Niamul Mukta has been awarded Best Screenwriter at the National Film Awards 2023. However, although the award was announced for the film Roktojoba, Mukta has refused to accept it and has also raised questions about the award-giving system.
Speaking to TIMES of Bangladesh, Mukta said, “The screenplay of this film was written by Muhammad Tasneemul Hasan (Taj). He also worked as an assistant director on the film. Why should I accept an award for work I didn’t do? That’s why I am rejecting this award, and I want to see it handed over to Taj.”
Taj, addressing the issue, stated that he wrote the screenplay in 2022 and had already discussed the matter with Niamul Mukta. “We will submit an application to the ministry so that the issue can be corrected,” he said.
The film was produced by Impress Telefilm. Mushfiqur Rahman Gulzar, a film director and official of the production house, said this should not have happened. “Usually, the jury board checks the film credits. Even so, we will look into the matter tomorrow (Saturday). If there has been any mistake, we will apply for correction,” he said.
The film clearly credits Muhammad Tasneemul Hasan as the screenwriter in its titles. So how did the jury board make such an error? Jury member Wahed Sujan explained, “The films were viewed a long time ago. Even if the titles were seen, they don’t always stay in memory.
Something like this can happen. There is a form listing all categories and the names of the nominated artists and technicians submitted by the producer, and marks are given beside them.
We need to see whether the wrong name appeared in the original application or if the Ministry of Information made an error while preparing the documents. Mistakes can occur at any stage. Whatever the case, it is unfortunate. I hope it will be resolved properly.”
Mukta also said he does not know in which cinema halls Roktojoba, starring Nusrat Imroz Tisha, was released. Raising another question, he said, “If a film is not released in cinema halls, can it even be considered for a national award? That’s my question.”
