KOLKATA: The mainstream entertainment industry of India and Bangladesh, which received a jolt after the August uprising, is now returning to normalcy.
Two big-ticket productions, ‘Daagi’ and ‘Borbaad’, involving big stars from both nations, will be released in Bangladesh this Eid. Indian stakeholders are hoping that independent projects will also take off in a big way soon.
Actor Idhika Paul, who is part of the cast of Mehedi Hasan Hridoy’s ‘Borbaad’ starring Shakib Khan and Jisshu Sengupta, is happy that the trend of large-scale films involving cast and crew from both nations is experiencing a resurgence.

“We say epar Bangla and opar Bangla, but ultimately the word ‘Bangla’ remains in both terms. I have always believed that it is merely a barbed wire that separates the two nations. I started my career with Dhallywood with ‘Priyotama’,” Paul stated.
The Bangladeshi film shattered all box-office records in Bangladesh in 2023. That year, it became the highest-grossing film in the history of Bangladeshi cinema, surpassing the previous record holder ‘Beder Meye Jotsna’ (1989) across the border.
Paul subsequently worked in ‘Khadaan’ with Dev and is presently filming for ‘Raghu Dakat’. “I was disheartened by the lull in the interim. It makes me so happy to see that artists and technicians from both nations are collaborating again. My portions for ‘Borbaad’ were filmed in Mumbai. Saileshji (Shailesh Awashth), the cinematographer of ‘Khadaan’, shot it there. Some other portions were filmed in Bangladesh. The revival of collaborations on both sides broadens our market,” Paul remarked.
“Before the August uprising, Alpha-i, in collaboration with Chorki and SVF, finished the shooting of two films – ‘Surongo’ starring Arfan Nisho and ‘Toofan’ starring Shakib Khan – in Bangladesh. Both received thundering applause on their release in Dhaka. We began shooting Shihab Shaheen’s ‘Daagi’ starring Afran Nisho, Sunerah Binte Kamal, and Tama Mirza in December last year and are waiting for the Bangladesh release on Eid,” said the spokesperson of SVF.
Post-production studios in the city are seeing work trickling in from Bangladesh. “We are doing the colour grading for ‘Borbaad’ and audio post (design and mixing) for ‘Daagi’,” said Soumya Mukhopadhyay, director of Cherry Pix.
The situation is looking up for independent cinema too. Back in Dhaka, there is an interest in resuming the Indo-Bangla collaborations. “I had the pleasure of working with Sukanta Majumdar on my debut film, ‘Nirvana’. He is an incredibly talented sound designer based in Kolkata. I’m excited to be collaborating with him again on my upcoming film. Despite the political unrest between the two countries, it doesn’t influence my creative vision, and I’m confident that Sukanta shares the same sentiment,” said director Asif Islam from Dhaka.
Majumdar has a long history of collaborating with filmmakers and artists from Bangladesh. He was the sound designer for Nurul Alam Atique’s ‘Peyarar Subas’, ‘Manusher Bagan’, ‘Ar Lal Moroger Jhunti’, N. Rashed Chowdhury’s ‘Chandrabati Kotha’, Kamar Ahmad Simon’s ‘Are You Listening?’, ‘Day After…’, ‘Testimony of a Thread’, ‘Blue Crown’ and ‘Silence of the Sea Shell’ and Mohammad Qayyum’s ‘Kura Pokkhir Shunne Ura’.
“Even in December 2023, I undertook the sound design for Bangladeshi artist Reetu Sattar’s project that was featured at the 10th Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa. Back then, the situation was quite precarious. These exchanges are the only hope in the middle of so much fake news and mistrust. Recently, I had discussions with Qayyum Bhai and he expressed his keen enthusiasm to commence his next film. Asif, of course, remains involved. I perceive that the momentum is building,” Majumdar said.