Bearing the weight of a great legacy: Lamia Chowdhury on her debut as director

A promising new director, Lamia Chowdhury is set to make her debut in Dhallywood, bringing her lifelong dream to life. After facing numerous setbacks, her film, 'Meyeder Golpo' (A Story of Women) is now in the works. Not only is she the director of the film, with Azmeri Haque Badhon by her side as executive producer, Lamia also wrote the story and screenplay herself. 

Though this will be her debut in the industry, many may be familiar with Lamia as the only daughter of the late actor Sohel Chowdhury and actress Parveen Sultana Diti. With such legends in her lineage, her upcoming film has garnered attention among netizens, who are curious to see the direction their daughter will go in the industry.

The fame around Lamia's parents is not new to her; growing up, she was popular in her area and school due to her parents. Although children of celebrities often follow the same steps as their parents, Lamia decided to take on the challenging role of a director instead. 

Many believe that Lamia's passion for film directing stems from her parents. However, Lamia disagrees. 

She said, "Directing films is my passion and I shared my vision with my mother and she was very supportive of it. I wanted to get started while she was still alive, but it was delayed by her passing. Nevertheless, the desire isn't fleeting. The release of my first film will only strengthen it. I can assure you, this won't be my last film. I am already working on concepts for two more movies."

She took her first steps towards her career in directing by completing her diploma in Film Studies from Canada Film School. She also spent nine years studying the film market before starting her directorial journey.

Although Lamia already has an understanding of the theories of film, she aims to learn what the industry offers beyond textbooks.

"Having an understanding of the work can boost your confidence," said Lamia. "However, I emphasise on practical learning. Unexpected obstacles often arise, and they need immediate solutions," she added.

Despite making progress with her career plans, Lamia faced a major setback when her mother fell severely ill. Taking care of her mother and managing her treatment took up so much of Lamia's time and energy that she couldn't focus on her work in the film industry.

After Diti tragically passed away, Lamia was devastated. Having lost her father at a young age and now her mother, she found herself grieving, having to navigate life without a guardian.

Despite the challenges, Lamia gradually rebuilt her life. She is now back on track, embracing her work and responsibilities with a renewed sense of purpose.

Lamia shared that she plans to start shooting for 'Meyeder Golpo' in November of this year. Before that, she plans to focus on pre-production tasks, including casting and assembling the shooting team.

As a female director, there is an unspoken sense of responsibility to include the experience of marginalised women in Bangladesh, while bringing in a different perspective to the table. Lamia feels this too. She says, "Representing women through my work is very important to me."

However, the biggest hurdle of the film industry still remains, the conflict between creativity and investors. Especially when starting out, finding a balance between the two to build a sustainable career is challenging. 

"It's about negotiation. Both parties need to understand each other's perspectives so, planning with honesty from the beginning is crucial. A director must establish their boundaries and communicate them to the investors," shared Lamia.

She continues, "Creative individuals often grapple with whether art or money is more important. This applies to every artiste. With my background in business studies, I don't see directing purely as art. I'm not currently interested in making artistic films; my primary goal is to create commercially entertaining movies."

Lamia aims to make her debut film be of international standard, but plans to showcase it to the local audience first. 

"My main goal is to make films for the local audience, but I will also try to ensure it has elements that will appeal internationally."

At the end of the day, the names of her parents still lie heavy on her shoulders. When asked if she aspires to achieve the same level of fame as her parents, Lamia replied, "I am very proud of my parents, however, I seek self-satisfaction in my work and filmmaking."