Entertainment Report :
Actress Elina Shammi, a part of the ensemble cast of movie ‘Dorod’, publicly accused director Anonno Mamun of unpaid wages and exploitation on Wednesday night.
In a scathing Facebook post, Shammi described a filmmaker who thrived under the former Awami Meague-led government through sycophancy and deceit, exploiting actors and failing to pay them for their work.
Although she did not initially name Mamun, she warned others to be cautious of this ‘opportunistic’ and ‘sycophantic’ figure in the film industry.
Speculation quickly grew that Elina Shammi was referring to director Anonno Mamun, especially after he responded on social media, saying, “An incompetent actor who didn’t make it into my movie is now conspiring against me. Is it that painful not to see your face in the teaser?”
This fueled rumours, particularly since Elina Shammi had acted in Anonno Mamun’s upcoming movie ‘Dorod’, though she was absent from its promotional teaser.
When contacted, Elina Shammi confirmed that her accusations were indeed directed at Anonno Mamun.
The actress revealed, “I shot for 19 days in India for ‘Dorod’, and Mamun only paid me Tk16,000. Whenever I asked for the rest, he made excuses about financial crises. I didn’t receive any payment for his movie ‘Radio’, and I still haven’t been fully compensated for movie ‘Kosai’, which was released a few years ago.”
Elina Shammi explained that she had remained silent to protect the release of ‘Dorod’ and because she considered Mamun ‘like a brother.’
The actress added, “He took advantage of that trust and denied me my rightful payment. Now he’s calling me an incompetent actor because I’m not in the teaser. Yes, I’m hurt. I played significant roles in his movies-not minor ones that could be easily overlooked.”
This is not an isolated incident, according to Elina Shammi, who claimed that many actors in the industry are aware of Anonno Mamun’s exploitative tactics. “He’s a businessman, not a filmmaker. I’ve worked with other directors and never encountered someone so deeply focused on schemes and hustle rather than creative integrity.”
After Elina Shammi’s post, Anonno Mamun’s assistant reached out, offering to settle the unpaid wages.
However, Elina Shammi expressed hesitance to meet at Anonno Mamun’s office, saying, “I don’t feel safe going there to collect the money. After my post, several others reached out to me-many are still owed money by Anonno Mamun. We all deserve to be paid what we’re owed.”