Indian productions had not been screened in the country for almost half a century. The broadcast of this Indian film met with great success in Bangladesh on Friday, May 12.
It was the effervescence in the cinemas of Dacca, Friday, May 12. Thousands of spectators rushed there for the release of Pathan, an Indian blockbuster starring huge star Shah Rukh Khan. It is the first Bollywood film with wide distribution in Bangladesh in over 50 years. Dhaka had banned the showing of Indian films shortly after its independence in 1971, bowing to lobbying by local filmmakers, although India had supported Bangladesh in its war of independence against Pakistan.
“I’m excited, this is the first time a Hindi movie has been released in Bangladesh!”Sazzad Hossain, an 18-year-old student, rejoiced outside the Star Cineplex in central Dhaka. “I’m going to see Shah Rukh Khan on the big screen for the first time!”
The spy film directed by Siddharth Anand broke all box office records when it was released in India in January. This is the first film starring Shah Rukh Khan for four years so its release in Bangladesh was eagerly awaited by his fans. The 57-year-old actor, nicknamed “King Khan” and “Badshah” in India, stars alongside actress Deepika Padukone and action comedian John Abraham.
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Many room closures
Bangladeshi cinemas are currently struggling as local production fails to match the glitz of Bollywood or attract an aging Shakib Khan, the domestic industry’s only profitable star. Some theaters even screen pornographic films illegally to maintain themselves. More than 1,000 places have closed in the past twenty years.
At Modhumita Cinema Hall, once the most prestigious hall in Dhaka, “barely a few rows are occupied. Nobody comes to see these local arthouse films and mediocre plots”, says an employee. Yet cinemas have long been at the center of Bangladeshi social life.
In 2015, the authorities tried to lift the ban on Indian films after the success of two Bollywood films screened in a few theaters, but the anger of local stars dissuaded them from continuing. Finally, last month, the government issued a decree authorizing the import of ten films a year from India or South Asia.
A turnaround expected by some
Pathan was released in 41 theaters across the country and many screenings in the capital are already sold out, says distributor Anonno Mamun. Permission to screen Bollywood films “would be a game changer”he told AFP, “everyone loves Hindi movies here. Many also love South Indian movies”.
Modhumita Cinema owner Mohammed Iftekharuddin, former president of the Bangladesh Theater Operators Association, hopes for a turnaround. “I think 200 to 300 more theaters will reopen after this”he predicts, “Monopoly destroys business. When there is competition, business will work”.
But the concern is there for Bangladeshi filmmakers. Some threaten to demonstrate wrapped in shrouds to announce the death of local industry. “They don’t know that the Mexican film industry was destroyed after the market was opened up to Hollywood productions”argues Bangladeshi director Khijir Hayat Khan.