'No Dorai' hailed as a cornerstone in Bangladeshi cinema
The hype that has been building for months surrounding 'No Dorai', Bangladesh's first feature film with a plot centered on surfing, finally got tested on Thursday, as it premiered at the Star Cineplex in Bashundhara City. And some of the first reactions from viewers suggest the hype was justified, reports UNB.
A consensus view emerging among a number of individuals who attended the premiere was that the movie, which also has a female protagonist to set it apart from the usual fare in local cinemas, is setting a cornerstone in Bangladeshi cinema.
The premiere was attended by a number of bigwigs, including Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak and former Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain.
Applauding the movie, Zunaid Ahmed Palak said "Bangladesh continues to thrive in the field of development through empowering women, and the country's first surfing movie 'No Dorai' is a welcome addition to this journey of progress."
Dr Hasan Mahmud lauded the initiative, saying "Despite not being natives of Chittagong, the actors took on the challenge of using the Chittagongian ('Chatdgaiya') dialect in the film- which I really appreciate." The name of the film translates to 'Not Afraid', but the film has also adopted the separate English name 'Dare to Surf'.
Prior to the premiere, the producer of the film and chairman of STAR Cineplex Mahboob Rahman said that the movie is based on the true story of a woman surfer named Ayesha. He thanked the cast and crew members along with Director Tanim Rahman Aungshu and Executive Producer Xefer Rahman for bringing the story to the silver screen.
The story of Ayesha, a resident of Cox's Bazar, first came to the limelight along with two of her fellow surfers in the 2015 documentary Bangla Surf Girls.
Producer Mahboob Rahman also thanked digital payment service Bkash, which offers a lucrative 'Buy 1 get 1' offer which the users can avail to buy tickets through the Bkash App. The film, which got the final approval of the Censor Board just days before the premiere, also spun off a comic book, 'Adventure of Ayesha', illustrated by Cartoon People.
The comic will be available at all the branches of Star Cineplex and some will be distributed to girls of various rural areas.
