Farooki wraps up ‘Monogamy’, adds new ending to ‘Autobiography’

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki has successfully concluded filming of his most recent project, "Last Defenders of Monogamy". The film features renowned actor Chanchal Chowdhury, known for his roles in "Karagar" and "Hawa", alongside musician Xefer Rahman. Additionally, the cast includes Samina Husain Prema and Shuddho Rai.

The film tells the story of Shafqat (played by Chanchal Chowdhury), a devoted father of two teenagers and a loving husband who strongly upholds the principles of monogamy. However, his beliefs face a significant challenge when changes in his life come into play.

Chowdhury expressed his sentiments about collaborating with Farooki, stating, "Working with Farooki is always special. With 'Last Defenders of Monogamy' we have tried to break the prevalent streaming trends of sex and violence and have delivered something new. With this film, we are creating a new, diverse space in streaming."

This movie is part of the "Ministry of Love" anthology, consisting of 12 films that will be available on Chorki. The inaugural film in this anthology, "Something Like an Autobiography", co-written by by Farooki and Nusrat Imrose Tisha, made its debut at Busan earlier this month where it participated in the distinguished Jiseok competition at the festival.

As per Variety's report, Farooki explained how he came up with his films and stated, "Not sure if it's conscious but definitely my subconscious pushed me to pick two very different styles, temperaments and moods for two different films. 'Monogamy' was bound to happen as I have been missing doing this tragicomic stuff that encircles our lives these days. Modern life is one big tragicomedy."

"I made my first film 'Bachelor' which is cinematically poor but has a cult standing in Bangladesh due to its contextual relevance with urban youth's romantic life. I took 20 years to come back with a new take in that zone but this time the central character is a married person. I am glad I waited this long for this as it allowed me to get a better and deeper understanding of the subject. No matter how you rate his choices, the character that Chanchal Chowdhury plays evokes a complex emotion. It's not easy to love or hate him. Life doesn't allow us to take sides like that," the director added.

The upcoming screening of "Something Like an Autobiography" is scheduled for the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. The film's narrative revolves around a married couple residing in Dhaka, consisting of filmmaker Farhan (Farooki) and actress Tithi (Tisha). They find themselves pressured by societal expectations to start a family. Tithi becomes pregnant, and as her pregnancy nears its end, an incident occurs that sheds light on certain aspects of contemporary Bangladeshi society. The title of the film, a reference to Akira Kurosawa's renowned memoir, also mirrors the real-life experiences of Farooki and Tisha, considering they are a celebrated celebrity couple and hold the distinction of being the most recognised filmmaker and actor in Bangladesh, respectively.

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The film is being screened in Mumbai with a new ending, which Variety has had the opportunity to view. Farooki shared his thoughts on this decision, stating, "I know it can be called sheer madness but I am sure it's normal with many filmmakers. I don't want to stop thinking about a film when I complete delivery. Although I know the rules of the game are we have to stop somewhere or else we would be constantly making one single film for our entire lifetime, but sometimes your heart wants to make some changes even after the premiere."

He went on to explain his inspiration for the new ending, saying, "I was moved by the audience's reactions in Busan. However, on my way back, I felt there was something more I wanted to tell. Something was stuck in my mind but I didn't know what that was. A few days back, I had a dream. I woke and told Tisha, 'I want to shoot this scene'. And we shot it. I think this ending scene broadens the horizon of the film, makes the emotional palette much stronger, and blurs the boundary between real and life and fiction even further. I now love the film even more."

Redoan Rony is the producer of "Last Defenders of Monogamy" and "Something Like an Autobiography" for Chorki.