Interview with Bachelor Stars

Marzuk Russell & Mostofa Sarwar Farooki talks about the movie

Interviewed by Durdana Ghias

An interview with Marzuk Russell
Remember the poet with long hair and long beard? I am talking about the character Marzuk Russell. He is also Marzuk Russell in his real life. So here we go.

Rising Stars (RS): how did first you come to know about the BACHELOR?

Marzuk Russell (MR): Sarwar bhai (Mostafa Sarwar Faruqi) first told me about the BACHELOR. I had been his assistant for three years and I also acted in the prequel Charuibhati.

RS: is this your first appearance in front of the camera, or have you acted before?

MR: No. I acted in Charuibhati. Before that, I acted in Aynamohol, which was my first appearance before the camera. Aynamohol was a video-fiction. It was also directed by Faruqi bhai. It was aired on ETV in its second year.

RS: which part of the BACHELOR did you like the most?

MR: Everything. I was involved with BACHELOR in every possible way. I acted in it. I wrote four songs for it. I was the director's assistant. I did what I could do for it.

RS: How much alike is Marzuk of the BACHELOR to the Marzuk of the real life?

MR: 99%. It was just the story of my life. The only things that were different were that that the Marzuk in the movie was a BUET student and a managing partner of a cyber café. Save these two things the whole character was me.

RS: You mean there was a real Zerin in your life!

MR: Of course. I used to love her very much (I still do). I knew her. She knew me. I used to think about her all the time. Especially whenever I spotted billboards that read 'Zerin' tea or things like that I would stop for a moment to think about her. I suffered a lot. It was really hard to forget her. I couldn't resist calling her. Zerin is real and will remain real for the rest of my life.

RS: Some people disapproved of your talking with a married girl. What do you say about it?

MR: As I have told you before, this is the story of my life. So I don't know whether it is good or bad. The only thing that matters to me is that that it is the fact. What I have acted for is the reality of my own life.

RS: Some people think that BACHELOR is gender-biased. What do you say?

MR: It is true that this movie focused mainly on men and boys but it is not possible to bring everything at a time. One single movie cannot show every aspect of life. One camera can shoot from only one angle. Everything cannot be brought into a single frame.

RS: In many families it was seen that the son liked the movie very much but the father thinks it wasn't worth it. What do you think about this?

MR: Well, everyone has a different psychology. Then there is that thing, the generation gap, which doesn't always work. In many families you will see that the father liked the movie very much while the son didn't like it at all. So you cannot jump to a conclusion like that. It depends on everyone's mindset, taste etc.

RS: Whose acting did you like best among your co-actors?

MR: All of my co-actors acted very nicely so it is very hard to single out one or two. Among them Hasan Masud and Opi Karim were really excellent.

Interview with Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
Our research on the movie BACHELOR took us to a very familiar house. Guess which one? The house of the TV serial Ekannoborti. That's right: the home of BACHELORS! This is where the director lives and this is where he has his addabaji sessions with his friends. It was his birthday that day his fans brought him a large cake and his cell phone was ringing incessantly, carrying birthday wishes from his friends and admirers. He lit up a cigarette, apologised for doing so, and then confessed that he was actually trying to quit.

Rising Stars (RS): How did the idea of making the BACHELOR come to your mind? What was the motivation behind it?

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki (MS): Our lives. This wasn't an autobiography, just a depiction of our simple life. My life and my friends' lives, which I wanted to show others. So it can be called a personal film.

RS: Some people are saying that BACHELOR is gender-biased. What do you say to this?

MS: To some extent it is true. As I have told you before this is a personal movie. I made it from my own point of view. My friends and I are all men so most of the characters are male. The few female characters that were shown in this movie were introduced through the male characters. If I had been a female, maybe most of the characters would have been female and the male characters would be introduced through female characters.

RS: some people are saying that only wealthy people were shown. What do you think?

MS: You can't show. I chose five characters and all of them are financially well-off. They are not from well-off families but doing plum jobs. There is one character Murad who is not as wealthy. He is just starting a business. He always tries to cope with the others.

