“Hasina: A Daughter’s Tale”, a docu-drama, had been released in Bangladesh in November 2018 in Bangladesh, after an extensive 5-year-long collaboration between Centre for Research and Information (CRI) and Applebox Films’ founder & Director Rezaur Rahman Khan Piplu. The director has created a captivating biography of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh with his layered interpretation of her tragedies and triumphs. Dramatically, yet honestly, he has portrayed Hasina the daughter, the leader, and ultimately, the person. In doing so, he has captured multiple facets of one of the most iconic figures of our time. Here Sheikh Hasina has been depicted as a personality who represents the flow of history of Bangladesh. Her rise has been connected with the genesis of Bangladesh. The filmmaker’s intention throughout the process has been to convey the story in an authentic manner, unmarred by any influence, and he has created a tale that has immense appeal for a wider audience willing to understand Bangladesh more closely. Bangabandhu’s grandson and Centre for Research and Information (CRI) Trustees Radwan Mujib Siddiq and State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid produced the docu-drama. A team of international personalities have also collaborated including cinematography by Sadik Ahmed and edited by Navnita Sen. The film’s soundtrack and background music was by Debojyoti Mishra, an internationally acclaimed Indian music composer, has composed the musical score.

The documentary starts with off with the narration of Sheikh Rehana, the only living sibling of Sheikh Hasina who survived the 1975 mass murder of the entire family with her. The docudrama mostly shares very personal memories of the two sisters. The film progresses to show Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana’s accounts from their simple life, back in Gopalganj’s Tungipara to the difficulties they faced in Europe and India during the aftermath of the assassination of her father and family. This is followed by intimate detail of her return to Bangladesh in the 80s, her fight for democracy during Ershad’s presidency, her loss in the 1991 polls, constantly put under house arrest afterwards, her children sent away to boarding schools abroad for the sake of their education and security as well as the several assassination attempts on her life. The prime minister herself appears in interspersed segments, often adding to the stories.

‘Hasina-A Daughter’s Tale’ overall is not a story of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her political career, rather it is a documentary on Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina. It demonstrates a heartrending biopic of what the title of the film portrays, which is a fascinating account of a daughter’s perspective how the country’s darkest hours had changed her life forever. In the documentary, a daughter recalls rare memories and insights on the relationship with her father. The film, presents her transformation from a woman with a carefree, simple childhood changed into a leader determined to seek justice against those who conspired to assassinate her 20 family members. The film is dedicated to Renu, the nickname of Sheikh Hasina’s mother Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, who is also an important character of the two sisters’ recollection in the film.

Duration: 70 Minutes; Language: Bengali with English subtitles