The eighth edition of the London Bengali Film Festival (LBFF) will officially kick off from April 22-27 this year.
These include Iqbal Hossain Chowdhury’s “Boli”, Shankha Dasgupta’s “Priyo Maloti”, Amitabh Reza Chowdhury’s “Rickshaw Girl”, Akram Khan’s “Nokshi Kanthar Zamin”, Nurul Alam Atique’s “Peyarar Subash”, Gias Uddin Selim’s “Kajol Rekha”, Dhrubo Hasan’s “Fatima”, Mishuk Monir’s “Deyaler Desh”, and Raihan Rafi’s “Toofan”.
A defining moment in his decade-long career, Shahjahan Shamrat made an unforgettable impact with his portrayal of Razzak in Shankha Dasgupta’s “Priyo Maloti”. Adding his own charm to the character of an empathetic friend, his on-screen persona brought life to the bond of friendship and communal harmony, making the audience emotional.
The festivities culminated with the highly anticipated screening of Iqbal Hossain Chowdhury's “Boli” (The Wrestler), a celebrated film won an award at the 2023 Busan Film Festival and was Bangladesh’s official submission for the 97th Academy Awards.
Today, faculty members and students from Dhaka International University (DIU) are set to attend a special screening of “Priyo Maloti”, featuring Mehazabien Chowdhury, at Star Cineplex’s SKS Tower in Dhaka. The university has reserved a hall for the 7:45pm show.
Star Cineplex has released a ranking of the most-viewed films in theatres this week, with “Priyo Maloti” leading the list of local releases.
This year, an estimated 50 Bangladeshi films have been released. Among these, only a handful have achieved commercial success. Then again, despite not performing well at the box office, other cinematic aspects like actors, actresses, and film songs have managed to remain at the centre of discussions throughout the year.
Star Cineplex, a leading choice for cinema enthusiasts with refined tastes, has maintained its position as a crowd favourite. While Hollywood films dominated the scene a few years ago, the rising wave of Bangladeshi cinema has gradually shifted the spotlight.
A variety of films have graced the silver screen—some commercially successful, others not quite so. Let’s bid adieu to the year, as we look back at some of its film offerings.
Known as “Whispers of a Thirsty River” in English, the film is directed by Shankha Das Gupta and will represent Bangladesh in the World Cinema category at CIFF’s 45th edition, taking place from November 13 to 22 at Cairo’s historic Opera House.
Working with Shankha Dasgupta for the first time was a delightful experience, as shared by Mehazabien. "I have watched Shankha da’s work before, and he is a brilliant storyteller. The entire team was quite cooperative, and it is really a good thing that none of the looks from the film were leaked before the official announcement."
Today marks the birthday of one of the most talented and beloved actresses in the showbiz industry—Mehazabien Chowdhury. To celebrate the special occasion, The OTT platform Chorki has arranged a birthday bash, teasing a significant announcement beforehand.
