Antarjal, the 3rd film directed by Dipankar Dipon, is set to be released in the upcoming Eid-ul-fiter. The film's motion poster was inaugurated on Monday (12th December) at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC).
Alongside inauguration, the cast took part in an arrival chat. The key people in the film were present during the ceremony, including Dipankar Dipon, Siam Ahmed, Sunerah Binte Kamal, Bidya Sinha Saha Mim, Mashrur Enan (Keto bhai), Joseph Kim etc.
Antarjal is claimed to be the first Bangladeshi thriller film made on cyber war.
The chief guest of this spectacular event was Zunaid Ahmed Palak, the state minister for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) division of the Bangladesh government, who was also an inspiration behind the film. After inaugurating the teaser of Antarjal with two-step verification, the minister conveyed the wishes of 'Digital Bangladesh day 2022' and said, “I am a fan of Dipankar Dipon. So, I am hopeful about this film after productions like Dhaka Attack and Operation Sundarbans.”
He added that the youth are returning to the theatres after the superb films released in recent years. He also talked about cyber wars worldwide and warned about the importance of digital literacy. He further emphasised youth engagement in this sector.
The director of Antarjal, Dipankar Dipon, said, “I studied and researched a lot, so there were no technical mistakes regarding the technological terms used in the film. I had to struggle to learn these as I am from an arts background. So, I tried to keep a character who explained everything in simple terms so that the general audience may understand the complex things related to ICT.”
Addressing his ‘secret recipe,’ he said that making a film is to determine if it's boring or not. He said, “So, I try to make films which do not make me sleep.”
Bidya Sinha Saha Mim said, "Antarjal means Internet. I read the synopsis, and it made me so intrigued that I couldn't believe that my character was made like this. Then after grooming and shooting, we made this film possible. Hopefully, the audience will like the film and the journey of my character in this film."
Siam Ahmed said, "My character's name is Lumin. I received the plan right after Operation Sundarbans and Damal. The team was very cooperative, so my transition to this character was easy after those films."
"I was introduced to a person similar to the character Lumin. He belongs to the same generation as me. I was impressed that he knew so much about the world around us just from working in the country as a freelancer," Siam added.
Siam also commended freelancers. He said, “Like some people in our friend circle who go to another country like America or Canada for higher education and try to relocate their family, Lumin, a student from Rajshahi, is working with a Santal village, and he is teaching those children about programming. I think this is the spirit of Bangladesh.”
Sunerah Binte Kamal said, "I hope the audience will enjoy the film as much as I have enjoyed working in this well-researched film."
Regarding the viral clip about the slap from Siam Ahmed, Sunerah Binte Kamal said, “I had to endure around 8 to 10 slaps from Siam for the making of this film. While acting this scene, I cut my cheeks a bit.”
Mashrur Enan, also known as Keto bhai on social media platforms, said, "This is my first journey on the big screen. My character is Sadaf, an expert in mathematics who knows how to make an app for people. He also acts as a buffer whenever there's an argument."
Joseph Kim, a student of North South University, also known as Koreanbhai on social media platforms, was a foreign cast in the film. He said, “Initially, I was reluctant to do the film. However, after seeing awesome co-casts like Siam bhai and Mim, I couldn’t resist. Hopefully, everyone will enjoy the film at the theatres.”
Senior Secretary of ICT division NM Zeaul Alam and Director General of Digital Security Agency Khairul Amin also spoke at the event.
The film was inspired by the ICT Division and was presented by Walton. It was patronised by Mir Cement and co-sponsored by Polar, Runner, and Ergo ERP. Motion People Studio and Spellbound Leo Burnett have jointly produced Antarjal.
Previously, director Dipankar Dipon was commended for recreating the traditional style movie poster for his cinema 'Operation Sundarbans'.
