KOLKATA: Bangladesh Information minister Hasan Mahmud encouraged collaboration between film directors from both sides of the border, stating: “While physical borders may exist to define territories, emotions and feelings transcend such boundaries.”
Speaking at the inauguration of the fifth Bangladesh Film Fest at Nandan on Thursday, the minister highlighted the increasing popularity of Hindi films in the country. He mentioned that currently, around 10 Hindi films are released annually in Bangladesh.
He fondly recalled the overwhelming response to the Bangladeshi film ‘Hawa’ last year at the fest at Nandan. He also highlighted the remarkable progress of the Bangladesh film industry, which was once struggling but has now picked up pace.
Starting July 29, the three-day Bangladesh film fest will showcase around 24 movies, including a documentary on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Titled ‘Hasina: A Daughter’s Tale’, the docu narrates the journey of Sheikh Hasina and her political career. The film also highlights her journey as the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Among the other films which will be screened are ‘Birkanya Pritilata’, a film on the life of Pritilata Waddedar, Bengal’s first woman martyr, ‘Guerrilla’, ‘Lalsari’, ‘Maa’ and ‘Paap Punya’ etc.
At the inauguration on Thursday at Nandan, Bengal’s Education minister Bratya Basu, Andalib Elias, Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata and Bangladesh MP Aroma Dutta were present. The event also saw the presence of several Bangladeshi celebrities like Ferdaus, Nusrat Faria and others.
Acclaimed filmmaker Goutam Ghose rued that the people of West Bengal had limited access to Bangladeshi films in theatres. However, the emergence of OTT platforms has successfully bridged this gap.
“My roots are in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has progressed immensely today,” said Ghose, who shares a close personal relationship with Bangladesh and made several award-winning Indo-Bangladesh films notably ‘Padma Nadir Majhi’.
Meanwhile, Basu is directing popular Bangladesh actor Mosharraf Karim in his latest Bengali film, ‘Hubba’. “Given I chat with him often, I get to know about the latest happenings in the Bangladesh film industry. Also, the OTT platforms have given easy access to a plethora of Bangladeshi content,” he said. The state Education minister mentioned how this digital revolution is fostering greater unity and collaboration between the two countries.
The film fest will continue till July 31 from 1 pm-8 pm daily. There’s no entry fee to attend the Bangladesh film fest.