EntertainmentPosted at: Jan 19 2026 3:50PM


Leesa Gazi to direct contemporary Tagore adaptation ‘Shasti’

Los Angeles, Jan 19 (UNI) Bangladeshi filmmaker Leesa Gazi is set to direct “Shasti” (Punishment), a contemporary adaptation of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s 1893 short story, backed by an international production consortium, reports Variety.
The psychological drama stars Pori Moni, Chanchal Chowdhury, Aanon Siddiqua, and Arka Das in lead roles, with Kazi Ruma and Kamrunnahar Munni in supporting parts. Principal photography is scheduled to take place in Dhaka during October and November.
Inspired by Tagore’s original work, the film centres on the mysterious death of social media influencer Lucky, allegedly killed by her sister-in-law Meera, triggering an intense media frenzy. As a manipulated trial unfolds, the narrative delves into buried family secrets, betrayal and power dynamics within a society consumed by public judgement and punishment, according to Variety.
“Shasti” marks Gazi’s second fiction feature, following “A House Named Shahana,” which made history as Bangladesh’s first woman-directed submission for the Academy Awards’ Best International Feature category at the 98th Oscars.
The film is produced by Komola Collective, Sanat Initiative, Awedacious Originals, Goopy Bagha Productions, Screenxcope Australia and Black & White Workshop Inc. Gazi produces alongside Abid Aziz Merchant, Apoorva Bakshi and Arifur Rahman, with Sakib Iftekhar and Rainbow Fong serving as co-producers. Faisal Gazi and Tulip Kabir are executive producers, while Abbas Nokhasteh and Kazi Ruma serve as co-executive producers.
The creative team includes Gazi and Aanon Siddiqua on the original story, with the screenplay written by Gazi, Siddiqua and Sadia Khalid Reeti. Alex Unai serves as cinematographer, Tania Rahman as casting director and line producer, Nahid Masud handles on-location sound, Rasheed Sharif Shoaib oversees background score and sound design, Sharmin Doza is the script supervisor, and Raza Sumit Rahman serves as Maizbhandari song music director.
“I have been trying to understand the time we are living in, and this film emerged from that urgency and restlessness,” Gazi said. "It lives in contrast—between timelines, between perception and reality, between actual and virtual life, and between what is visible and what remains hidden. It reflects on truth, justice and the silent battles many continue to fight. Making this film is both a reckoning and a search for hope," as quoted by Variety.
Producer Abid Aziz Merchant described the film as “a modern-day interpretation of Tagore’s short story that will leave a lasting impact on audiences and inspire change through its powerful narrative.”
Apoorva Bakshi added, “Working with Leesa Gazi on this adaptation of Tagore’s ‘Shasti’ has been creatively exhilarating. She has an instinctive understanding of character, silence and moral tension—qualities essential to translating Tagore’s world into cinema. The script honours the emotional complexity of the original while boldly reimagining it for our times.”
Arifur Rahman said, “I always choose the filmmaker before the film. Leesa Gazi is a powerful voice who challenges society through empathetic storytelling. This is our second collaboration, and I believe ‘Shasti’ will be among the most intense psychological dramas of our time.”
A previous adaptation of “Shasti,” directed by Chashi Nazrul Islam, was released in Bangladesh in 2004.
Co-producer Sakib Iftekhar noted that the film offers “an unflinching examination of how power, gender and mental health collide with public judgement in contemporary society, without offering false resolution,” while remaining deeply rooted in present-day Dhaka.
Rainbow Fong added, “‘Shasti’ is a rare cinematic experience—emotionally powerful and rich in meaning. I’m confident it will resonate widely and find strong support on the global festival circuit.”
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