A newly surfaced video has shed light on why late actor Manna distanced himself from the 2002 film Fire, a movie that later faced criticism over allegedly obscene scenes.
In the video obtained from Manna’s production company Kritanjoli, the actor said he stopped working on the film after completing about half of his part and did not even take part in the dubbing.
“After working on half of Fire, I did not continue. I did not even give my voice for the film or go for dubbing,” Manna said.
He also rejected allegations that he had acted in any obscene scene. According to the actor, he could not monitor everything being done by his co-artistes, director or producer, but he was certain about his own work.
“I can challenge anyone to show that I acted in an obscene scene,” he said.
Manna’s wife, Shelly Manna, said he had become uncomfortable with what was happening during production and believed some inappropriate scenes had been filmed without him.
She said conflicts with the producer also involved issues including piracy and eventually led Manna to leave the project.
According to Shelly, Manna never knowingly worked in obscene films. His opposition to such content was well known, and he had spoken publicly against the trend in the film industry.
Manna himself recalled that his opposition to obscenity had become a difficult personal battle. “I have always protested against obscenity in the Bangladeshi film industry,” he said.
He also admitted that the fight had left him exhausted, saying he had faced criticism and even difficult situations because of his position.
A former Film Directors’ Association leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Manna had opposed the growing use of obscene scenes in films at the time and had even tried to work with directors, fight directors and other technicians to make socially conscious films free of such content.
The source also said scheduling problems surrounding Fire contributed to Manna’s departure.
The film was directed and produced by Mohammad Hossain, who is currently abroad and could not be reached for comment. Actress Poly played the female lead.
