Farooki Flags ‘Photocard Terror’ Over Spread of False Information
Filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki has described the creation of photocard graphics containing false information as “photocard terror.” Expressing concern over fake photocards, he wrote on his social media handle, “Recently, photocards and fake video reports have reached such a level that it is time for people to adopt a thumb rule: ‘Whatever I read, whatever I see, I will not believe anything.’ If someone conducts a fact-check of the amount of fabricated stories produced about the interim government over the past few days, they will see the situation clearly.”
On Friday, February 27, the former adviser to the interim government further wrote, “I am not part of the government. Therefore, it is not my duty to defend the government. But seeing this photocard terror, I must say that except for one or two platforms, it has now become everyone’s moral responsibility to distrust most platforms.”
Explaining the context in which he made these remarks, Farooki wrote, “After seeing a photocard claiming that no National Film Award would be given if cigarettes were shown in films, I was certain that this was another absurd fabrication. Because this government has not even properly settled into office yet—how could it act with such speed on such a minor issue? From my experience of observing the workings of the government machinery from the inside, I knew this was impossible.”
Regarding the actual situation, the filmmaker stated, “After inquiring at the Ministry of Information, I learned that not only has no such decision been made, but there has not even been any discussion on the matter. So what happened? An anti-smoking organization made this demand at a discussion event, and then a cleverly designed photocard was created in such a way that it appeared as though the decision had already been made.”
It is worth noting that on November 10, 2024, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki assumed responsibility as Cultural Affairs Adviser to the interim government. During his 19 months in government, he carried out various responsibilities and faced both praise and criticism. His latest released film is 840: Democracy Private Limited.
DBTech/FA/EK/OR
