On the first day of release of Bollywood movie ‘Pathaan’ in 41 cinema halls in Bangladesh, while all the shows are running houseful, hundreds of Shah Rukh Khan fans are seen almost struggling to manage a ticket even by paying three-times more price. