Two new Bengali films open amid a crowded release calendar

After a busy few months at the box office, two new Bangladeshi features — "Bachelor in Trip" and "Bandhob" — arrive in cinemas today, joining seven other recent releases competing for audience attention across the country.

"Bachelor in Trip," directed by Nasim Sahnic, blends romance, comedy and thriller on the sands of Kuakata. Shot first at the end of 2022, the production was dogged by interruptions and on-set disputes: leading actress Shirin Shila publicly complained at one point about delays and logistical lapses that, she said, forced the crew back to Dhaka prematurely. 

Sahnic acknowledges early management errors but insists the team resolved differences and completed post-production carefully to avoid disappointing viewers. The film — which pairs Shirin Shila with Kayes Arju and features Abdun Noor Shajal in a pivotal investigative role — opens in 15 cinemas in Dhaka and beyond, including multiplexes.

"Bandhob," directed by Sujon Barua, is a quieter, darker work. The film traces the life of an abandoned, nameless child found in a refuse bin — a story Barua says sprang from a real image that haunted him for years. 

Photo: Collected

Shot in 2018 and completed the following year, "Bandhob" endured distribution setbacks and a long pandemic pause; the director also postponed the release after his mother's illness and passing. The cast includes Mou Khan, Gazi Rakayet, Sumit Sengupta, Joyraj and Rebeka Rouf. "Bandhob" opens today in seven theatres nationwide.

Photo: IMDb

Both films reach audiences amid a sustained wave of local output. September has already seen multiple releases — "Saba", "Swapne Dekha Rajkonnya", "Udayoman Surjo", "Fereshte", "Barir Nam Shahana", "Nandini" and "Amar Shesh Kotha" — a slate that distributors say continues to circulate through urban and provincial houses. Directors report cautious optimism; some titles began modestly but have expanded to additional screens after favourable word-of-mouth, while producers remain wary of market fragility and audience fragmentation.

Photo: Collected

For the makers of "Bachelor in Trip" and "Bandhob", today's openings represent more than box-office chances; they are the end of long personal journeys — of stalled shoots, pandemic interruption, grief and, ultimately, persistence. Sahnic asks audiences simply to watch with patience: "This film is both a holiday seaside story and a modest mystery about how our lives changed after COVID." Barua, whose film was delayed by circumstances beyond the set, says he hopes viewers will receive "Bandhob" as a humane portrait rather than a spectacle.