Private Project

Priyanka

Priyanka ambles along on her brother-in-law, Nawab’s, whim. He has arranged for her to stay in Rehnuma’s studio. It is comfortable and worlds apart from the kind of accommodation Priyanka is used to. Rehnuma is chic and also younger than Priyanka.

At a get-together, Priyanka meets RT. Rehnuma makes certain RT gets to sleep with Priyanka. There is money involved. Priyanka slips into the hustle. When Rehnuma is not around, things are slow, Priyanka’s aimlessness is visible. Around people, it seems Priyanka is okay with her new financial liberation. She advocates for such pleasures in her frequent heart-to-hearts with the security guard, Ashik.

One fateful day, Nawab goes out of control when Priyanka invites his sister to visit this apartment, but tells Nawab there is a new girl for him to take.

  • Najmus Sakib Ahmed
    Director
  • Najmus Sakib Ahmed
    Writer
  • Zaheda Hena
    Producer
  • Najmus Sakib Ahmed
    Producer
  • Tanin Tanha
    Key Cast
    "Priyanka"
    Sincerely Yours, Dhaka (Busan International Film Festival, 2019)
  • Afia Tabassum Borno
    Key Cast
    "Rehnuma"
    Rehana Maryam Noor (Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival 2021)
  • Sumon Ghosh
    Key Cast
    "Ashik"
  • Istiak Nasir
    Key Cast
    "Nawab"
  • Yamin Khan
    Key Cast
    "RT"
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Indie, Chamber
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 37 minutes 59 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 20, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    30,832 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Bangladesh
  • Country of Filming:
    Bangladesh
  • Language:
    Bengali
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Distribution Information
  • My film has been denied censorship by the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation. It has been deemed immoral and obscene. Most notable alternative theatrical venues are government run or in some other ways affiliated with public institutions. This leaves few theatrical spaces e.g. in private universities, international schools, foreign arts and cultural centers. The sound quality I have submitted has been significantly improved upon. This version is for deadline purposes.
Director Biography - Najmus Sakib Ahmed

Priyanka screened at the 51st Festival Internacional Cervantino en Guanajuato, Mexico. The film was banned in his country by the Ministry of Information of the ousted authoritarian regime.

His other works include Korarowd and Hayat: two films in post-production. Sakib is working on an experimental film, Deep Satisfaction. Previously, Sakib also worked in a film production company (Meghmallar, Toronto International Film Festival, 2015).

Sakib is a graduate student of Communication and Media Studies at Monash University, Melbourne.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

People are struggling in this city. The papers announce excellent economic growth but Gen Z is bombarded with images of material excess. In contrast, they live in disparity, in a totally unlivable city. The world has drilled it into their head that to get something they truly want, it is okay to resort to any and all means necessary. You can trust no one except your own efforts. Survival skills are tested at every turn.

There are countless girls hustling here, like anywhere else. They are all dreaming. They are all surviving. The amateurish a-gig-at-a-time approach and the unregulated nature of their work is noteworthy. You can praise them. You can moralize their actions. Or you can demonize them. Love them or hate them. Most won’t bat an eye. They just want to get on with their lives.

Priyanka is an exercise in what it means to not be self-conscious. Perhaps that way, we can pursue truer meanings of actions. All our human gestures are worth studying. Everything we do has consequences. Human beings have many contradictory desires. This may be a reason why our behaviour seems absurd at times.

Invigoration is so important in identity creation. We are too attached to stigma, attracted by it. In a way, we crave the simplicity of explanations they provide. We are fallible that way. If people gain control of your narrative in some way or form, you are less free.