Journalist and filmmaker Deepak Chowdhury is currently directing his new short film, ‘Adbhut Aral (Strange Veil)’, highlighting the struggles of a women remittance fighter—a young woman who sacrifices her education and personal freedom to support her family abroad.
The story follows a talented student whose SSC exam is interrupted by an early marriage. Leaving behind her six-month-old child, she is sent overseas as a domestic worker. After two years, she returns home to face false accusations and societal scrutiny, portraying the challenges faced by women who fight to provide for their families while navigating rigid social expectations.
Chowdhury explains, “Women remittance fighters are often trapped between family obligations and societal judgment. Truth, responsibility, and integrity are frequently misrepresented as irresponsibility, leaving these women isolated and unheard.”
The film, currently in production, features associate director Gazi Zakir Hossain, cinematographer Ripon Rahman Khan, and actors Ahsanul Haq Minu, Anjuman Ara Shirin, Sadman Samir, Remi Karim, Muchkan, and Shahriar Al Mamun.
Chowdhury, also the director of several Liberation War-themed shorts including ‘Shirin Ar Ekattor Jatra’ and authored around 30 books spanning novels, stories, and essays. He emphasizes that short films are not just entertainment, but a powerful way to reflect life, social realities, and educational messages. He focuses on Liberation War stories, highlighting women’s lives and ordinary people’s experiences. According to him, strong stories, simplicity, real-life experience, and thorough preparation are essential for successful filmmaking.
‘Adbhut Aral’ (Strange Veil) promises to be a socially conscious and globally relevant short film, giving voice to the courage, resilience, and unseen struggles of women remittance fighters in Bangladesh.
