Something Like An Autobiography, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki’s latest film, is scheduled to screen at the forthcoming Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023 (27 October-5 November 2023) in its ICONS section.
A leading filmmaker in Bangladesh, Farooki first forayed into the international film festival scene with Third Person Singular Number in Rotterdam Film Festival in 2010. He went on to establish a more firm footing with Television, the closing film of Busan Film Festival in 2013. A prolific writer and director, Farooki is not only hugely popular in Bangladesh but continues to command considerable respect in the international film community as well. The world premier of Something Like An Autobiography in the recently held Busan International Film Festival is testament to the latter.
Chorki (the leading streaming platform in Bangladesh) commissioned the production of 12 original films under the brand, Ministry of Love. Spearheaded by Farooki, this film is the first of the collection, followed by Monogamy, also made by him.
Something Like An Autobiography is about as close to sharing their own story as Farooki and his star wife, leading film actor, Nusrat Imrose Tisha, care to do.
The premise of the film is derived from their own experiences. Farooki juxtaposed these with the not unusual trend of societal expectations and judgements vis-a-vis personal choices and compulsions. The outcome is an exploration of the inherent contradictions that conventional societies invariably bring to the table. The movie highlights the intense pressure that individuals, in particular women, endure as they struggle to navigate parallel streams of the public and private aspects of their lives. They also go on to learn that meeting presumptions does not shield celebrities, or indeed anyone else, from more of the same down the road.
Given the context that lead to the writing and making of this film, it seemed only natural for this talented duo to play the lead roles themselves. And thus we see Mostofa Sarwar Farooki don an actor’s hat for the first time.
Something Like An Autobiography is screening during the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival on -
28 October 2023, BKC Maison, Jio World Drive - Audi 5 at 3 PM.
30 October 2023, Andheri PVR ICON, Infinity Mall-Audi 1 at 4 PM.