Dhaka, Indian actor Irrfan Khan-starrer “Doob – No Bed of Roses”, which was once banned in Bangladesh, has been chosen as the country’s official entry for the Academy Awards 2019.
The Bangladesh Oscar Committee chose the movie as the entry for the best foreign language film category, reports variety.com.
“Doob” stars Irrfan — also its co-producer — as a successful filmmaker facing a midlife crisis when he has a tryst with his daughter’s childhood friend, causing a national scandal.
The India-Bangladesh co-production, written and directed by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, features Rokeya Prachi as Irrfan’s wife, while Nusrat Imrose Tisha plays the daughter and Indian actress Parno Mittra plays her childhood friend.
In a statement about the film, Farooki had said he took inspiration from a real-life incident “which shook the very foundation of Bangladesh’s judgmental Muslim society” and “how women struggle in our society and find strength in despair”.
The film walked on a path full of thorns as it was banned in Bangladesh on the grounds that it might be based on revered real-life author and filmmaker Ahmed, who divorced his wife of 27 years and married an actress 33 years his junior.
The ban was eventually lifted and the film released in October 2017 in Bangladesh, France, India and Australia.
Bangladesh has yet to secure an Oscar nomination, though it has been sending entries to the foreign-language category since 2002. Last year, Bangladesh’s entry was partition-set drama “Khacha”, according to hollywoodreporter.com.
The 91st Academy Awards will be held on February 24, 2019.
