TEHRAN – A publicist for “Angel” said on Tuesday that the co-production between Iran and Bangladesh is ready to be released.

Starring Jaya Ahsan and Suman Faruk, the film also known as “Beautiful Lies”, “Fereshta” and “CNG.”, has attracted a great deal of media attention in Bangladesh over the past year, the publicist said in a press release.

The Bengali-language film, which is about a rickshaw puller, will likely be Bangladesh’s submission to the international feature award at the 2024 Oscars.

Actress Jaya Ahsan started shooting along with actress Reekita Nondine Shimu at the Dreamland Dhaka Resort and Restaurant in Bashundhara, Dhaka.

Pictures surfaced online showcasing both the actress riding on rickshaws dressed as slum dwellers. The actress is seen carrying a three-year-old child in her arms.

Afterwards, Iranian director Morteza Atashzamzam, actress Jaya Ahsan and some crew members attended a press conference at Jabale Akhdar Lounge, near Bashundhara Residential Area in Dhaka in April 2022 to brief the media about the project. 

“Through this movie, I came to understand that cinema has no language,” Ahsan told The Daily Star. 

“This film’s director only understands his native language; yet, I faced no difficulties while working with him,” she added.

She called the project “a completely new experience” for her and noted, “I play the role of a struggling woman. We come across such women in our everyday life. We have shot across many locations. Once I put my make-up on for the role, no one recognized me.”

Atashzamzam hoped that it will be memorable for the people of Bangladesh.

Produced in collaboration between the companies Imaje Cinema from Iran and Maximum from Bangladesh, “Angel” will be released in Bangladesh in Bangla and in Iran with Persian subtitles.

Sources at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting revealed that the film got permission on March 13, 2022 under the name of “CNG.”

Photo: Suman Faruk, Reekita Nondine Shimu and Jaya Ahsan act in a scene from “Angel”.

MMS/YAW