by Rumana Rashid Ishita
Ashfaque Nipun is in the buzz, sought after by his young fans of the Bangla Natok Community. His contemporary conceptualisation of human psyche, keen power of observation and skilful storytelling capabilities have earned him a loyal fan base. Like many, I too am a patron of his daunting ideas coming alive in motion.
My first recollection of this exceptional director goes back to the shooting sets of the eminent director, Mr Mostafa Sarwar Farooki. If I am not mistaken, at that time Ashfaque Nipun was an undergrad student pursuing his passion for direction. At instances, Farooki Bhai would let his assistants direct a scene. After a short discussion among themselves, one or two of them would come to us (the actors) to direct the scene as instructed by their mentor. As far as I can recall, that would be one of the earliest instances of working with Nipun back in the days.
In the consecutive years, I have observed Nipun’s and some of his coeval directors’ growth from a bird’s view and acknowledged their ventures wholeheartedly. Over the years, I have gathered abundant admiration for his work in some of the dramas. Finally, in 2020, I got a call from Nipun for a Telefilm. I clearly remember saying, “I would love to be a part of your team”. Thus, Eti…Ma happened.
The shooting experience of “Eti…Ma” was unlike the others that I have worked in recently. Before each scene, we would rehearse several times until we were comfortable with dialogues and blocking. We were never rushed throughout the routine of rehearsing, nor were we ever denied a request to reshoot.
I also must applaud his team in this regard. Every team member has a strong sense of professionalism and a sincere love for the craft. In that kind of an environment, the desire to go the extra mile comes naturally.
As a fan, I am waiting for his upcoming creations, and as a well-wisher, I wish him a prosperous future in the Television Industry.
Rumana Rashid Ishita is a national award winning actress