The challenges of bringing Masud Rana to life: An interview with ABM Sumon

Directed by Asif Akbar, the movie 'MR-9: Do or Die' will be released worldwide, including in Bangladeshi theatres, on 25 August. The movie is based on the fan-favourite Kazi Anwar Hossain's 'Masud Rana' series. The story of the movie is mostly adapted from Masud Rana's  'Dhongsho Pahar' storyline.

The Masud Rana series has been popular for generations among crime-thriller book enthusiasts of Bangladesh. This enthusiasm would explain the anticipation for the movie. Known for his role in 'Dhaka Attack', popular actor ABM Sumon plays the role of Masud Rana in 'MR-9: Do or Die'.

The movie boasts several other actors who have performed in Hollywood, Bollywood and Dhaliwood. ABM Sumon was selected to play the role of Masud Rana ahead of internationally proven actors.

Even though the production of the movie began in 2017, the lead actor was chosen later in 2019. The Covid 19 pandemic delayed the start of the shooting of the film. Finally, in June of last year, the shooting of the movie was wrapped up.

The details of the movie were kept under wraps for quite a while, which is why not much information is available out there regarding the movie.

Sumon debuted with Shafiqul Islam Khan's 2015 movie 'Ochena Hridoy' but failed to leave a mark on the industry with that role.

The actor gained major traction through his role in the acclaimed movie 'Dhaka Attack'. It was right after this stint that Sumon got involved with MR-9. Sumon will appear in front of global and domestic audiences at the same time this time around, since the movie is set to release internationally.

The actor is on the verge of opening doors to newer dreams and new opportunities through this role. Which is why he had to give his best to depict the character.

"I took separate acting classes and combat lessons for the role. I studied following the guidelines of the director. Besides, I tried learning and impersonating the characteristic traits of Masud Rana even before the shooting had started," said Sumon.

Growing up, technology was not so readily available for Sumon. Even cell phones were not so widely used. So this actor immersed himself in various storybooks and novels to keep himself engaged when he was still a  student. It was during that time that he came across the 'Masud Rana' books.

"Truth be told, I kind of got addicted to Masud Rana stories when I was still a school kid. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get a chance to play this character. It was challenging to bring to life the character within me," Sumon expressed, bubbling with anticipation.

"I am overwhelmed by having gotten the chance to act in this role. I am awaiting the reaction of the audiences after watching the movie. On top of that, the fact that a global audience will get to see the work of a Bangladeshi writer is a matter of huge pride for us," he added.

The production of the film was shared by Jaaz Multimedia in Bangladesh and collectively by 'The Film Post,' 'Chasing Butterflies Pictures' and 'All Bravo Films in the United States of America.'

When asked about his experience of working alongside these actors, Sumon said, "They made me feel like one of them. I did not feel like I was a foreign actor. I really enjoyed the whole shooting experience."

The producer Asif Akbar, along with Abdul Aziz and Nazim Ud Daula, jointly collaborated on the cinematography. The music direction was carried out by the Grammy Award-winning Indian artist Ricky Kej.

Meanwhile, another movie titled 'Antorjal', directed by Dipongkor Dipon, is awaiting to be released, where Sumon will be seen acting in the central role of the movie. Sumon is further acting in another film directed by the same director, 'Dhaka 2040', while another upcoming project starring him, called 'Adi', is being directed by Tanvir Rahman Anshur.

A graduate from the University of Dhaka, Sumon is determined to weave his dreams centred around filmmaking and acting, in the foreseeable future.