Rabbany did get his shot at filmmaking eventually. Hope emerged as Faridur Reza Shagor (managing director of Impress Telefilm Ltd) encouraged Rabbany to make films for Impress.

Swapnodanay follows the lives of a few individuals living in a remote village in the Northern part of the country. The protagonist Fazlu (played by singer Mahmuduzzaman Babu) is a peddler -- pushing items like ointments and herbal remedies. One evening he returns home with a used trouser for his son. While washing the trouser, Fazlu's wife (Rokeya Prachy) finds some foreign currency in the pockets. The family gets over-excited at the possibility of acquiring a sizeable amount of cash. Fazlu and his pal Siraj (Fazlur Rahman Babu) roam around the rugged locales of 'Barendrabhumi' on a beat-up motorbike, trying to exchange the foreign currency for Taka. Greed surfaces and the central characters -- Fazlu, his wife and Siraj -- start weaving their individual dreams. Desire and deception change the relationships forever.

According to Rabbany, he came up with the story when several people from his village came up to him for suggestions after finding foreign currency in second-hand clothes. Rabbany developed the screenplay as well.

The film boasts an ace crew. Noted author Anisul Huq elaborated the story and wrote the dialogues. Mahfooz Ur Rahman Khan is the cinematographer. Bappa Majumder is the music director. Special attention has been given to sound. Renowned sound designer Anup Mukherji, who has worked with Satyajit Ray, Aparna Sen, Rituporno Ghosh and other celebrated filmmakers, has worked extensively on Swapnodanay.

Choice of actors is quite interesting too. Rabbany cast singer Mahmuduzzaman Babu as Fazlu (this is his first experience in acting), along with skilled thespians Fazlur Rahman Babu and Rokeya Prachy. On the casting Rabbany says, "Initially I talked to a few actors. But I always believe that we need non-actors in films. I felt Babu (Mahmuduzzaman) fit the requirements of the character and I was thoroughly impressed with his determination and commitment to deliver what I wanted from him as an actor."

About her character, Rokeya Prachy says, "My character in the film is a hard working rural woman who has her vulnerable moments. Following an event that she and her husband perceive as unprecedented, she starts to dream of a better tomorrow. At one point she becomes desperate and does something shocking which is sure to leave the audience stunned."

The film had its world premier at the 36th Rotterdam International Film Festival (Netherlands) on January 29 this year and took part in the 11th Sofia International Film Festival (Bulgaria) held last month. Swapnodanay was also screened at a small film festival in Surinam (the country has no functional film industry) on 19th, this month.

After the world premier of the film, leading international entertainment magazine Variety had this to say: "A clever twist on a hoary tale is but one of the reasons to see On the Wings of Dreams, a genuine charmer from newcomer Golam Rabbany. Simply told with sensitivity and respect for characters, the pic has occasional problems integrating tone, but Rabbany is a new Bengali talent on the rise..."

Rabbany hopes the film will have its release in July at selected theatres in the country.