Like the rest of the world, Bangladesh's cultural and entertainment scene saw a lot of exciting events throughout the year, and enthusiasts across the country were kept occupied by everything that the nation's superstars, artists, and cultural mediums had to offer. The landscape of films in Bangladesh, as a result, observed and celebrated 2023 as one of the most eventful years in memory.
Not only did the year witness the jovial return and continuity of audiences in theatres, it also welcomed a handful of local and foreign films - most notably, the Bollywood blockbusters.
This year marked the importation of Hindi movies once again in the country under the SAFTA agreement, which has been a long-standing demand of cinema hall owners.
The demand was fulfilled with the arrival of Shah Rukh Khan starrer Bollywood blockbuster film Pathaan in May this year, followed by his other history-making film Jawan which marked the same-day release for a Bollywood film in the country’s multiplexes and single screens.
Among other films, Salman Khan starrer Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan failed to entertain local audiences while Ranbir Kapoor’s career-best commercial film Animal and Shah Rukh Khan’s latest film, Rajkumar Hirani-made Dunki performed moderately in terms of captivating the moviegoers. The industry was surrounded by talks, opinions, controversies and incidents throughout the year, marking it a special year for the industry - but leaving stakeholders with unfulfilled hopes but significant objectives. From Mujib - the much-anticipated biopic of the Father of the Nation, to the industry’s long-crowned king Shakib Khan’s mega-blockbuster Priyotoma and television’s seasoned actor Afran Nisho’s silver screen debut Surongo - the film industry in Bangladesh welcomed a total of 51 films, with some achieving economic success and others failing in terms of attracting the moviegoers.
However, a long-standing frustration remained once again the recurring theme in Dhallywood this year, which is the dependency on Eid-based film releases. Festive seasons are understandably the most awaited moments for the filmmakers and hall owners, but other films which were scheduled throughout the year failed to grab a large chunk of the audiences in theatres.
This year, a total of eight films got released across a hundred movie theatres including single-screens and multiplexes on Eid-ul-Fitr, including the Shakib Khan starrer Leader Amie Bangladesh, Ananta Jalil’s Kill Him, Jaaz Multimedia’s Jinn and Paap, alongside four other films - Shotru, Local, Adam and Prem Pritir Bandhan. On the other hand, audience demand for quality films in Eid ul Azha were fulfilled with five movies - Priyotoma, Surongo, Prohelika, Lal Shari and Casino.