RS: Does this movie represent the middle class?

MS: there are some categories in the middle-class. One group earns Tk10000-12000 (per month), one group earns 15000-20000 etc., so it is very hard to define the middle-class. Each group is different, because the financial point of view is very important. It defines the degree of your independence, social status, smartness and how many girlfriends you have!

RS: Do you think that the society should change or be more liberal?

MS: Yes, the society should change its attitude towards the boy-girl relationship. That doesn't mean that we have to be more materialistic or rush towards individualism. In the 60s and 70s there was a tide of individualism in America where everyone was running after love and there was a severe lack of stability in a relationship. I don't support it at all. A steady relationship is something that everyone ultimately. Even the most practical and materialistic person will want a steady relationship. In this movie the lack of that steadiness is shown. I am not saying that the characters are bad. They are entangled in the circle of vice. They also want steady relationships, but are too impatient to wait for that. From this impatience they make some innocent mistakes which leave the individual relationships in shambles.

RS: Do you think there is moral erosion in the society?

MS: I think it always exists. It is as old as the human civilisation. Only the structure has changed. The erosion of 50's is different than the erosion of 90's.

RS: Do you think this movie lacks anything, or are you satisfied?

MS: No one can be (satisfied), and neither am I am. To some extent I am happy. To some extent I am not. I want to be more perfect. Every artist wants to be. That is the motivation to do something new again.

RS: some people are saying that it is not a movie but a big drama. What do you think about it?

MS: Yes, I have heard about it. There are three schools of thought that support this idea. The first are those who think a movie should have garish songs, dances, dhishum-dhishum hero and villain. (We have a favourite place for adda in Aziz Super Market and a little boy works there. He saw my film. He liked it, but said that it was less than a film as it doesn't contain any songs or dances or hero-villain fighting). Then are those who think the content of a good movie should be the liberation war, religious superstition, gender-bias and poverty and nothing else. Third are those who think that a movie shouldn't have lots of close-ups and mid shots. To counter the first group I say that it is not an imperative for a movie to have songs and dances and villains. There are many great movies without these. To counter the second group I say that the male-female relationship can also be the content of a movie. There is a classic movie 'Jules and Jim' by Truffaut based on this. To counter the third group I say that there are many classic movies like A Man Escaped by Bresson and Ten by Kiarostami which are based on close and mid shots.

RS: Through this movie what is your message to the society?

MS: No direct message. I have not prescribed any solution for the society. That is the job of a motivational film. Mine is not. All I have done is to show what is happening, not what should happen. I have shown that the men ended from where they had started…like a circle, but I haven't shown how to break the circle. I have no prescription for the remedy. This is not a BRAC advertisement 'Wash your hands before eating'.

RS: Which part of directing do you like most?

MS: Everything. From script collection to designing sound, doing posters, everything.

RS: Which character did you like most?

MS: This is a very risky question. If I say one name others won't be justified. Everyone has performed well, especially Hasan, Marzuk and Opi.

RS: Many people didn't like the inclusion of Shabnoor in BACHELOR. What do you think?

MS: Actually, I feel I had made a real blunder in casting Shabnoor. I shouldn't have included her. It's not her fault, though, it's my failure. I couldn't make her do what I wanted from her.

RS: You told us that it is your personal movie and every character represents someone. Is there any character that represents you?

MS: (laughing) Yes, of course.

RS: Which one?

MS: (Laughing again) I don't want to disclose that.

RS: Is it Fahim?

MS: (still laughing) No, no, no! I am not like Fahim!

RS: Is it Abrar bhai?

MS: Oh my God! Of course not. I am not that type of director who hugs his heroines. In fact my heroines sometimes complain that I don't even look at them.

RS: Then who?

MS: (smiling) Like I said, I'm not disclosing.

---

Breach

The story behind one of the most flamboyant underground bands in the city

By Mishal Ali Khan

Starting from nervously jamming for a birthday party program, and moving onto breathtaking performances in the city's underground shows, Breach has done it all. Now with all that behind them, this ever so-popular band has finally stepped up to recording its debut album for G-Series.

