political thriller
A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle; high stakes and suspense are the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics. Th ...
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
directed by
Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
Mostofa Sarwar Farooki () is a Bangladeshi film director, producer and screenwriter who works in Bengali films. His films '' Third Person Singular Number'', ''Television'', ''No Bed Of Roses'' were critically acclaimed across the world and r ...
, a one shot political thriller, inspired from the
July 2016 Dhaka attack
On the night of 1 July 2016, at 21:20 Bangladesh Standard Time ( UTC+06:00), five terrorists took hostages and opened fire on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan Thana jurisdiction in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The terrorists entered the bakery with c ...
. The film had its world premiere at the 2019
Moscow International Film Festival
The Moscow International Film Festival (, Transliteration, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is a film festival first held in Moscow in 1935 and became regular since 1959. From its inception to ...
. The film was cleared for release in Bangladesh by Bangladesh Film Censor Board after 4 years.
Plot
On a nice Saturday afternoon during Ramadan, citizens enjoy a sleepy day time. Suddenly, a group of terrorists take over a café in the city holding hostages of employees and customers. The police soon surround the building and demand negotiation and surrenders but the terrorists fortify the café with gas cylinders continuing their unfair tribunal. Foreigners, the disabled, women, businessmen, artists, non-Muslims, and even Muslims with different sect are subject to brutal hostility. The media streaming live news to attract more viewers doesn't care for the safety of the hostages. Each time a hostage is executed one by one, the nightmare of violence is amplified.
Cast
*
Zahid Hasan * Zahid Hasan (actor)
* Zahid Hasan (scholar)
Zahid Hasan (1918 – 27 March 1988), known as Maulana Zahid Hasan, was an Indian Islamic scholar, spiritual guide, and a participant in the Indian independence movement. From 1946 to 1952, he serve ...
*
Nusrat Imrose Tisha
Nusrat Imrose Tisha, (; born February 20, 1981) known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Tisha, is a Bangladeshi actress, model and producer who has appeared mainly in Bengali television and films. She has garnered popularity with her performances b ...
*
Mamunur Rashid
Mamunur Rashid (born 29 February 1948) is a Bangladeshi actor, director and scriptwriter. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2012 and Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1982 by the Government of Bangladesh.
Early life and education
Rashid was born ...
*
Iresh Zaker
Iresh Zaker (; born 6 November 1976) is a Bangladeshi advertising executive, television and film actor and a musician. He is the managing director of Asiatic 360, a marketing and advertising company, owned and operated by his parents, actors Aly ...
Parambrata Chatterjee
Parambrata Chattopadhyay (born 27 June 1980) is an Indian actor and director. Parambrata started his career with Bengali television and films. He has acted as the fictional character Topshe from Feluda under Sandip Ray's direction. His notable ...
* Eyad Hourani
* Selina Black
* Ellie Poussot
*
Manoj Pramanik
Manoj Kumar Pramanik () is a television and cinema actor and producer from Bangladesh who also teaches at universities. Manoj has participated in a number of Bangladeshi TV dramas, both on TV and on the web. His debut film is titled '' Sincerely ...
Release
Screening
The film was premiered in
41st Moscow International Film Festival
The 41st Moscow International Film Festival was held from 18 April to 25 April 2019.
Russian film director Nikita Mikhalkov was the president of the festival.
South Korean film director Kim Ki-Duk was head of the main jury.
The Emperor of ...
in April 2019. Then it was screened for
Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize.
, the festival's director is Nashen Moodley.
Histo ...
in June 2019 in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. In July 2019, it was screened for
Filmfest München
The Munich International Film Festival () is the largest summer film festival in Germany and second only in size and importance to the Berlinale. It has been held annually since 1983 and takes place in late June or early July. It presents fe ...
and
London Indian Film Festival
London Indian Film Festival is a film festival established in 2010 to showcase Indian independent film. It was screened as official Selection in
Busan International Film Festival
The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF; ), formerly the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), held annually in Haeundae District, Busan, South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festival, held fro ...
in October 2019. It was also screened in 2019 Hong Kong Asian Film Festival.
Home media
The film was digitally premiered in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
through
SonyLIV
Sony LIV is an Indian subscription video-on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Culver Max Entertainment. Sony LIV was introduced in 2013 as the first OTT service in India. As a streaming service, it provides live sports, origina ...
from 7 July 2023.
Controversy and censorship
In January 2019, the Film Censor Board of Bangladesh banned the theatrical release of ''Saturday Afternoon'' which portrays the July 2016 terrorist attack at the
Holey Artisan Bakery
Holey Artisan Bakery is a bakery headquartered in Bangladesh with most of its locations in Bangkok, Thailand. It was described in ''The New York Times'' "as among the most beloved restaurants in Dhaka". It is a sister company of Izumi.
History
...
as it would "damage the country's reputation". The censor board said that the film could "incite religious fervour in the Muslim-majority nation of 165 million". In January, 2021, a group of artists led by Farooki protested by many ways against the decision. In August, 2022, netizens of Bangladesh protested online against the ban. On 26 August 2022, a group of filmmakers and artists demanded clear explanation for ban the film. On 28 August 2022, a television drama directors' organisation named Director's Guild protested against government and demanded censor clearance of the film. On 29 August 2022,
Hasan Mahmud
Hasan Mahmud (; born 12 October 1999) is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He plays as a right arm fast pace bowler. He made his international debut for the Bangladesh cricket team in March 2020.
Domestic career
He made his first-class debut for Chitt ...
, the information minister of the country, expressed the decision to give permission to release the film under the condition that the director should add extra scenes advised by appeal board. He also claimed that the film didn't show the whole fact. In October 2022, Farooki said that some dialogues may be added to the film's ending to get clearance from the Censor Board. On 21 January 2023, it got green signal of the appeal board to release theatrically in the Bangladesh market.
Reception
Critical response
Deborah Young of ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' said about the film, "As in most films that attempt to do everything in a one-shot single take, viewers soon forget technique in the heat of the evolving story. It doesn't seem to faze either the professional cast or cinematographer Aziz Zhambakiyev (Harmony Lessons), as Valerii Petrov's Steadicam goes flying around the airy restaurant with its picture windows onto a police stakeout and walls that seem to change color from blue to red to heighten the drama". Calling it a modernised version of ''
The Petrified Forest
''The Petrified Forest'' is a 1936 American crime drama film directed by Archie Mayo and based on Robert E. Sherwood's 1934 drama of the same name. The motion picture stars Leslie Howard, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. The screenplay was ...
'', Wally Adams of Easternkicks.com praised performance of its actors.