18 Bengali films ready to entertain

Amid concerns over the future of the Bengali film industry, with only a few films making an impact at the box office, ‘Eskay Movies’ has announced plans to release 18 films over the next two years, offering much-needed support to distributors and cinema hall owners. At a grand event held at a city hotel, teasers and posters for these films were unveiled, along with the announcement of their theatrical releases.

Though almost all the films have been shot in London, they cover a wide range of genres, including drama, romance, comedy, thriller, psychological horror, family, detective fiction, supernatural, fantasy and mystery. The films also feature actors like Ankush, Jeetu, Ritwick Chakraborty, Shakib Khan, Anirban Chakrabarti, Srabanti, Paayel Sarkar, Oindrilla, Ditipriya, Ananya Chatterjee and many others. Popular directors like Kamaleswar Mukherjee, Joydeep Mukherjee, Mainak Bhaumik, Sayantan Ghosal, Raja Chanda, Anshuman Pratyush and others will helm these projects.

Among the much-anticipated releases, ‘Abar Hawa Bodol’, which brings back the trio of Parambrata, Rudranil Ghosh and Raima Sen after more than a decade, is set to hit theatres in September 2025. Jeetu and Srabanti’s ‘Ami Amar Moto’ will follow, releasing on December 25, 2025.

Ashok and Himanshu Dhanuka of ‘Eskay Movies’ remain optimistic about the Bengali film industry’s future. “We have been in the business for 35 years. We have witnessed the industry’s best times and this slate of films will definitely provide the much-needed boost,” they said.

For Ankush, who stars in two films - ‘Santa’ and ‘Chandrabindoo’ - the announcement of the film lineup is a source of great excitement. “Ashok Dhanuka introduced me to this industry and saw potential in me. I’m incredibly happy that this production house is bringing such a grand scale of films,” he said.

Meanwhile, the teaser for Shakib Khan’s psychological thriller ‘Dorod’, an Indo-Bangladesh production, received an enthusiastic response. “It’s always a pleasure to work in Bengal and collaborate with artistes from both sides of the border. I’m sure more films will follow,” he said.