Breach started very casually with Onaisee and Omair thinking of putting a band together with a view to do something before they would leave the country for higher education. However, they were searching for a lead singer to really get things going. Soon, one of their friends, Osama, introduced them to Ashraf, and this formed the nucleus of the group. Onaisee smilingly adds "We were looking for a vocalist, but Ashraf seemed to be doing everything but that. He was playing the bass, drums and even the guitars, but all we needed was a vocalist to get things going." Ashraf, who later referred to Nader as the bands bassist and Nafiz as the drummer, moved onto becoming the vocalist.

Jamming for hours for their first gig, a birthday party in an apartment roof, the band gradually started materialising. However, the birthday party gig got cancelled and the first gig for Breach was at the Astra Club in Gulshan, a venue that would soon become a very popular place for such underground concerts. Performing their own song, Tobuo, at the show brought in a lot of acclaim from the crowd. Exhibiting at least one of their own songs at every show has become a trademark for Breach, a trend that has been rare in the underground scene. However, quality has always been good and that accompanies crowd response and popularity.

Breach really erupted into the spotlight at the open-air concert in Old DOHS. "It was probably the best ever second show anyone could have had!" say Ashraf and Onaisee, and it really was true. Breach smashed the show with amazing performances; they brought the crowd onto their feet, all head banging and grooving to the tunes. The band did songs from Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam and Korn, in addition to their own song, Shopno. "Everything was going right at DOHS, we knew it right after we started playing the first song; soon the crowd joined in and there was something to really go for," adds the band.

However, it really isn't all about playing popular western songs for Breach. That reflects in the record deal they had been presented with from G-series. The one thing that stands out about this band is that most of the band members have very different preferences of music. Over the years, with hard work and determination they have slowly developed their own style of music, something that is a mixture of different genres. This really pulls in the crowds for their shows and their own songs show a good blend of different styles of music.

Bringing all these different genres together is one tough job, and when asked about this, Ashraf, Micah and Omair all answer together, saying, "We just have an awesome chemistry and understanding when it comes to playing music." "However it wasn't always like that, I remember the first time Ashraf sang for us during a jamming session. He was singing 'Be like that by 3 Doors down' and god knows what he was singing! But when he sang at Astra using a microphone, we knew that this was the guy," says a smiling Onaisee. "Jonathan really contributed to this band, when it comes to unity. He brought the whole band together with his amazing personality and tight drumming. We really miss his presence in this interview and Micah brought the group into a whole new dimension by introducing his funk style bass playing ", adds Breach.

Ashraf himself has a lot of praise for the rest of the band, he says, "Its important that you get the feel of what you're playing. When you want a certain rhythm and a certain type of product from your music, the band ultimately comes up with that. That's just amazing to get from my part."

The name Breach comes after several failed attempts at finding a proper name. It means 'violation of law' and reflects the rebel attitude of most of their stage performances. Onaisee came up with the name and the band accepted it.

There are a case of nerves in this confident Breach line-up, the quietly spoken Omair has a bad case of nerves at certain shows, but gets over it as the program proceeds. "He sometimes wants to turn down the volume!" says Ashraf. However, once in the groove the band really performs. Micah, their bass player came into the band in the summer of 2003, together with Jonathan, playing the drums. The main thing about this band is the team spirit, however there are people coming in and out from the line-up, with Onaisee, Omair and Ashraf the core as before. They go into recording the new album with Mazruq Islam Nafi as their drummer, since Jonathan has left for abroad.

However, it always hasn't been a bed of roses for Breach, they really messed up their first two shows at Russian Cultural Centre (RCC), raising a few eyebrows for their fans. "It really wasn't happening then," says Onaisee, and it could be seen on their stage performances for those two occasions. On the contrary, their next show at RCC was a huge success. Crowd response is one very important aspect of the underground music scene and Breach, more often than not can make the best out of the situation. Breach normally has the crowds jumping up and down, but that can't be the case all the time, especially when they are recording an album.

The album promises to be good, and it is predicted that it shall consist of songs which are different from each other. "We are incorporating different genres of music, with lyrics which hold depth in meaning," says the band. The songs do promise to be so, after hearing the demos. "It brings out more optimistic emotions to youth life here in Dhaka," says Ashraf. The record deal came as more of a surprise to the band, they had sent a demo copy of 'Tobuo', and Sumon Bhai of Aurthohin liked it, hence gave them the deal. That brought about a new side to this alter-rock band, and got them into some serious music compositions. One can expect some surprises from their upcoming album, but do look out for songs such as 'Jantrik Shobhota', which has a beautiful rhythm and good distortions and, 'Shopno' and 'Tobuo', which are both 80's style rock. 'Char Dealer Majhe' reflects the bands grunge feel.

The band thanks Nads, Nader, Resalat, Sumon Bhai, Duray Bhai, Tanim Bhai, Schuman Bhai, Sarah, Armeen, Ahsan, Sadeq, Online forums www.amadergaan.com and altermetal.com, to their parents and whoever contributed on and off stage.

Performing music that is admired by true music lovers is something that is really rare in this industry. However, Breach seems to have achieved that to a certain extent. With the upcoming release of their debut album, everything looks good for this promising band. Lets just hope they stay around the country, fight the competition and treat us to some better music.

---

Movie Review

Troy

Review by Gokhra

Cast: Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), Agamemnon (Brian Cox), Hector (Eric Bana), Priam (Peter O'Toole), Diane Kruger as a boring Helen, Patroclus (Garrett Hedlund), Brad Pitt(Achilles), Orlando Bloom(Paris), Sean Bean(Odysseus), Peter O'Toole(Priam)

Troy is an entertaining epic eye candy. Girls will likely go crazy seeing Pitt with his pecs as the warrior Achilles and Orlando Bloom as the besotted Trojan prince Paris whose love for Helen stirs up a war that threatens an entire civilization.

It is one of the oldest human dramas but comes out a bit too long at almost 3 hours. Dull? Not at all but some of the scenes are a bit too theatrically long to give and slow to give the suggestion that this is an "epic".

Plot: During a peace mission to Sparta Paris violates a truce between Troy and Sparta when he seduces Helen, the legendarily beautiful bride of the Spartan king Menelaus. Naturally the husband is a bit more than annoyed at this. Agamemnon, Menelaus' brother, unites the tribes of Greece to fight against Troy and win Helen back where Paris takes a few hurried gulps of air and starts to think twice. Helen claims not to care about Paris' cowardice but the two remain devoted lovers. In the real Iliad, Helen loathes Paris but such a style would not bode very well with movie goers, so it is presumed. But Hector, Paris's brother jumps to his brother's defense.

Now in all this Achilles (the man with the funny soft heel) watches on swearing allegiance to no one. Despite that he fights on the Spartan side. He's considered as the best living warrior but war is not all on his mind. He loves to love as much as to fight and so is shown in different scenes sans clothing. Achilles is all cool and doesn't really get worked up until his beloved cousin Patroclus is killed in battle.

The greatest sequence is the confrontation between Hector and Achilles. It's a lot stronger in an emotive sense than the hordes of soldiers attacking each other with spears. You see, these are not the days of Ben Hur where thousands of extras are hired just to rush at each other and actually fight. Now we have computer generated or enhanced soldiers, sort of. The enhanced face-offs between hordes of soldiers feel repetitious.

And then there is that Trojan horse thingy where the soldiers besiege a city with the lure of a big wooden horse. By the way, the movie horse was built from fiberglass to resemble burnt wood from ships. It measured 38 feet high and weighed 11 tons.

The movie does have its quirky moments coupled with true Hollywood style one-liners. Why does Helen run off with Paris after knowing him for a few nights only? She doesn't want a hero; she wants someone to grow old with.

It's a movie that is inspired by Homer and enhanced by Hollywood. The difference here is that there are none of the Greek gods that so infest these old myths. The characters are more humanized so to speak. There are plenty of bloody battles to whet your appetite for destruction.

The movie does have a lot of excitement and offers visual grandeur and interesting characters.