Bangladeshi director charged over film depicting police brutality, violence against women

• Director Anonno Mamun and actor Shaheen Mridha arrested for involvement in a film with "offensive and obscene dialogue"
• Film's first half depicts fictional courtroom drama about rape and harsh treatment of survivors
• Police say Nabab LLB "the opposite of healthy entertainment; will create negative perceptions about policing among the public"
• Duo charged with "making a film with pornographic content" over another scene that showed the sexual assault
• A senior officer who asked for anonymity termed film's plot "completely fabricated and unpleasant", saying police force was "insulted"

DHAKA: Bangladeshi film director Anonno Mamun was arrested and charged over the weekend after his film Nabab LLB sparked the ire of the police force for highlighting its attitudes towards violence against women and a scene depicting police brutality during the interrogation of a rape survivor.

The first half of movie mogul Shakib Khan-starrer Nabab LLB — a fictional courtroom drama about rape and the harsh treatment of survivors — was released on a local streaming service in mid-December. Its interrogation room scene went viral on social media last week, with criticism directed at police over their handling of the case.

That scene angered the conservative nation's force, with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) stating on their news portal that Mamun, 34, and the actor who played the police officer, 46-year-old Shaheen Mridha, were arrested "for making and acting in a film containing such offensive and obscene dialogue".

"The officer was interrogating her using very offensive gestures and obscene language, which is the opposite of healthy entertainment and will create negative perceptions about policing among the public," the DMP added in its statement.

Film 'insulted the entire force'

The duo faced court on Friday and were charged with "making a film with pornographic content" over a different scene depicting the sexual assault, police added. They face up to seven years in jail if they are found guilty.

Police officers said they were also seeking to arrest Orchita Sporshia, the 27-year-old actress who played the rape survivor.

The film "insulted the entire force", a senior police officer, who asked to remain anonymous, told AFP Saturday. "The plot is completely fabricated and unpleasant. It is based on total falsehood," he added.

Movies are usually vetted by the country's censorship board but regulations to include streaming service offerings have yet to be finalised.

There are five local streaming platforms in Bangladesh, including recently launched iTheatre, which released Nabab LLB.

The second part of the film is due to be released in early January.

630 rape cases were reported in 5 months

The arrests were denounced by rights activists, who said the film accurately depicted the struggles rape survivors face in Bangladesh's legal system.

"These arrests are nothing new but the continuation of attacks on artistic freedom," activist Rezaur Rahman Lenin told AFP.

Activists say violence against women is rising in Bangladesh.

According to local human rights organisation Ain-o-Salish Kendra (ASK), between April and August more than 630 rape cases were reported, with 29 women killed after the assault while five others took their own life.