Actor and director Salahuddin Lavlu has shared his reservations about directing new films, citing shifts in time, content, and audience preferences.
A long-standing presence in Bangladesh’s television drama and film industry, Salahuddin Lavlu earned widespread acclaim for his popular TV serials “Ronger Manush”, “Vober Hat”, and “Sakin Sarisuri”. In addition to directing numerous dramas, he also received praise for directing the film “Molla barir bou”.
In a recent conversation with The Daily Star, Lavlu spoke candidly about his current projects and outlook for the future.
Discussing his work plans for the new year, he said, “I have started shooting for a new film, which is not yet completed. The film, titled ‘Secret’, is being directed by Bonon Biswas. I am also hoping to begin shooting another film directed by Shihab Shaheen next month. Besides that, discussions are underway regarding a new film by Raihan Rafi, but I am unable to align the schedules. Still, I am keen to do the project—let’s see what happens.”
Despite having directed the audience-favourite “Molla barir bou”, Lavlu expressed reluctance to take on new films as a director. “That’s a difficult question,” he said. “I don’t think I will make a film—and I don’t even think I can make one. A lot has changed, and the content has changed as well.”
Elaborating further, he explained, “I want to make films about village life and families. But now films are being made with action, bloodshed, murder, and various other themes. Young directors are delivering some very good work, and I acknowledge that there is demand for these kinds of stories. But my genre is different.”
Lavlu also pointed to structural challenges within the industry. “I want to make films about families, villages, and people’s lives. But producers are not interested in this kind of story,” he said. “Another major problem is that there are no longer as many cinema halls as before. The number of halls is decreasing day by day.”
Commenting on the trend of Eid-centric releases, he noted, “Now cinema has become completely dependent on Eid. Big-budget films are released during Eid. At that time, some new halls open, and producers are able to recover their investments.”
He added, “Outside of Eid, it is almost impossible to make money. During Eid, audiences go to the halls in larger numbers and also have holidays. If the number of halls increased, more films could be released at other times of the year as well.”
On the television front, Salahuddin Lavlu shared that he has directed a long-running serial titled “Phulgaon”, which focuses on the lives of flower cultivators.
When asked whether audience favourites such as “Ronger Manush”, “Vober Hat”, or “Sakin Sarisuri” could be recreated today, he responded with a sense of nostalgia. “There will never be another drama like ‘Ronger Manush’, nor will there be another work like ‘Vober Hat’. Where will we find artistes like that now?” he said. “Just thinking about how responsible the actors and actresses were back then feels good. ATM Shamsuzzaman bhai is no longer with us, and Humayun Faridi bhai is no longer alive. They carried a character in their hearts when they acted.”
“It won’t happen. Nothing will be like before. Times have changed,” he concluded.
