Bangladeshi Helmer Maksud Hossain Brings Emotional Debut ‘Saba’ to Toronto
variety.comNaman Ramachandran Bangladeshi filmmaker Maksud Hossain is set to unveil his feature directorial debut “Saba” at the Toronto Film Festival.
The film tells the story of a young woman who is the sole caregiver for her paraplegic mother in Dhaka. The project emerged from personal experience.
Hossain’s wife Trilora Khan has been the primary caregiver for her paraplegic mother for 25 years following a car accident. After his father-in-law passed away suddenly from COVID-19, Hossain and Khan, who co-wrote the script, began developing a story about a lower-middle class woman in Dhaka facing caregiving challenges without family support or financial resources. “We started thinking about what if we tell a story of a young woman, Saba, who lives in lower-middle class Dhaka, and she is taking care of her paraplegic mother by herself, without any family, without money.
What would Saba do in a situation like this to make sure that her mother lives at any cost?” Hossain told Variety. Casting was crucial, with Hossain auditioning numerous actors before selecting Bangladeshi TV superstar Mehazabien Chowdhury (“Forget Me Not”), making her film debut, to play Saba.
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