It was said that the movie ‘Amimansit’ will be released on February 29, on the OTT platform iScreen. And so on February 13, producer Raihan Rafi gave a post on Facebook. Released the teaser and poster.
But the release date of the movie was delayed due to the objection of the Bangladesh Film Censor Board. It is reported that it will be released on Eid. But ‘Unsolved’ was not released even on Eid.
And now the Bangladesh Film Censor Board has blocked the movie ‘Unsolved’. The board says the movie has scenes of ‘brutal murder’. There is ‘reality similarity’ with the content of story, screenplay and dialogues. Hence public display is ‘not useful’.
Censor Board Deputy Director Md. Shahidul Alam Sacchu, the producer of the movie “Amimansit” on Wednesday. This was informed in a letter signed by Moinuddin.
However, there is no rule to get permission from the Film Censor Board to release movies on OTT platform in Bangladesh.
After seeing the teaser of ‘Amimansit’ on the internet in February, some viewers commented that the movie is based on a true story. Some also find similarities with the much-discussed murder of journalist couple Sagar-Rooney.
However, the Censor Board did not directly mention Sagar-Rooney’s name. No one associated with this movie said.
The Censor Board further argued that the film was declared ‘unfit for screening’, saying that such story ‘happened in reality’ and the case related to the incident was pending in the High Court. The film’s ‘plot/content’ is ‘similar to the pending case and may give a wrong message and hamper the investigation’.
However, a member of the Censor Board says that the story of this movie is similar to the Sagar-Rooney murder. The murder is under trial in court. And so objection has been raised from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
On February 11, 2012 Sagar Sarwar, news editor of private Machranga TV channel and his wife Mehrun Rooney, senior reporter of ATN Bangla, were murdered in their rented house in Rajabazar of the capital. The mystery of that murder is still not solved. More than 100 times have been taken in the court, yet the law and order forces have not yet submitted the investigation report of this murder.
According to the Censor Board’s letter, following the application on March 3, the members of the Censor Board examined the film the next day on March 4. The film was re-examined by board members on April 22 for ‘further scrutiny’. Then there was a ‘detailed discussion about the film’ in the board meeting.
And in that meeting, the members of the Censor Board opined that the ‘Unresolved’ film is not suitable for showing in public as the elements described in the first, fifth and seventh clauses of the Code for Censorship of Films in Bangladesh, 1 of 1985 exist.
However, the Censor Board said that those concerned with the movie can appeal if they want. Film makers have an opportunity to appeal to the government within 30 days of receiving the letter of cancellation of censor clearance.
What is the story in the movie, what are the people saying?
Riaz Ahmed, the project director of iScreen, does not understand why there is an objection to the ‘Unresolved’ movie. He says, this movie is not about Sagar-Rooney’s murder. ‘I don’t know whether it should be stopped if it is partially matched,’ he said as if in a soliloquy.
Filmmaker Raihan Rafir believes that any kind of story can be made into a movie. And he also does not understand what is objectionable in this movie.
Raihan Rafi wrote in a Facebook post in February: Who killed Arnav and Neeruk? Who are the masked people? What will unravel this unsolved mystery?
And the 40-second teaser said: The murders took place between half past one and two in the morning. I think it’s a robbery case…; Journalists, neighbors, relatives all destroyed the crime zone signs. What was I to do; No one killed them. They killed themselves; It’s a strange case for sure! Otherwise that day…
The poster of the movie shows Imtiaz Varshan and Tanjika Amin sitting in a fixed gaze, with a baby girl standing in between. And some people standing behind them, with black cloths on their faces.
The story of this movie is about the murder of a journalist couple in 2018. And so Riaz’s idea, ‘maybe some people think, it is about Sagar-Rooni’s murder. But we are not saying that.’
On the question whether the movie is about the murder of the journalist couple Sagar-Rooney, the director Raihan Rafi said, ‘Because it is the story of the journalist couple, some people are saying that this is the story of Sagar-Rooney. That is why the censor board wants to watch the movie. I don’t know why they have stopped it.’
