Bangladesh- India: cinema
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Ab exchange of talent
Till 2024, Feb
Priyanka Dasgupta, February 4, 2024: The Times of India
In 1973, Ritwik Ghatak made ‘Titas Ekti Nadir Naam’ with a Bangladeshi cast. That same year Satyajit Ray made ‘Ashani Sanket’ with Bangladeshi actor Babita playing the lead. It was the honeymoon phase of India-Bangladesh ties after the latter’s liberation from Pakistan, but Indo-Bangla collaboration in cinema continued thereafter, although less frequently.
Looking back, Rajen Tarafdar’s ‘Palanka’ (1975) comes to mind. Goutam Ghose helmed multiple co-productions, such as ‘Padma Nadir Majhi’ (1993), ‘Moner Manush’ (2010) and ‘Shankhachil’ (2016), in which Bangladeshi actors like Raisul Islam Asad, Gulshan Ara Champa and Chanchal Chowdhury worked alongside the likes of Utpal Dutt, Robi Ghosh, Roopa Ganguly, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Paoli Dam. Abdur Rajjak, Alamgir and Ferdous Ahmed – now an MP in Bangladesh – are other prominent Bangladeshi actors who have worked in Indian films.
But now, thanks to OTT platforms, Tollywood and Dhallywood – the film industries of West Bengal and Bangladesh, respectively – co-produce often. And they do so purely on merit, rather than the pressures of joint ventures with mandatory casting requirements for both sides. Not only are Bangladeshi films and shows available to stream in India, a lot of their post-production work happens in Kolkata. The demand for technical crew from India has also increased across the border, and films from both sides are released simultaneously in the two countries.
Big Following In India
On the Indian side, Bangladeshi actors have a huge following. If television dramas on YouTube appeal to the masses, more discerning viewers love their web series performances on HoiChoi Bangladesh and Chorki. “OTT platforms have largely contributed to popularising Bangladeshi actors in mainstream India,” said Souvikk Dasgupta, content lead, Hoichoi Bangladesh. Dhallywood actor Chanchal Chowdhury, for example, has built up a huge Indian fanbase with his performances in ‘Karagar I and II’, ‘Dui Diner Duniya’, ‘Pet Kata Shaw’, ‘Taqdeer’ and ‘Boli’, among others. Mosharaf Karim, who played a gangster in Bratya Basu’s ‘Hubba’, be- came a known face in India after playing a cop in ‘Mahanagar’ and lawyer in ‘Mobaroknama’ web series. Azmeri Haque Badhon’s drug carrier act in Shankha Dasgupta’s ‘Guti’ was talked about before Srijit Mukherji cast her as the femme fatale in ‘Robindronath Ekhane Kawkhono Khete Aashenni’. On the whole, the number of Tollywood films with Dhallywood actors like Jaya Ahsaan, Shakib Khan, Rafiath Rashid Mithila and Tasnia Fareen has increased.
Language & Accent No Bar
But Dhallywood actors have found success beyond the Bengali-speaking belt. Badhon had a small but impactful role in Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Khufiya’. “It was a Netflix Original. Due to the surge in social media and popularity of streaming platforms, I instantly understood the audience response,” she said.
Now, Bangladeshi actors are cast as South Asian characters without Bangladeshi backgrounds. “The popularity of OTT platforms and social media has ensured that an actor’s sole identity is that of an artiste. The cultural divide had been blurred,” director Bratya Basu told TOI. Earlier, Bangladeshi actors’ accent limited their casting possibilities, but better diction coaches have overcome this hurdle. “Chanchal Chowdhury’s character inspired by Mrinal Sen in ‘Padatik’, Karim’s gangster act in ‘Hubba’, Apurba in Pratim D Gupta’s ‘Chalchitra’ and Nousaba in Anik Dutta’s ‘Joto Kando Kolkatatei’ have crossed the language barrier. These four productions of mine have talented Bangladeshi actors not playing Bangladeshi characters,” said producer Firdausul Hasan.
Badhon said she’s keen to play “impactful South Asian characters in films that explore the female gaze. I might do another Indian project where my character is not Bangladeshi. If it matures, I will work with a diction coach.”
Actor and model Tasnia Farin, who is fluent in English, worked in ‘Karagar’ and ‘Ladies & Gentleman’ before landing a role in Atanu Ghosh’s ‘Aaro Ek Prithibi’ (AEP). “The character is not Bangladeshi, nor the film a co-production… Her fluency in English and effortless ease and confidence working with so many foreign actors gave her an advantage,” Ghosh said.
Tasnia is also excited about reaching a larger audience. “Whatever script I have got from India post-AEP has not cast me in the role of a Bangladeshi character. I am supposed to work in Biplob Goswami’s ‘Patri Chai’ where I play a character based in Kolkata,” she said.
Aniruddha Roychowdhury, who has cast actor Jaya Ahsan in his Hindi thriller ‘Kadak Singh’ and a forthcoming Bengali film called ‘Dear Maa’, also says good actors shouldn’t be limited by their accent. “The nationality doesn’t matter. Instead of typecasting Jaya, I wanted to tap into her range as an actor. In my next Bengali film she is playing a corporate woman from Kolkata who has no Bangladeshi connect. Jaya is working hard on getting the accent right.”
