Literature, cinema and music come together in Reeti’s ‘Reetibakya’

Sadia Khalid Reeti. Photo: Collected

The launching event of screenwriter and film critic Sadia Khalid Reeti’s debut pocket book titled “Reetibakya” and a live performance of her film script “A Birth for a Death” were held recently at the Alliance Française de Dhaka. The evening brought together literature, cinema, theatre, and music in an engaging celebration of contemporary creative expression.

The event was attended by eminent cultural personalities like singers Abida Sultana, Rafiqul Alam, directors Masud Hassan Ujjal, Fakhrul Arefin Khan, Ahmed Muztaba Zamal, and others.

“Reetibakya” features 99 pieces of thoughts and life lessons drawn from the author’s reflections, introspections, and retrospections. The book explores a wide range of subjects, including everyday wisdom, film criticism, current affairs, as well as more personal themes such as love, loss, and memories.

Following an introduction to the book by Sadia Khalid Reeti, audience members participated in a lively reading session, sharing passages from the book that particularly resonated with them. The interactive format created an intimate exchange between the author and the audience, bringing the written words to life through personal interpretation and reflection.

The evening also featured a performance of Reeti’s film script “A Birth for a Death”, inspired by the story surrounding one of Rabindranath Tagore’s beloved songs, “Aj Josna Raate Shobai Gechhe Bone.” The script explores the conception of the song, the circumstances in which Tagore wrote it, and the sources of inspiration behind its creation.

Performed by theatre actors Nusrat Rysa, Irfan Rony, Kaniz Farjana Arefin, and Sadman Sasha, the script performance offered an alternative way of presenting a screenplay to an audience. Adding a musical dimension to the evening, singer-songwriter Farshid Alam performed a selection of Tagore songs in an acoustic setting.

Sadia Khalid Reeti is a screenwriter, film critic, and educator who studied Screenwriting at UCLA. She has worked with several leading newspapers, and has served on juries at several international film festivals, including Cannes Film Festival and the International Film Festival of Kerala.