“It is high time that we bring change in the industry”

Having started his career as an assistant director to Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, he went on to establish his own identity as one of Bangladesh's most popular ad-film directors. Adnan Al Rajeev, although still young, is now a renowned name in the television industry. He has recently supervised 'Shohorer Shorts', which is a compilation of four short films on iflix, an international video streaming platform in partnership with Robi. The director talks to The Daily Star about this project, his views on the current situation of the entertainment industry and more. 'Shohorer Shorts' was produced with the collaboration of Robi, Dhruba Music Station, Radio Foorti and The Daily Star. 

Tell us about Shohorer Shorts. Is this the first time you have supervised such a project?

I frequently collaborate with young directors at Runout Films Ltd, so this is not an entirely new experience. However, the work is challenging nonetheless, as I have to create a bridge between what my vision is and what the director wants in the film. 

From the trailers and songs that have released, it seems like the films have a very 'grim' undertone to them. Is that true?

Well, we tried to tell new stories through new styles of narration. I wouldn't say that we worked on a specific pattern, I rather put myself on each director's shoes to find out what they would see their film like, and assisted them to do so. I want to say that we are tired of the same formulaic approach that the entertainment industry follows. It is high time that we bring change in the industry, and I believe Shohorer Shorts is a right step in that direction.

A full-fledged music video in a short film is rare, and the Shohorer Shorts features exactly that. Tell us how you incorporated the music into the shorts.

Amzad Hossain did a fantastic job on the music. When we had the meeting, I let him know what our vision for the films was, and he delivered exactly that. You see, since iflix is a new platform, we believed that music videos will help in the promotion of the movies themselves. I think it worked out perfectly.

Tell us about the directors who worked on the project. Are you satisfied with their work?

I most definitely am, as they are extremely talented individuals. I know Reehan Rahman since a very long time, and he did a great job with Niyoti and Makorsha. RB Pritam is someone that I felt had a lot of untapped potential, and he finally showed that with Tilottama Dhaka. Vicky Zahed is a short filmmaker, and his style of work is different compared to others. I believe he has showcased his style well in Aangti.