CHOYONIKA CHOWDHURY

Choyonika Chowdhury is a script writer and director working in the Bangladeshi media for over a decade now. This year, two of her dramas were invited at the Toronto Book Fair 2014, held in August. Star Showbiz caught up with her recently to learn more about her work.

1. Congratulations on being invited to the Toronto Book Fair 2014 in Canada! What did it feel like when you received the invitation?
I am grateful to the almighty. I felt honored and it is an achievement for me. The two dramas that were selected were 'Choloman Chobi' and 'Alochaya'. 'Choloman Chobi' is written by Arun Chowdhury and Mahfuz Ahmed appeared in it. I wrote the drama 'Alochaya', the central theme of which is patriotism.  

2. What are some of your recent works?
My recent works include 'Dure Aro Dure', written by Rumman Rashid, 'Notun Bhor' and 'Shunnotay Tumi'. These are being produced for ATN Bangla and BTV consecutively. There are a few other works in progress now and I am concentrating on both writing and direction at the moment.

3. How did you start working as a director? What was your first production?
I started directing during 2001 and actor Mahfuz Ahmed helped me a lot to become a director. At first, I worked in a drama in 2001 named 'Sesh Belay' but that was not aired on television right away. Later on, I worked on 'Ek Jibone' and luckily this became the first drama of mine to be aired. My first script was 'Bodh', which I wrote in 1995.

4. A few recent Bangla dramas have used a lot of local dialects. Why do you think so?
I would say this was the case previously but, nowadays, there are less dialect-based dramas on air. People are fonder of contemporary issues in dramas now and producers always consider what the audience has appetite for. Actually, people get bored with a particular trend that continues for too long a time. I personally feel that our dramas are better than dramas produced in neighboring countries.

5. Being a professional in this field, how do you perceive the current situation of the media?
The young people in the media are talented and hard working. They are doing well but obviously there are people who need to be careful about their output. The television channels need to be more careful about productions they support and broadcast. There are people who are producing things even though their works are not of good quality. This is alarming for the overall media. Television channels have preview boards; I think these preview boards need to be more careful about what they endorse.

6. We are seeing many new actors and actresses entering this field of work. What are your thoughts about fresh talent?
People often become frustrated about young artists and say they do not know much about acting. I on the other hand, am more optimistic. I think young artists are doing fine. The allegation that those who do not act in the theatre cannot perform well in drama is not always true. I think discipline and dedication is all that one needs to do well. Anyone entering the field of acting should think about carrying out acting in the long run rather than thinking about being popular overnight. They need to think about a career track.

7.  How good is script-writing in the world of Bangladesh media?
It cannot be denied that we lack good scripts and script writers. Scripts are often not organized or unique and the plot is also not tight. People working in script-writing cannot deliver the script in time which often delays production. I think people need to broaden their outlook for writing better things. It is often said that establishing an institute can help us boost the industry up. I think it might not be the case and the desired outcome will take years to get to.

8. What are the challenges you face working as a director in Bangladesh?
Everyone will agree that we lack budget for our productions. We cannot manage things efficiently due to the communication gap among people concerned with different parts of production. Everyone needs to be serious in their respective works. We have technical inadequacies too. Post production works are also problematic here because we don't have good post production units.

9. Who do you like working with the most?
I like anyone who engages himself and works wholeheartedly. Mahfuz Ahmed, Tarin, Richi Sulaiman, Joya Ahsan, Apurbo, Milon, Arefin Shuvo are in my list of favourites. I think they have proven themselves over the years as being hard-working, dedicated and responsible about their role in the media. I also like working with Tisha, Tinni, Srabonty, Sarika, Naim, Syed and Babu.

10. Did you ever mess things up as a director? Would you like to share any embarrassing anecdote to share with our readers?
I am very organized in life. I proceed in every facet of my life with meticulous planning. Therefore, I don't usually mess things up. I follow my work plan every day and take the artists to locations myself when possible. Normally, I face technical problems but who does not face that in Bangladesh?