News Desk:
On September 5, five people were seriously injured in a road accident while on their way to shoot a play for the YouTube channel Prank King. Although two have somewhat recovered, three are still in the hospital. Among them, lighting assistant Robin is being treated at the National Orthopedic Hospital, generator operator Abdur Razzaq is at Dhaka Medical College, and lighting assistant Hridoy is at Jamalpur Medical College Hospital. Even after a week has passed since the accident, no major organization from the small screen or film industry has inquired about them.
A car carrying lights and generators met with an accident while travelling from Dhaka to Tangail. Although there was a separate car for the shooting, some of the members of the unit were forced to send the generator pickup instead of sending them there. On Monday afternoon, Lightman’s assistant Robin had one of his hands amputated. One leg is also at risk. Generator operator Abdur Razzaque suffered several fractures in his neck and chest. It is doubtful whether he will be able to stand again. Hridoy, a lightman assistant undergoing treatment at Jamalpur Medical College Hospital, also suffered injuries in his jaw and lost five of his teeth.
After this incident, it has been alleged that the Directors Guild, Actors’ Union, and the Television Program Producers Association of Bangladesh (Telepub) did not inquire about them either through Facebook posts or phone calls.
Eight organizations under the Film Television and Digital Media Professionals Maitri Confederation are keeping track of everything in the hospital. Its General Secretary Abu Jafar informed Prothom Alo that despite being informed about the incident via phone calls on the day it happened, no one from various organizations has inquired further. Abu Jafar said, ‘On Thursday, Firoz Khan bhai, the vice-president of Directors Guild, called to ask who is in which hospital. No other organization has inquired beyond that.’
Meanwhile, the Directors Guild of Bangladesh has made a humanitarian appeal for the treatment of Robin and others. The organization has called for all members to stand by by the 12th. Abu Raihan Jewel, the finance secretary of the Directors Guild, told Prothom Alo, ‘We are collecting funds. We will go to see them on Saturday.’ No response was received when trying to call and message Rashed Mamun Opus, the general secretary of the Actors’ Union.
Although no support has yet come from the organizations, many individuals have stood by Robin. Producer Akbar Haider has contributed 50,000 takas for Robin’s treatment through director Tapu Khan. An additional 50,000 takas has been raised for Robin’s treatment through the initiative of several cameramen. Actors Rawnak Hasan, actress Tasnia Farin, and many others have called for humanitarian support. Actor Zaher Alvi announced in a Facebook post that he will donate a portion of his shooting salary this month for Robin’s treatment.
Meanwhile, no assistance has yet come from the founder of Prank King and theater director, Arthanik Sojib. Although he met with several organizations regarding the matter yesterday, it has not been resolved.
