Niamul Mukta refuses National Award for screenplay, says he did not write it

Controversy has erupted around the National Film Awards, centring on the film “Roktojoba”, which was never released in cinemas.

In the list of National Film Awards announced for 2023, the name of “Roktojoba” director Niamul Mukta appeared as Best Screenplay Writer.

Surprisingly, Mukta did not write the screenplay of the film—an issue that has left the director visibly embarrassed.

Niamul Mukta wrote on his Facebook profile, “I did not write the screenplay of the film. The screenplay was written by Muhammad Tasnimul Hasan Taj. I do not know how this award was given to me.”

Naturally, the filmmaker has refused to accept the National Film Award.

The controversy does not end there. According to the official guidelines, “Films eligible for the National Film Awards must have received clearance from the Bangladesh Film Censor Board and must have been released in theatres during the relevant year. However, short films and documentaries are exempt from the requirement of theatrical release.”

In the case of “Roktojoba”, this rule was not followed, as the film was never released in cinemas.

When questioned about how the film qualified for the award despite violating the guidelines, a responsible official from the National Film Awards jury board told bdnews24, “I do not know exactly; I will need to check the guidelines. The decision on which films received awards was taken at a higher level—from advisers to the Cabinet Division. We had no role in this and no say in the matter.”

When asked why the jury board had no involvement despite being part of the process, the official said, “We were involved throughout the process, but the final decision was taken by them. What decision will be taken now regarding this issue, I honestly do not know. If the submission process is reviewed, perhaps it will become clear where the mistake occurred.”

Meanwhile, reiterating his decision to reject the award, Niamul Mukta said, “I am rejecting the National Film Award 2023 for Best Screenplay Writer. At the same time, I would be happy to see this award handed over to Muhammad Tasnimul Hasan Taj as the rightful screenplay writer.”

The film was released on the OTT platform iScreen during Eid-ul-Azha in June 2023. At the time, iScreen had announced that viewers could watch the film with a subscription fee of Tk 25.

When asked whether the film had received censor board clearance and a theatrical release, the director said, “The film received censor clearance in 2022, but I was unable to release "Roktojoba" in cinemas. To this day, I do not know where or in which cinema halls the film was screened. I was also unaware that a film cannot be considered for the National Film Awards without a theatrical release.”

According to the director, the film was submitted for award consideration by the production company. "Roktojoba" was produced by Impress Telefilm.

The film’s narrative revolves around a letter received by a retired headmaster, which transports him back more than a decade into the past. As past and present intertwine, various mysteries gradually unfold.

The cast includes Nusrat Imrose Tisha, Sariful Razz, Lutfur Rahman George, Shilpi Sarkar Apu, Jayita Mohalanobish and others.

The film’s creative producer is Abu Shahed Emon. The story and screenplay were written by Muhammad Tasnimul Hasan. Cinematography was handled by Barkat Hossain Palash, art direction by Kazi Tanvir Rashid Apu, and sound design and music by Ripon Nath.

The National Film Awards for 2023 were officially announced last Thursday.