Right Colours For Bright Ideas
While Dhallywood acting talent is enriching Tollywood. Indian technicians, music directors and post-production units are making a solid contribution to cinema on the other side. “Though Bangladeshi films are rich in ideas and dramatic storytelling, they lack a pool of talented technicians. Thanks to film institutes like FTII and SRFTI, we have many skilled technicians here,” said Sankhajit Biswas, who has edited Bangladeshi projects for 10 years now, including Rezwan Shahriar Sumit’s ‘Nonajoler Kabbo (Salt in Our Water)’, Shabnam Ferdousi’s ‘Ajob Karkhana (Song of the Soul)’ and N Rashed Chowdhury’s ‘Chandraboti Katha (Ballad of Chandraboti)’. Colourist Debojyoti Ghosh, who worked on ‘Hawa’, ‘Surongo’ and ‘Something Like an Autobiography’, said he’s done 25-odd Bangladeshi films in his 14-year career. “They don’t have a dearth of funds and equipment. They come to Kolkata because they need a colourist who has the vision and aesthetics to give the film a look that goes with the subject.”
Tollywood Stars Shine In The East
In Bangladesh, Tollywood stars have been popular since the Uttam Kumar-Suchitra Sen days. “I began working in Bangladeshi films from 1996. Deborsree Roy and Rachna Banerjee too have acted in a few films. Among the 200 films I have done, at least 30-40 were in Bangladesh,” said Rituparna Sengupta. She counts ‘Swami Keno Ashani’, ‘Ranga Bou’, ‘Sagarika’, ‘Sesh Bangshodhar’ and ‘Tomar Amar Prem’ among her biggest hits there. “Except for Shakib Khan, I have worked with all their heroes, from seniors to juniors,” she added. Rituparna is currently working with Arifin Subho, who starred in Shyam Benegal’s ‘Mujib: The Making of a Nation’. Parambrata Chattopadhyay is another Tollywood actor with a huge fanbase in Bangladesh with Dhallywood films like ‘Bhuban Majhi’ (2017), ‘Ajob Karkhana’ (2022) and Farooqi’s ‘Saturday Afternoon’ (2023).
Interestingly, the film that broke Dhallywood’s 34-year-old box office record last year had a Kolkata actor playing a Bangladeshi girl. Tojammel Haque Bokul’s ‘Beder Meye Josna’ was made in 1989 and had grossed approximately 20 crore BDT (Bangladeshi currency) till 2023. Himel Ashraf’s ‘Priyotoma’, with Kolkata actor Idhika Paul in the role of Iti, smashed the record within weeks of its release last November.
Ek se badhkar ek: Dhaka voices in Hindi cinema
Avijit Ghosh
Runa Laila performed at the 1976 Filmfare Awards in Bombay. On the same tour – she had first visited India in 1974 – the spunky singer from a newly independent Bangladesh created ripples in two sellout shows.
Just 23 at the time, Runa recorded her first song, the sensuous title track in the thriller Ek Se Badhkar Ek (1976), for music director Kalyanji-Anandji. It was a chartbuster but her two numbers in Gharaonda (1977), director Bhimsain’s melancholic take on love and housing, have better recall: the effervescent solo, Tumhe ho na ho, and the equally bouncy duet with Bhupendra, Do deewane shaher mein, both penned by Gulzar.
Reports at the time said Runa was flooded with offers, but few materialised. One rare track was the whimsical Maar gayo re, rasgulla ghumai ke, with Mohd Rafi and Anand Kumar C (Film Jaane-Bahaar, 1979). The composer was Bappi Lahiri, who harnessed the disco sound better than anyone else in Hindi film music. He later collaborated with Runa for Superuna, a super smash private ‘disco’ album that became her comeback vehicle.
Composer Biddu and singer Nazia Hasan had brought disco fever to India in the early 1980s and this album joined the gravy train with tracks like De de pyar de, which was later also used in Sharabi (1984), albeit in other voices. Runa also sang for Lahiri in Yaadgaar (1984).
The Bollywood-Bangladesh connection runs longer. Sabina Yasmin, now married to Bengali singer-songwriter Kabir Sumon, sang for RD Burman in Shakti Samanta’s bi-lingual Aar Paar (Anyay Abichar in Bengali, 1985). The ensemble included a duet with Kishore Kumar, Jaiyo na jaiyo na.
More recently, Bangladeshi rock singer James’s power-packed renditions have found space in composer Pritam’s creations. Bheegi bheegi si ratein (Gangster, 2006), Chal chale apne ghar (Woh Lamhe, 2006) and Alvida (Life in a Metro, 2007) are three passionate and popular tracks that continue to be relished.
Popular Bengali web series with Bangladeshi actors Karagar | Taqdeer | Kaiser | Mahanagar | Mobaroknama | Guti | Bodh | Dour | Myself Allen Swapan | Robindronath Ekhane Kawkhono Khete Aashenni | Ladies & Gentleman | Odrisshyo | Sharey Showlo
Recent Tollywood films with Bangladeshi stars Aaro Ek Prithibi | Ardhangini | Rajkahini | Bhalobashar Sahar | Bisorjon | Bijoya | Robibaar | Binisutoy | Konttho | Dawshom Awbotaar | Bhootpori | Hubba Forthcoming: Padatik| Chalchitra | Joto Kando Kolkatatei
Dhallywood films with editors and colourists from Kolkata Nonajoler Kabbo (Salt in Our Water) | Ajob Karkhana (Song of the Soul) | Chandraboti Katha (Ballad of Chandraboti) | Hawa | Surongo | Something Like an Autobiography
