Internationally acclaimed award winning Bangladeshi journalist, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury and his film production company recently announced a project [named Learning Through Entertainment], under which seven movies will be made on Sharia law, Jihad, Burqa, Stoning, Beheading, Polygamy and Child Marriage in Muslim nations.Filming of BLACK, a movie under this project will begin in December 2010. Meanwhile, script and screenplay for this has already been completed.
Commenting on the first movie of the Learning Through Entertainment project, public relations department of Vibgyor Films said, the short synopsis of this film is:
“Shantigram is a remote village in Bangladesh. Thirty-five years back, there was religious harmony in the area, where people from various religious beliefs were living in peace.
But, for past decades, Islamism and activities of Islamists became gradually prominent in the entire village. Clergies in the mosques and madrassas became increasingly influential in the locality, thus imposing Sharia law, which ultimately turned into nightmare for the villagers.
Muslim men are encouraged by the clergies in having more than one wife, as Islam allows polygamy. Under such situation, wives of the Muslim men ultimately turned into mere slaves, thus taking part domestic works as well helping the husband in agro production. When a wife became physically ill, the husband showed unwillingness in sending her to nearby hospital for treatment, as the man considers hospitals as evil, as male and female doctors work their without burqa.
Whipping and other form of severe physical torture of men and women on various charges gradually become regular in the village, which is applied by local ‘Sharia Committee’ formed by clergies and Islamic fanatics.
In Bangladeshi rural areas, male and female Bauls, [who are a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal. Bauls constitute both a syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition. Bauls are a very heterogeneous group, with many different subsects, but their membership mainly consists of Vaishnava Hindus and Sufi Muslims. They can often be identified by their distinctive clothes and musical instruments], enjoyed a loving status for centuries, while they are known to be people promoting religious harmony and tolerance. But, with the rise of Islamist groups, Sharia appliers and Muslim fanatics, Bauls are declared infidels in the locality, thus pushing their lives into misery. Bauls, who live on entertaining people through Sufi songs thus receiving donations and charities, are denied any help by the local influential Muslim leaders and clergies. They are given ultimatum either to become Muslim to leave the area. This though generates anger and severe reaction in the minds of Bauls, they are unable to speak out fearing harsh actions by the Islamists and Mullahs.
In the meantime, several Islamist NGOs become extremely active in the village, while mostly they target Hindu, Christian, Buddhist and non-Muslim families. In the name of offering loans of financial help, young boys and girls in those non-Muslim families are regularly abducted for forceful conversion into Islam. Gradually the village sees systematic eliminations of religious minorities.
BLACK is a film, which shows the current situation in rural Bangladesh [which actually is very similar with villages in other Muslim nations], where Sharia law is forcefully imposed on people while systematic elimination of religious minorities continue.
Hidden tears of Muslim women under the imposed Islamic veils are clearly shown in this film.
This film is against Sharia, Islamism, religious intolerance, hate speech and repression of women under Sharia law. This film is aimed at creating massive awareness in the people in Muslim nations in standing against Islamism and Sharia, thus voicing for reform in Islam, Koran and Islamic codes.
BLACK is the first film of the planned series of seven movies. Each of the movies is aimed at ultimately projecting problems inside Islam and Sharia law in a very bold manner.
Initial language of BLACK is Bangla, while it will be dubbed in various languages in future. There are around 300 million Bangla speaking population in Bangladesh and India only. Our initial target group is this 300 million people. Later, with dubbing in other languages as well as using sub-titles in English, French, Hindi, Urdu etc, we shall reach a few hundred millions of people in the entire Muslim country and the world.”
Shoaib Choudhury has earlier directed a Bangla film named Shongshoy and is currently working on another feature film named Leelakhela.
Shongshoy is based on the story of high-profile dowry in Muslim societies as well repression of women after marriage. This film has already drawn attention of Bangladeshi cine critics.
Vibgyor Films has requested broadcast companies in India, Middle East, United Kingdom, European Union, United States, Australia and Canada to contact for broadcasting this film on various TV channels as well as copyright for selling DVDs. Total length of Shongshoy is 90 minutes.
Leelakhela is based on the theme of confronting militant Islam, Jihad and social evils in the societies. This film will be ready for release in 2011. Vibgyor Films will sign a Bollywood female actor in Leelakhela.
Choudhury’s films are not made for mere entertainment. But, each of his films contain very specific and bold message for the society.
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