Classes, exams and assignment deadlines – university life is demanding enough. Yet, in the midst of it all, a group of students pursued an audacious dream: to make a feature film.

They had no previous filmmaking experience, no major producer to finance the project and no established production house to support them. What they had was faith in a story, a willingness to learn and the courage to invest their own earnings in making it happen.

They spent two years working on the project between academic commitments, using money earned from private tutoring and freelance work.

Their film, Onno Pata, a 100-minute story about university admission, family expectations, financial struggles and young love, began screening at 11 cinemas across Bangladesh on 23 October.

More than 40 students from Chittagong University, Dhaka University, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) worked on the film. All are from Chattogram.

The production team said nearly 6,000 people watched the film in its first nine days, while its teaser has received more than 1000,000 views.

Popular actor Nasir Uddin Khan praised the film for its simplicity and freshness.

“Watching Onno Pata in a cinema felt as if I could smell shiuli flowers on a cool autumn morning – so simple, so gentle,” he said.

He said none of the people who worked in front of or behind the camera had yet completed their student lives. The film’s pre-production and post-production were also carried out in Chattogram.

“It is a 100 per cent Chattogram-made product,” he said, expressing hope that the city would one day develop a film industry like those of Telugu and Malayalam cinema.

A story close to home

Produced under the banner of SJA Productions, Onno Pata was written and directed by Mohammad Shahjahan Anny, an architecture student at CUET.

Anny began making films during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he directed a short film. He later studied filmmaking with advice from filmmaker Amitabh Reza before taking on his first feature-length project.

“The experience of Onno Pata has been almost magical,” Anny told the Commercial Times.

“Our team gradually grew from six people to 40. Sometimes we say we did not make Onno Pata; Onno Pata made us,” he said.

The film follows a young man from a middle-class family as he navigates university admission, parental expectations, family responsibilities, romance and questions of identity, said the director.

“This is not an experimental story. It is a story about all of us, about the everyday battles we face. Audiences will find themselves on the big screen,” he said.

The struggle behind the camera

Making the film was only part of the challenge. The students also had to navigate the paperwork and procedures required to bring it to cinemas.

Ankon Dey Animesh, one of the producers, said the process initially left them confused.

“To be honest, there were so many things we did not know or understand. The Bangladesh Film Development Corporation seemed like a huge puzzle to us,” he said.

Animesh said some people took advantage of the team’s inexperience, costing them nearly Tk1 lakh in alleged fraud across several incidents.

The producers have yet to calculate the film’s total budget, as expenses continued to accumulate.

Animesh also worked as an assistant director and acted in the film, although his role was initially intended to be much smaller.

“We made this film at 90 percent less cost than what is usually spent on productions of this kind,” he said.

“But every penny was honestly earned. You could say we made the film with money we sweated blood to earn,” he added.

Two years in the making

The lead roles are played by Chattogram University students Shahriar Shakil and Pratyasha Pal.

It is Shakil’s first film, and he also worked on production design.

“Our entire journey was magical,” he said.

“Our male lead changed, and after a major part of the film had been shot, we had to change the female lead as well. But even though we made the film with our own pocket money, we did not compromise on any aspect of it,” Shakil said.

Students also handled key technical and creative roles. CUET’s Tanvir Jani managed colour grading and post-production, while Ibrahim Bin Ansari was the cinematographer. Fahriyaaz Tasjim composed the music for the six original songs, and Ainon created the background score.

Noman Ahmed from the Dhaka University worked as casting director. Chattogram University’s Indra Neel contributed to technical and art direction, while BUET’s Mashrafi Islam worked on 3D animation.

Sudipta Pal, who recently completed his Secondary School Certificate examinations, served as line producer.

Subha Jamil Subah, a student at Chattogram Medical College, said the film brought back memories of the days before admission tests.

“It is not just a film. It is a recollection of the days before admission tests, along with some songs that make you feel nostalgic,” she said.

Producer Animesh said the team wanted to tell a story that many young people experience but rarely see portrayed on screen.

“Everyone goes through the admission struggle, but not many films focus on it,” he said.