Working on UNDER CONSTRUCTION-A FEATURE FILM BY RUBAIYAT HOSSAIN

Introduction
I had been in planning to do a workshop on Sound for Feature films/TV in Dhaka
in 2012,which didnt materialise,I always wanted to shoot a Bangla or
International feature in Bangladesh esp Dhaka,a city I have heard so much
about,For the workshop I had done a lot of reaserch on films,film making in
Bangladesh,I have many friends there and many of my friends have shot there
so they were also a good source of information,I checked online for videos
/documentaries/travelogues and read a lot about Bangladeshto get information
as much as possible
This would enable me to know,relate and identify with the city and surroundings
as a filmmaker
The film
Exactly a year later in Aug 2013,I got a call from one of the students who was to
be part of the workshop asking whether I would be interested in doing a feature
film in Bangladesh,it was to be shot by a well known film director and in Dhaka
entirely with the city as a central character,he wasnt sure if I would,I didnt think
much and said yes.
I am always up for new ventures,thinking out of the box and a challenges in
terms of Filmmaking,locations and anything that would enrich my experience and
aesthetics and enjoy being part of good films anywhere in the world
I have worked,lived an done films in various parts of the world,not all are
condusive to doing filsm, but films are made there and most turn out to be
excellent and I always say if there why not here as well
Dhaka City Filmmaking
After I okayed the project my next process was to get as much info as possible
on Dhaka in particular and Bdesh in General,unfortunately related to previous
films being shot there ,no reference is available on the net,so back again to
asking friends and fellow filmmakers and also teh esteemed filmmakers in
Bdesh,the information wasnt much forthcoming except from a few and what
ever I got wasnt encouraging and very forthcoming,the westerners were not
very encouraging about shooting there, the same excuses -3 rd
world,polluted,dirty,insafe, lack of facilities but a few who had worked and are
working there were very forthcoming with suggestions and advice which was
helpful
Dhaka on the 1st look is very intimidating ,like most 3rd world cities it has
all,construction activity,very loud traffic,crowd,generators all round due the

power cuts ,these are definitely not helpful in shooting there but then when you
are on a project you need to deliver also to international class.
Dhaka city has a charm and life of its own, very attractive and lively,while on the
film shoot,one of the things I did was to travel and familiarise with the city along
with some local young filmmakers who showed me a lot and told me so many
things about the city that I couldnt fall in love with it
Dhaka has one of the most welcoming and friendly people on earth,I speak fluent
Bengali, can read an d write too ,so for me I was very comfortable there,I had
tons of friends there who took out time and spend time with me to help me feel
comfortable
On the holidays during shoot I went around the city,recorded city sounds/amb
and observed the sity,its people very closely and travelled by public transport
like, so I was able to capture the pulse of the city as best as I could,this added
many more dimension to the soundscape of the film,while recording sounds in
and around the city a markets, road junctions, railway stations,residential
complexes I found people coming and politely enquiring when told it was for a
Bdesh i film they were happy and proud too,I had some filmmakers to help me
with my work
Pre production Work
As I was unable to go to Dhaka for the pre-production I needed information about
the locations, cast and script and how the film was to be shot.
I would like to emphasise that the Asst Directors provided me with exactly what I
wanted regarding my preparation for the film,stills and videos of the locations,
details of cast,scripts with dialogs etc,I couldnt meet with the director in Mumbai
on her short trip,but the informations and discussions over mail and net was
good enough for me
We sound team(myself, my boom operator,asst) reached Dhaka a few days
before the shoot and was warmly welcomed at Shah Jalal International Airport by
the unit people
We were taken to an apartment in Gulshan -2 which was going to be my home
for the next 2 months.
Shooting
Most of the shoot was in an apartment in Gulshan -1 area,it was on the 9 th
floor,in a new building which just got completed,on 3 sides there was hectic
construction activity from 9am-7 pm everyday and being very close to busy
traffic ,it was a constant disturbance, on top of it we had generators running in
households due to power cuts.
The cast was largely from Dhaka mostly from theatre and TV background and
some from India

Besides the location in the apartment we shot in the city streets at day and night
also in very heavy traffic,inside cars,other apartments,at well known
landmarks,as mentioned earlier Dhaka city is a major character in the film and as
much possible we have exposed it
While on the shoot,I managed to capture the essence of Dhaka thorough various
audio elements at different time of the day and locations, like the character in
the film ,the whole of the city was undergoing a metamorphosis and construction
shedding old skin and coming with new layers of change,I could manage to
gather a lot of city sounds particular to Dhaka that would ultimately add to the
realism of the film
One of the most important team members of mine on the shoot was a young
sound recordist who worked with me on this shoot, a local guy who was not only
familiar with the city and surroundings but also helped me at very critical
situations,I had asked for a local guy to work with me so that I could train
someone on this project and they benefit from this experience for future work,I
also wanted to do my bit for the local industry where in there could be long term
benefits for the person and Industry.
I used the latest sound recording equipment on this shoot which I use for hindi
and other International projects,making sure that the film gets the best quality
work as this was slated for International market,I never make compromises in
quality of work ever and didnt want any for this film
I would like to add a few words of praise for the local actors from Dhaka,I must
say they are one of the best I have had the pleasure to work
with,professional,friendly,and great performers,I had the pleasure to work with
some of the best cast,One of the best things about this film were the actors from
Dhaka.
I would also like to add a few words of praise for the local team members,they
were excellent,though lacking in experience and expertise ,they made it up by
enthusiasm and hard work and it shows on the work,this is for the AD
s,production, art and costume teams
I am happy to say that inspite of working in tough shooting conditions and new
cast and crew,we were able to complete our work well and did not need to dub
any part of the film
What the audience will hear will be 100% of what we recorded on location
I hope this film will set a record of sorts not only being technically superb but
also aesthetically
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rubaiyat Hossain for giving me the
chance to work in such a wonderful film and the excellent support from the cast
and crew for being able to give my best,it is also one of my best work to date.