The upcoming Eid release ‘Pressure Cooker’, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Raihan Rafi, has already sparked curiosity among audiences following its surprise announcement and the release of its trailer, described as the “first whistle.”
A key creative force behind the project is screenwriter Mehedi Hasan Moon, who co-wrote both the screenplay and dialogue.
In a candid interview with The TIMES of Bangladesh, Moon shared how the project evolved over several years and explained why the film focuses on the nuanced stories of women in Dhaka.
The concept dates back around three years. “After writing Friday (a Binge original thriller by Rafi), I was brainstorming ideas for my next project. During discussions with Rafi bhai, we began developing a story along these lines,” he said.
The film follows a hyperlink narrative, in which multiple characters’ lives intersect. Moon cited films such as ‘Ludo’ and ‘Weapons’ as inspirations.
“This story is primarily about several characters. Our hook was to create a hyperlink story where the lives of many characters cross over. Since the poster highlights women, they are our primary focus. We mainly wanted to present the stories of women living in this city, although there are important male characters as well,” he explained.
Moon admitted that crafting an intersecting storyline was a challenge. “Making one character repeatedly intersect with another is tough. There must be a logical reason for each encounter; otherwise, maintaining the structure becomes difficult.”
The screenplay was initially drafted years ago, but the project paused as Rafi was occupied with major films such as ‘Toofan’ and ‘Taandob’. Once those projects were completed, the director returned to the concept.
“After Taandob, Rafi bhai felt he wanted to return to the stories he truly wanted to tell on his own. He called me and said, ‘Moon, let’s develop this again.’”
Moon said the team spent roughly three months refining the script, producing six to seven drafts before reaching a final version. “Rafi bhai usually works very fast, but this time he gave a lot of attention to the story, the screenplay and the dialogues.”
Moon co-wrote the screenplay and dialogue alongside Rafi and writer Shiam Shams Tusto. Bringing in a female co-writer, he explained, was a deliberate choice. “Both Rafi bhai and I are men, so we felt a woman’s perspective was important. She can better understand how a female character might react in certain situations.”
Although the film centres on women, Moon emphasised that the broader aim was to portray life in Dhaka. “We did not set out to tell only women’s struggles. We wanted to tell the story of Dhaka, the lives of some women and other people living in this city.”
He added that the characters are intentionally complex. “Female characters are often portrayed as either completely good or entirely bad. In reality, people are not like that. They have both positive and negative sides, and we tried to capture that.”
Moon described Pressure Cooker as primarily a drama, with elements of thriller and dark comedy. He also expressed hope that screenwriters in Bangladesh would receive greater recognition and fairer remuneration in the future.
“My first film as a writer, ‘Jongli’, was a hit last year. This year, I hope Pressure Cooker will also be a success. I aim to write at least one hit film every year,” Moon concluded.
