayed Khan accepted a symbolic honorarium of only Tk1 for their roles.
