Bong connection of two Oscar entries, from Norway and Bangladesh

KOLKATA: The only thing common between two Oscar entries from Norway and Bangladesh is their Kolkata connection. Ekavali Khanna’s “What Will People Say (WWPS)” and Parno Mittra’s India-Bangladesh coproduction, “Doob: No Bed of Roses”, have been selected as Oscar entries from Norway and Bangladesh respectively. They will be competing with Indian entry, “Village Rockstars (VR)”, and others to get a berth in the Academy shortlist that is expected to be announced in December.

On January 22, the Academy will announce the nominations for foreign language Oscar considerations.
Khanna has watched Rima Das’s “VR”, but not Mostafa Sarwar Farooki’s “Doob”. “Both ‘VR’ and my film are very compelling, honest, sensitive and truthful. Some might say that Bangladesh and Norway don’t make too many films and hence, competition is less. Norway might make relatively less films, but many Norwegian films have performed really well at the festival circuit,” she said.
Mittra hasn’t watched “VR” or Iram Haq’s “WWPS”. “Our film has a simple storyline. Irrfan was so involved in the project. Considering his health now, I am sure this entry must be a good news for him too,” Mittra said. Kolkata-based Himanshu Dhanuka, who is the Indian producer of “Doob”, agreed. “Irrfan has given a haunting performance in his first Bengali film. I am praying that this announcement marks the beginning of a brighter phase in his life. Farooki has shown such depth in exploring complex issues like death, loneliness and longing,” Dhanuka said. The colour grading and sound recording of “Doob” was done in Kolkata. “Apart from Kolkata technicians, Dipak Karmakar, Sagor Dasgupta and my father Ashok Dhanuka acted in this film,” Dhanuka said.
When the trio was asked about what how these Oscar entries compare with contemporary Tollywood cinema, Mittra said “Doob” “wins over” when it comes to storytelling. “There is a lot of unique use of silence to express emotions,” she added. Wishing luck to Khanna and Das’s films, Dhanuka said, “I know, “VR” was made on a shoestring budget. “Doob” was made with Rs 4 core. Good cinema needs to be high on content and not necessarily budget.”