Mostofa Sarwar Farooki Sets ZEE5 Bangladesh Original Series ‘Ladies & Gentlemen’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Streamer ZEE5 Global has added to its growing roster of Bangladeshi content with series “Ladies & Gentlemen,” created by eminent Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki (“No Bed of Roses”).
The eight-episode series is the story of an ordinary girl and her emotional journey to becoming the voice of every working woman in Bangladesh.
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It is directed by Farooki and co-directed by Mahmudul Islam (“Sincerely Yours, Dhaka”).
Farooki is Bangladesh’s most lauded filmmaker internationally. His “Television” (2012), which closed the Busan Film festival, won the jury grand prize at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards among numerous other accolades, and “Saturday Afternoon” (2019) won awards at Moscow, Vesoul and Fukuoka.
“The series deals with the seen and unseen when it comes to the dynamics between not only male female but also female to female relationships in a strictly patriarchal world. And we all know this dynamic is never a black and white one, never probably a straightforward one as we read in the newspapers,” Farooki told Variety. “Hopefully the audience will get a feel of the complicated reality once they complete watching all eight episodes thanks to the invested performances by my brilliant cast and crew. I thank ZEE5 for taking my first web series beyond borders and making it available to hundreds of countries.”
The cast includes Tasnia Farin, Afzal Hossain, Partha Barua, Hasan Masood, Iresh Zaker, Mukit Zakaria, Pavel Areen, Maria Nur, and Tanvir Hossain.
The series is produced by Nusrat Imrose Tisha and co-produced by Iresh Zaker and Sardar Saniat Hossain. It is a Chabial Production for ZEE5, in association with Good Company.
The series is shot by Alexey Kosorukov (“No Land’s Man”), with additional cinematography by Sheikh Rajibul Islam (“No Bed of Roses”).
ZEE5 Global, a streamer focusing on South Asian content, is on an expansion drive, having recently announced a U.S. launch. It was launched in October 2018 by long-standing South Asian broadcast giant ZEE and is now available in 190 territories.
ZEE5 previously produced successful Bangladeshi Originals “Mainkar Chipay”, “WTfry,” “Contract,” “Jodi Kintu Tobuo,” and “Thanda.”
“Bangladesh is home to some of the most talented directors and artistes, and is naturally predisposed to telling culturally rich stories,” said Archana Anand, chief business officer, ZEE5 Global. “We’re thrilled to announce this home-grown original with Farooki along with the stellar cast and production crew. ‘Ladies & Gentlemen’ will touch upon social issues that are very relevant in today’s world, and we’re sure that it will resonate not only with Bangladeshis everywhere but also with mainstream global audiences.”
Anand, Farooki and the cast launched the show’s trailer at a virtual event on Monday. “Ladies & Gentlemen” streams from July 9.
Farooki’s next film, the continent-hopping “No Land’s Man,” co-produced and composed by Oscar-winner A.R. Rahman (“Slumdog Millionaire”) and starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui (“Sacred Games”), is currently in post-production.
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