The British Council hosts a star-studded talk show with the casts of Bangladeshi supernatural thriller film “Debi.” Directed by Anam Biswas, one of the year’s most anticipated films ‘Debi’ created a high buzz before its release. The British Council Cultural Centre arranged a day-long fashion-inspired exhibition at its premises at Fuller Road, Dhaka on October 08, 2018, followed by a showcase of the unreleased trailer of the ‘Debi’ and discussions with the stars.
The event was organised to officially expand the British Council’s online library services and to present the innovated Digital Library platform. The platform now accommodates two new additions – IndieFlix and Digital Theatre, through which library members can enjoy access to stream over 8,000 award-winning comedies, documentaries, drama, animation, shorts, classic TV and theatre productions. To highlight the Digital Library and its relevance to the Bangladeshi audience, the British Council has designed Starflixed event series. The British Council will invite prominent names of the media industry quarterly to share their knowledge, views and experience with audiences interested in the media field. “Untie the knots of Debi” was the opening event of the series.
The day began with an apparel exhibition, featuring the Debi collection by renowned fashion-house Bishwo Rong by Biplob Shaha. It was arranged at the auditorium of the British Council office in Dhaka University campus area. Not only were guests and walk-in customers able to enjoy the collection displays of Biswho Rong, but they were also able to order customised outfits.
In the evening, leading cast of ‘Debi’ Jaya Ahsan and Chanchal Chowdhury attended a Star Talk session, hosting the participation of guests, students and audiences from different sectors. The talk began with a graphic presentation of the Digital Library and its benefits. Barbara Wickham, Director Bangladesh, British Council, then introduced the casts of the film, which was then followed by the screening of an unreleased trailer of ‘Debi’ movie. Here, the audiences enjoyed some exclusive footages from the then-unreleased film.
During the Star Talk, guests enjoyed the insight into the film’s production from narrative experiences by the two versatile actors Jaya and Chanchal. They discussed the challenges and complications faced to successfully portray the novel on screen. The famous characters Ranu and Misir Ali came to life. Issues like the law and regulations to produce a film from a novel and the things to be considered to create a movie for the first time were also brought into the discussion. There were brief dialogue and a question-answer session regarding the production of the film where both the audiences and the casts participated.
The day ended with a group photo session with the stars and audience.
The British Council Cultural Centre has always been working towards creating new opportunities for its patrons. The introduction of the Starflix series is yet another addition to the library.
“It’s not every day we get the chance to meet our favourite stars and listen from them directly,” quoted a participant. “It’s a dream come true, which was only possible because of the British Council, and I cannot thank them enough.”