Filmmaker Mostafa Sarwar Farooki has dismissed reports of a split from his wife, actress Nusrat Imrose Tisha, as baseless.
The former culture affairs advisor for the interim government also accused a Bangladeshi cyber criminal group of hacking his Facebook account and “celebrating” in online groups, saying he has screenshots as proof.
Farooki told bdnews24.com on Saturday that he woke up that morning to find the account deactivated after an attempted hack.
“Law enforcers need to be proactive about this. It is a matter of public safety.”
He added that he has no time to pay attention to the divorce rumours circulating online or to reports in some news outlets.
Visibly annoyed, the filmmaker said: “I have no time to comment on that news, no interest. There is no basis to any of it. I have no time to listen to such nonsense.”
He called the chatter on social media about property abroad “amusing”.
“The funniest part is a man owning a house in Australia or Switzerland. Anyone can find that with a search. This kind of propaganda about me has come up before. Skip these irrelevant controversies and write about my work instead.”
Farooki said he has wrapped up work on two commercials, one for software and the other for building materials, shot in Dhaka, Mymensingh and South Korea.
A third will go into production soon, with a celebrity in the cast. “I may be able to tell you who within a day,” he added.
He has also been developing scripts for two feature films.
“One is a love story, not a thriller. The definition of love is changing for the new generation, and I am trying to capture these new definitions.
“I am trying to see what love looks like for Gen Z in this film. The script is almost done, and for now I have named it ‘To Hell, With Love’.
“The other has a political backdrop, and we are finishing that too. I haven’t decided which one will start first.”
Tisha did not pick up repeated calls from bdnews24.com seeking comment on the “divorce rumours”.
Farooki and Tisha, both long familiar faces in showbiz, married on Jul 16, 2010.
Their daughter, Ilham Nusrat Farooki, was born in 2022.
Besides TV drama, Tisha has acted in several films, including “Third Person Singular Number”, “Television”, “Ostitto”, “Doob”, “Haldaa”, “Mayaboti” and “Fagun Haway”.
She has won the National Film Award twice, for “Haldaa”, directed by Tauquir Ahmed, and “Ostitto”, directed by Anonno Mamun.
Farooki began making films in 1999 and has produced single-episode and serial dramas under the “Chobial” banner, including “Spartacus 71”, “Ekannoborti”, “69” and “420”.
He later directed acclaimed films such as “Bachelor”, “Made in Bangladesh”, “Third Person Singular Number”, “Television” and “Doob”.
His latest film, “840: Democracy Pvt Limited”, was released in 2024. He has not appeared in a film since.