Farooqi cites 2 reasons for taking oath as cultural adviser

After taking the oath as an adviser to the Ministry of Culture of the interim government, Filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki shared two reasons why he accepted the position.

"I have never been into any formal thing. However, I took an oath today to serve my country as the Cultural Advisor. Simply because: 1) there is always this motivation to do something for the country which is irresistible, and 2) it's always tempting to be a colleague of Prof Yunus," he wrote on his official Facebook account today (10 November). 

He also wrote, "Please wish me luck in this new journey and don't forget to help me with your kind advice. I promise to do everything I can do to bring some changes."

His appointment as an advisor has also sparked criticism on social media. 

Three new advisors to the interim government were sworn in yesterday (10 November) at Bangabhaban in the capital. The other two advisers are businessman Sk Bashir Uddin, and Mahfuj Alam, special assistant to the chief advisor.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and Dhaka University students will hold a joint protest today at 4pm against the recent appointments made by the interim government.

Known for breaking stereotypical storytelling, Farooki is widely acclaimed for his television series '51 Borti', '69', '420', 'Choruivati', 'Carrom' and more.

After becoming successful on television, Farooki debuted as a filmmaker with 'Bachelor' (2004), which featured an ensemble cast that included Ferdous Ahmed, Humayun Faridi, Shabnoor, Aupee Karim, Jaya Ahsan, Marzuk Russell, and others.

He continued his journey as a filmmaker with Made in Bangladesh, Third Person Singular Number, Ant Story (Piprabiddya), Television, Doob: No Bed of Roses, and his widely discussed film Saturday Afternoon (Shonibar Bikel), which still awaits a full theatrical release in Bangladesh.