A virtual press conference for the unveiling of Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's debut web series "Ladies and Gentlemen" was held today at 4 pm. The ZEE 5 original series will premiere globally on July 9.

Director Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, producer Nusrat Imrose Tisha, and ZEE5 Global's Chief Business Officer Archana Anand were present at the conference. The cast, including Maria Nur, Pavel Areen, Tanvir Hossain, Mamunur Rashid, Tasnia Farin, Hasan Masood, Partha Barua, Alexey Kosorukov, and Iresh Zaker were also in attendance, among others. The session was hosted by Aisha Khan.

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki. Photo: Star

The online conference began with a welcome address by Archana Anand. "The entire journey of Zee 5 has been about bringing out quality content for the audiences, especially based in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan and so far the response has been overwhelming. With internationally acclaimed director Mostofa Sarwar Farooki joining this goal, I hope we will be able to deliver more towards our promise," she said in her speech.

This was followed by the trailer premiere. The 2 minutes and 21-second trailer showcases themes of gender equality and social stereotypes in this regard alongside taboos associated with womanhood.

From the launch and press conference of "Ladies and Gentlemen".

Next, the stage was given to Mostafa Sarwar Farooki to share his views and debut experience. "As an independent filmmaker by nature, I have always been in favour of theatrical releases. However, entertainment consumption has taken a different shape in this pandemic," he said. "OTTs have become crucial for us in such a situation, and the experience has been amazing."

A behind the scene video was showcased through screen sharing at the live conference.

Producer Nusrat Imrose Tisha played a vital role when it comes to selecting the cast for this production. "This is my second production and it's a blessing to work with Mostafa Sarwar Farooki. However as a producer, it was a challenge, as he keeps improvising," she shared. "However, he took my advice while selecting the cast, especially in the case of Partha Barua and Tasnia Farin, and the unpredictability led to a lot of excitement and thrill for me."

The online event ended with a question and answer session where the floor was open to journalists and media representatives to communicate with the productions team and cast of "Ladies and Gentlemen".

Mostafa Sarwar Farooki, who is known as one of the most prolific directors of Bangladesh, has gained international accolades for his work over the years. His forthcoming project, "No Land's Man" is a predominantly English film, which will feature Indian superstar Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Bangladeshi singer turned actor Tahsan Khan.