Vicky Zahed: ‘Vickyverse’ has a good ring to it

Since the release of his short film 'Moments' in 2016, Vicky Zahed gained immense popularity as a director in the Bangladeshi film industry. His latest thriller drama 'Punorjonmo 3' has been topping charts on YouTube since its release. 

"It is true that Punorjonmo 1 and 2 were successful, but this one definitely reached the crescendo," said Vicky. "The first two instalments only appealed to a certain type of audience, but the response from Punorjonmo 3 exceeded all expectations. The soaring viewership proves that it is appealing to the masses." 

First released in 2021, the Punorjonmo series of films follow the story of a celebrity chef and his missing wife. She returns home one day and is discovered to be a look-alike.

Most of Vicky's works include unsettling elements — blood, murder, etc. The director said that he is a fan of both romantic and thriller content, but because other filmmakers tend to gravitate towards romance films, Vicky focuses on thrillers.  

"There is also a wave of popularity in dark content worldwide such as Dahmer on Netflix." 

It took 7 days for the first two instalments to start trending on YouTube, but Punorjonmo 3 became one of the most watched content in just 12 hours. Furthermore, the film has coaxed newer audiences to go back and watch the first parts.  

Similar to Marvel and DC movies, the Punorjonmo films are part of a cinematic universe – the first in the country. 

"When Punorjonmo 1 and 2 became popular, I wanted to create a cinematic universe. But when I shared the concept with a few, they were sceptical. They did not immediately see how the connection would be drawn between films, or if it would backfire."  

The connection between the films need to feel natural and not imposed. Between the release of Punorjonmo two and three, Vicky released a web film, Shuklo Pokkho, on Chorki to bridge the two. 

Shuklopokkho is the origin story of the character Kamal who crossed the border between the dramas. Even though some fans were initially unsure about the idea, his appearance in Punorjonmo 3 was greatly appreciated.

When asked about how Vicky chose the cast for his films, he said, "The artist-director synergies are not new in the world of filmmaking. I try to work with people I feel comfortable working with. The actors I work with also give 200% effort for my script."

Rafsan, played by Arfan Nisho, is the protagonist of the films. "Nisho Bhai has put in a lot of effort to bring the character to life," added Vicky. "He has done intense research on chefs' mannerisms, movements, cutlery skills, etc." 

Vicky is a director as well as a script writer. He says the former is more challenging than the latter, even though it takes him longer to write. It took him about 45 days to complete the script of Punorjonmo 3. 

With the completion of his dramas and web film, Vicky has his eyes set on the silver screen. He is working on a gripping story that people will want to watch in theatres. 

"It is every filmmaker's dream that someday audiences will see their work on the big screen," said Vicky, although he admitted that the quality of the content is a far greater priority for him than the platform. 

The story is the most important part of any film. As Vicky explained, "Suppose your art direction is flawless, you have good cinematography, signed on experienced actors, and have a huge budget to make your film; but your story is not good — you are destined to fail. On the contrary, if the story is good, you may be forgiven for other shortcomings." 

Punorjonmo 4 will be the last instalment in his series of films. The script is almost ready, but the director is waiting for a special occasion to release it.  "We want to release it on a special occasion, perhaps during next Eid." 

Fans call Vicky's cinematic universe 'Vikiverse'. "The audience lovingly gave the name to my films, I think it has a good ring to it. I really liked it," said Vicky.