Writer
Director
Producer
Consultant
A Little Secret
I spend most of my time wondering
wondering if there is a limit to knowing,
if not then what's the point of living.
All my life my heroes have been writers and musicians.
To me Bob Dylan is as important as Rabindranath,
Anthony Bourdain is as honest as Jack Kerouac,
Pattie Smith embodies the soul of Nazrul
and Sunil is the greatest history teacher of all time.
I believe Aristotle was right,
I believe Bhashani was important
and I believe in the freedom of speaking one’s honest truth.
And I also believe it’s ill mannered to talk about one’s self too much.
But I realize that this is my website, and the purpose of this is to talk or display
my work or my so called “achievements”.
I will try to do that in the most polite, non megalomaniacal way possible.
I have been writing for more than 20 years,
directing, producing and consulting for less than that.
And in all these years I have been trying to rip off my heroes
in the most unapologetic and original way possible,
and that is my talent.
so here's what's up
“We wanted to highlight the small but significant details of life in Dhaka, that escape our attention every day. For example, a skinny dog lying flat at midnight in the middle of an empty street or cattle businessmen at Nilkhet leading their cattle to different destinations through vacant roads at night can create lasting impressions on us. We did not have a well-drafted plan before taking shots for the film. After we took the shots and came back to our studio, we crafted the story. We simply knew that when we go onto the streets, something would come up. We started taking the shots at midnight and continued till the early hours of the morning.”
The collaborative jourey in this co commission is a tribute to the common root. Though continents apart, Kamilah Ahmed (UK) and Apurba Jahangir (BD) acknowledge that their heritage has an undeniable influence on their work. Exploring shared intangible values and insights which are woven throughout the tapestry of their upbringings and present crafts , they reference a rich legacy of textile and music traditions. During this collaboration, Kamilah and Apurba document the often unseen artistry and craftsmanship from the landscape of their joint histories, combining multiple mediums. An adaptation of the rhythm, the colours, the texture and the stories that have shaped them.
আমার পৈত্রিক ভিটা বলতে আমি নিরিবিলি চিনি।
মাটির গন্ধ বলতে আমি নিরিবিলি চিনি।
পরিবার বলতে নিরিবিলি চিনি।
কিংবদন্তি বলতে আমি নিরিবিলি চিনি,
আমার পূর্বপুরুষ বলতে আমি নিরিবিলি চিনি
আমি নিরিবিলি বলতে আমার বাবাকে চিনি।
আব্বার জন্ম ৫১’ , নিরিবিলির ৬০’।
আব্বা বলতো নিরিবিলি হচ্ছে root,
something that will always be there.
সেখানে যাওয়াটা একটা ছায়ার নিচে দাঁড়াবার মতন।
আব্বা চলে গেলেন ১৯ এ, নিরিবিলি ও চলে গেলো ১৯ এ।
“True to the definition of its namesake, Footnote manages to pique one’s curiosity with nuggets of facts and ideas, and the informal, cheerfully self-deprecating style of writing paints the portrait of an author who seems, above all, to have fun with reading, watching, and thinking about art. The book speaks volumes, but it never lectures.”
apurbajahangir@gmail.com
