NUHASH HUMAYUN ELABORATES ON BLENDING DIFFERENT GENRES, RECEIVING INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION, AND HIS UPCOMING PROJECTS.
Since the start of your journey as an artist, you have been known for blending different genres with South-Asian identity. What inspired the particular dynamics of your creative expression?
Growing up, the hardest question for me to answer was ‘What’s your favourite movie?’ There were so many films that I loved, including E.T. which is sci-fi but also a family drama, The Mask which is a comedy with elements of fantasy, Pan’s Labyrinth, etc. I also enjoyed the films of Guillermo Del Toro, and of Edgar Wright. What excites me about filmmaking is the possibility to explore different genres and different avenues. That’s why, if you look at my work in broad strokes, 700 Taka, a comedy, is completely different from Pett Kata Shaw or Moshari which is horror. I think genres are a great way to talk about important social issues in a way that is both entertaining and can also inform and educate an audience. In many ways, Pett Kata Shaw was about the real horrors of our society and about systemic change, and it shows that through horror, instead of something moralising.
Your much-acclaimed horror flick Moshari has scored two OSCAR qualifying awards-Atlanta Film Festival Jury Prize for Best narrative short and the Governor of Tokyo Award. How much do the two recognitions mean to you?
A significant portion of Moshari was trusting my instincts. When I was making it, horror wasn’t something that was prominent in Bangladesh; people didn’t know how to shoot horror, or if it would even work. I had to believe that I am telling a story that needs to be told. To even be selected for Oscar-qualifying festivals is an incredible achievement, but to win multiple awards is surreal. As artists, we truly put ourselves on the line to create experimental things, and to have that be rewarded is a beautiful part of that journey. However, I do want to say that I want to see a future where we don’t need international validation to recognise talent in our own homeland. I think that culture needs to change.
We have got word that it is being developed into a feature film. Could you please elaborate on that?
In terms of feature films, Moving Bangladesh is still my first priority. I’ve signed with Anonymous Content & CAA, my agent and manager in America, and they’re helping me put my projects together. We’ll hopefully have some exciting announcements soon for not only that, but a feature adaptation of Moshari, which a lot of international producers are interested in. I’m excited to further explore that story.
Unarguably, Pett Kata Shaw is one of your most celebrated works that reignited interest in the horror genre in Bangladesh. How would you assess the hype around it?
Pett Kata Shaw organically generated a lot of hype. There’s fan art for the show, people have written fan theories, and an online group in Kolkata have published a pdf E-book compiling different fan theories. I think we sometimes underestimate the tastes of local audiences, which we shouldn’t. People here have a hunger for new kinds of content, and I’m glad I took a risk with Pett Kata Shaw. I believe that I’ve tapped into something special. The stories in the show, about the jinns in the mishtir dokan or petnis coming at the smell
I BELIEVE THAT I’VE TAPPED INTO SOMETHING SPECIAL. THE STORIES IN THE SHOW, ABOUT THE JINNS IN THE MISHTIR DOKAN OR PETNIS COMING AT THE SMELL OF FISH, THEY DON’T JUST BELONG TO ME, THEY BELONG TO ALL OF US AND TO BENGAL.
of fish, they don’t just belong to me, they belong to all of us and to Bengal. It’s been wonderful to see people connect with it not only in Bangladesh but also in India. I’ve also received a lot of compliments from people coming up to me and saying how special these stories are, how they sat down and watched it with their families. That was really special for me to hear. As a kid, I grew up watching Bangla natoks with my family, so to know that we can maybe still have that culture with things like Pett Kata Shaw and other local content makes me happy.
Photographs: Courtesy of Nuhash Humayun