Houseful: Resurgence in Dhallywood
Throughout the 1990s, Bangla cinema managed to win over the audience, giving way to the culture of visiting theatres. However, in the last two decades, fewer people started to visit cinema halls, accompanied by a declining number of films releasing every year. With time, movie theatres also started closing down due to a lack of audiences.
Despite delivering some noteworthy productions like "Monpura", "Debi' and "Aynabaji", that managed to pull audiences to theatres, inconsistency made it hard for the audience to stay invested in this particular form of entertainment.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The pandemic only alleviated the hazards of the film fraternity—making it difficult for them to sustain and grow due to limited sources of income.
Nevertheless, the tide seems to have changed its course in the past few months, as more and more people have started congregating to cinema halls for recent local releases.
Three films were released this month—"Poran", "Din - The Day" and "Psycho". After two years, this year's Eid movies have received a great response from the audience.
The love triangle-based movie, "Poran", that narrates the story of a college-going girl, stirred up a level of excitement amongst the youth. Initially released in only 11 movie halls, "Poran" is now successfully running in over 50 movie theatres, with most shows being houseful.
On the other hand, "Din - The Day", which was released in over a hundred halls across the country, has also been performing well amongst viewers.
Apart from this, "Golui" and "Shaan" have also managed to strengthen this new wave of Bangladeshi cinema, with its amazing reception last Eid-ul-Fitr, not just in the capital but also in the rural areas of the country. "Poran" and "Din - The Day" also captivated audiences outside of the megacity.
"I am always an optimistic person and am very hopeful about the future of films in this country. If we continue to keep up this pace, the drought that is currently hanging over the industry will blow over in no time," said noted filmmaker Gias Uddin Selim. "I am very happy that audiences have returned to theatres."
Following in the footsteps of films like "Poran" and "Din - The Day", the much-awaited film "Hawa" is set to hit the silver screen in the following week. The film has already garnered much attention with its song, "Shada Shada Kala Kala" and the pre-booking of its first show is set to begin from Wednesday.
Chanchal Chowdhury, who will be playing an important role in "Hawa", spoke about his expectations from the film.
"I am very happy to see that the scenario is changing in Dhallywood. Let this wind continue to blow," he said. "I request the audience to stand by us."
After "Dhaka Attack", Dipankar Dipon is eagerly looking forward to his upcoming film "Operation Sundarban". The trailer of the film, which features Siam Ahmed, Riaz, Taskin and many others, will be released on July 29.
Those involved in the film say that this movie will add a new dimension to the film culture in our country.
"We need good stories to pull the audience into the halls, and I am hopeful that we will have a great journey ahead," said Dipon.
Khorshed Alam Khosru, the former president of Bangladesh Film Producers Distributors Association, seems content with the recent trend. "If we get good budgets and manage to craft a good production, the audience will definitely visit the theatres—this has been proven by the recent releases. The movie halls were very crowded this Eid and this proves my claim," asserted Khosru.
S A Haque Olike, director of "Golui", said that the movie has managed to win the hearts of the audience. "The reception our local productions received this Eid was phenomenal. Let's all work together to strengthen this wind of change," he concluded.
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