How have you been describing the film to friends and family?
“So that’s the film, and it’s calledSaba.
It is a very realistic portrayal.
Image via Fusion Pictures
It’s not glamorized at all.
Putting that on screen is tricky because you don’t want to have any false notes.
HOSSAIN: That was very important that it felt authentic and everything felt emotionally truthful.
Image via Fusion Pictures
We did a lot of improvisations.
We spoke about the characters, and we constantly asked ourselves what would feel emotionally truthful.
That was our goal from the very beginning.
Image by Photagonist at TIFF
He helped us to explore the true tonality of the characters.
It should be really convincing and believable.
Mehazabien Chowdhury Has Never Played a Role Like ‘Saba’
MEHAZABIEN CHOWDHURY: They have said everything.
Image by Photagonist at TIFF
I have nothing to say.
When I do something that is new, it actually shows on screen.
Apart from that, Maksud’s mother-in-law it’s based on her life and our co-writer’s life.
Image by Photagonist at TIFF
We had conversations with them to know what they actually had been going through.
That is what makes the whole story very raw and fresh.
You’re fantastic in the movie.
Image via Photagonist at TIFF
I can only imagine when you read the script and you saw everything you were going to be doing.
It’s such a juicy role to get behind.
This is for me?”
Image by Photagonist at TIFF
CHOWDHURY: It was sort of like that.
I’ve been working as an actor from a very young age.
That was the first kick that actually kicked me off to choose this role.
He’s been to places before.
I felt that this is the movie that I wanna do because this actually is the whole package.
If I’m not mistaken, this is your first feature.
You’ve directed a ton of short films?
HOSSAIN: You’re correct.
How much did you debate what you wanted to be your first feature?
Do I wanna make that kind of movie?"
HOSSAIN: WhenSabastarted back in 2021, I wrote the first draft.
Before that, I’ve been making short films for 21 years.
I was in my head.
I wasn’t sure what I wanted my first feature to look like.
As it gets a little late in your career.
The audience will emotionally respond to it.
Everybody deals with a family member who needs extra [support].
We all are going to deal with it.
It’s a universal story that just happens to be being told in Bangladesh.
I think that’s very, very true for any form of art.
But I’m like, “No.
I want it to be extremely specific so that people relate to the human emotion of it.”
You guys film a lot on location in the movie.
I’ve never been to Bangladesh, so I don’t know how movies are made there.
Do people care or was it chaos on the streets?
We did have backgrounds where people were non-actors.
The funniest thing is mebeing a known face in Bangladesh.
It is very hard to control the crowd, even with him.
MONWAR: She has a huge following in Bangladesh.
She has over 5 million followers.
It was very difficult.
[Laughs] Throwing you under the bus.
CHOWDHURY: No, no, no, it’s nothing like that.
Like I said earlier, I want to do characters that I haven’t done before.
CHOWDHURY: I don’t know.
HOSSAIN: People cared.
You see the shooting schedule in front of you.
We were very specific about what we were going to shoot and did a lot of retakes.
The planning itself was very well done by Maksud.
MONWAR: It was very organized.
CHOWDHURY: I think because the story is so personal, everyone was emotionally involved in the movie.
Everyone was like, “We have to finish this on time.
We cannot go overboard with the budget.”
Everyone was very much into it.
Was there a certain day of the shoot that you were looking forward to?
MONWAR: For me, every day is exciting.
Every day is a challenge for me.
I found it equally exciting.
CHOWDHURY: For me, I would say the pre-climax scene where we lose one of our characters.
I won’t say the name.
That would be a spoiler.
That was nerve-wracking for me because we were actually planning to take it in a single shot.
That was the initial plan.We were actually planning to take it in a single shot.
Everything relied on that particular scene, because the journey of Saba actually comes and ends there.
That was the day I was very nervous.
I understand why you would feel that way.
I was like a boy in a candy store.
That was very exciting for me for sure.
Everyone gelled, as Mehazabien and Monwar were stating, that the team was really on it.
Everyone wanted to do their best, and everyone did.
We’re eternally grateful to all our team members.
For me also, that scene was very challenging.
That was a very challenging scene for everyone, and we were very emotionally taken.
When we were working on that scene, it was very tough for all of us.
The entire crew was wrecked and the actors, and me.
Because it’s also a universal story.
HOSSAIN: Also, the personal connection and everything.
I love talking about editing with directors because it’s ultimately where it all comes together.
You get in the editing room.
HOSSAIN: What happened was we started editing and we did a three-hour cut.
HOSSAIN: [Laughs] No, no, it was an assembly cut, and I edited myself.
I did a lot of editing myself.
Even though my credit is not there, because there are too many credits with my name.
I knew that there was something going on.
I felt quite confident.
I did like it.
We slowly were getting rid of the fat, the things that we didn’t need.
Then I felt like we needed an editor with much more experience.
Then I went to Nitin Baid, who is the supervising editor on the film.
He watched the film, and he gave us notes that were very helpful.
Now, the running time is 95 minutes with the titles.
The titles itself are 4.5 minutes front and back.
It’s around 90.5 minutes I think, which is a good length for this film.
I felt that 90.5 was that sweet spot for us.
HOSSAIN: It’s a huge difference.
I’m gonna go a little bit geeky now.
Sometimes a couple of frames in a shot makes it, because it’s all about rhythm.
Sometimes I would have my eyes shut because I was just listening to it.
With editing, as well, it’s all about the rhythm.
HOSSAIN: For sure.
We took out a couple of scenes that we shot.
We had a few more scenes.
I don’t think any of your scenes got canned because I love him on camera so much.
CHOWDHURY: Yeah, you dont love me.
[Laughs]
HOSSAIN: You’re in the entire film.
That’s a flawed argument.
[Laughs]
MONWAR: She’s in every scene.
HOSSAIN: Shes in every scene.
That’s how it was designed.
If the title isSaba, andyou’re playing Saba, you’re probably in the whole movie.
I’m just throwing that out there.
I’m smart, I have to know these things.
When did you find out you were in it?
HOSSAIN: I’ll give you the director answer, and they can give you the actor answer.
It was complete, “Oh my God.”
It’s one of the biggest festivals.
It’s in the big five.
When we were making this small film,Saba,in Bangladesh, who would have thought?
You dream of things.
It’s a dream when you finally get that email from Robyn Citizen saying that she loves the film.
We found out in early June that we were in.
CHOWDHURY: June 18.
[Laughs]
She was very, very happy.
MONWAR: Last year, I acted in four films.
I was desperately waiting for some good news from any one of the films, actually.
It makes me feel so good that we got selected for TIFF.
It’s really good news for me.
I was desperately waiting for some good news about my films.
This is great news.
This is the biggest platform that I have ever been to.
It’s a big achievement for the Bangladeshi cinema industry, as well.
Just one of our movies had been to Con recently.
This is the moment where we take our culture and our movies into the world.
This is just the beginning.
I hope you’re right because that would be fantastic.
My last question, obviously, you must have enjoyed this process of making your first film.
Are you working on other screenplays now?
HOSSAIN: Mehazabien keeps telling me that I enjoy the process too much because I take so long.
I’m working on a screenplay.My next screenplay is based in the US.
I’m trying to work on something in English.
That’s all I can tell you for now.
