There was a time when Durga Puja meant more than pandals, fairs, food and new clothes for Bangladeshi moviegoers. It also meant heading to the cinema hall for a brand-new film.
That tradition has slowly faded as film releases became increasingly concentrated around the two Eids. This year, Cut-Piece and Chirkut are among the few films arriving during the festivities.
For Rafah Nanjeba Torsa, that makes this Puja special.
She will not only revisit familiar festival traditions but also appear on the big screen as Mala in Iffat Jahan Momo’s Cut-Piece, which arrives in cinemas on 16 October.
Torsa remembers when Puja meant a regular flow of new films in theatres. She sees the disappearance of that tradition as a loss in a multicultural, democratic country like Bangladesh.
“Puja used to mean new movies in theatres. There was a time when people would go to the cinema during Puja just as they did during Eid. But gradually, releases outside the two Eids became less common,” she said.
“Our country is multicultural. Puja is not only a festival for Hindus. Muslims also celebrate it with a lot of joy,” Torsa told Times in an exclusive interview.
For her, Puja means fairs around the mandap, different foods, shopping and watching films in theatres. This year, she plans to watch Chirkut alongside her own film and believes cinema can add to the festive spirit.
Cut-Piece revolves around the garment scrap trade, known locally as jhut, exploring the darker world of money, power and dominance surrounding the business around Dhaka’s garment factories.
Newcomer Shifat Amin Shuvo plays Taj opposite Torsa, while Imran Ahmed Soudagar appears as the antagonist.
The makers initially planned an Eid-ul-Azha release, but post-production work did not arrive from abroad on time. The film was subsequently delayed to Puja.
Amid its violence, politics and killings, Mala is gentle and calm. “The softest and most tender side of the film is Mala”, according to Torsa. The subject also attracted her.
“This business may look simple from the outside, but there is a dark world within it. That is what the film brings to the screen,” she said.
Unlike some larger productions, Cut-Piece was shot in an organised manner over only a few days. Torsa was particularly impressed by Momo’s approach to analysing the characters.
“I am not Mala, I am Torsa. I have to become Mala on screen. The director has to explain what kind of Mala she wants. Mom explained that to me beautifully,” she said.
Torsa previously worked with female filmmaker Neelima Dola as the model for Sondhya Namilo Shyam. “I enjoy working with women directors,” she said.
Torsa rose to prominence after winning Miss World Bangladesh in October 2019 and represented Bangladesh at Miss World that year.
She had already trained in Bharatanatyam and Kathak, won first place in folk dance at the 2009 Bangabandhu Shishu-Kishore Competition and became first runner-up in an NTV competition the following year.
She appeared in Touqir Ahmed’s Halda (2017), followed by the Eid telefilm Shopno Tomar Jonno, television dramas, Plan B and the podcast She.
Her recent drama Old Bachelor received positive comments on NTV’s YouTube channel. Torsa believes social media discussion is now crucial for a drama to become a hit.
She is preparing for a feature film and will travel to Munshiganj next week for Murad Parvez’s single-episode drama, co-starring Abu Hurayra Tanvir. Her rural-set film Mati is also awaiting release, while discussions are under way for two new podcasts.
For now, though, Torsa is hoping Cut-Piece can bring back a little of the old Puja magic when the question was not whether there would be a new film to watch, but which one to watch first.
