Shyam Benegal’s first Bengali film, on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, goes on the floor

Filmmaker Shyam Benegal’s next directorial venture, Bangabandhu, is based on the life of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the late founder and first president of Bangladesh.

The film, which went on the floor last week, will be Benegal's first feature film in Bengali. The Indo-Bangladesh co-production will see Bangladeshi actor Arifin Shuvoo play Mujib. The film also stars other Bangladeshi artistes like Nusrat Imrose Tisha, Nusraat Faria and Tauqir Ahmed.

Speaking about the film, Benegal told Cinestaan.com, “The film is in Bengali because he [Mujib] was a great Bengali nationalist. He was the one person who created a nation on the basis of language. Language nationalism was very important in the case of Bangladesh. Most nations are formed on the basis of ethnicity or religion. But in the case of Bangladesh, it was on the basis of language.”

Sheikh Mujib was the first president of independent Bangladesh and later also became prime minister of the country. He played a major role in the independence of Bangladesh and hence is known popularly as Bangabandhu and ‘Father of the Nation’ to Bangladeshis. He was assassinated on 15 August 1975 and replaced by a military dictator. His daughter, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, is currently the country's prime minister.

Benegal returns to filmmaking after more than a decade. His previous film was Well Done Abba (2009), which starred Boman Irani and Minissha Lamba.