Ongoing Bangladesh Film Festival attracts Kolkata’s cine buffs in hordes
When a slice of Opar Bangla’s filmdom descends in Kolkata, then movie buffs make a beeline for the shows. The Bangladesh Film Festival that started from 29th October, and will continue till 2nd November at Nandan is attracting a large number of visitors every day. This is the fourth Bangladesh film festival being held in Kolkata. The first one was held in 2018, the year 2021 was skipped due to Covid pandemic. The number of movies that are showcased, changes every year, in 2020, thirty-one movies and documentaries were showcased, this year 25 full length movies, 4 documentaries and 8 short films are being showcased. The Bangladesh film festival has been inaugurated at Nandan 2, in Rabindra Sadan Building by Babul Supriyo, Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, West Bengal Government and Chief Guest, Dr Hasan Mahmud, Hon’ble Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Bangladesh.
The initiative is taken by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of Bangladesh and it is managed by Bangladesh sub-high commission, Kolkata. Many famous movies of the Dhaka film industry, also known as Dhallywood, are being premiered at Nandan. The popular titles are “Hawa”, “Hasina- A Daughter’s Tale”, “Beauty Circus”, “Gor”, “Poraan”, “Paayer Tolaye Maati Nai”, “No Dorai”, “Kaalbela”, “Kothaye Pabo Taare”, “Chiranjeeb Mujib”, “Gohin Baluchar”, “Raat Jaga Phool”, “Phera”, “Golui”, “Gunin”, “Shuttle train”, “Laal Moroger Jhooti”, “Nona Joler Kabbo”, “Rehana Mariam Noor”, “Kagoj Khela”, “Ruposhi Nodir Bnaake”, “Moner Moto Manush Pailam Na”, “Madhumati Parer Manushti- Sheikh Mujibur Rahman”, “Ekti Desher Jonno Gaan”, and more.
Hawa seemed to have attracted the attention of many people. Hawa has been premiered two times on 29th October- one from 1pm to 3:30pm and another from 6pm to 8:30pm. Even “Hasina- A daughter’s tale” has also been premiered twice due to its popularity among the people of Kolkata. “Hasina- A daughter’s tale”, directed by Rezaur Rahman Khan, is a docu-drama on Sheikh Hasina’s life, the tenth Prime Minister of Bangladesh. “Laal Moroger Jhooti” is a movie directed by Nurul Alam Atique, it is a movie about the freedom loving people who dream of an independent Bangladesh. The plot is interesting and is recommended as well by many who watched it. It has been observed that the movies are of varied genres and themes which convey different messages.
People of Kolkata are quite excited about the Bangladeshi film festival, which is why Nandan is crowded. The movie timings have been distributed in three slots- First slot- from 1pm to 3:30pm, Second slot- from 3:30 to 6pm and Third slot- from 6pm to 8:30pm. The movies that will be premiered are as follows:
30th October
Nandan Gate 2: Slot 1- Poraan, Slot 2- No Dorai, Slot 3- Kaalbela
Nandan Gate 3: Slot 1- “Paayer Tolaye Maati Nai” and “Kothaye Pabo Taare”
31st October
Nandan Gate 2: Slot 1- Chiranjeev Mujib, Slot 2- Gohin Baluchor
Nandan Gate 3: Slot 1- Raat Jaga Phool, Slot 2- Unoponchaash Batash, Slot 3- Chondraboti Kotha” and “Fera”
1st November
Nandan Gate 2: Slot 1- Golui, Slot 2- Hridita, Slot 3- Shuttle Train
Nandan Gate 3: Slot 1- Biswa Shundori, Slot 2- “Gunin” and “Kagoj Khela”, Slot 3- Rehana Mariam Noor
2nd November
Nandan Gate 2: Slot 1- Ruposhi Nodir Bnaake, Slot 2- Laal Moroger Jhooti
Nandan Gate 3: Slot 1- Moner Moto Manush Pailam Na, Slot 2- “Komola Rocket” and “Madhumati Parer Manushti: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman”, Slot 3- “Nonajoler Kabbo” and “Ekti Desher Jonno Gaan”
Rahul Chatterjee, who came to witness the Bangladesh film festival, said, “I came to Nandan at 1pm and recently watched the movie, Hasina- A daughter’s tale, and I am eager to watch Hawa”. On being asked what is the hype around the movie “Hawa”, he said, “A friend has recommended the movie to me saying that it is worth a watch, so I am looking forward to it.” “Hawa” is a movie directed by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon, a student of Institute of Fine Arts, Delhi University. This was the director’s first work on the big screen, which is unbelievable as it has attracted a vast audience of both Kolkata and Bangladesh. In the movie, Chanchal Chowdhury has played the main role as Chan Majhi. Chanchal Chowdhury is a popular name among the people of Bangladesh, he is known for his great acting skills for which he has been awarded the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actor, twice and many more.
People of Kolkata mostly watch Bangladeshi Movies on OTT (Over-the-top) platforms. The Bangladesh Film Festival is a great opportunity for cinephiles to discover new movies and a whole new area to explore.
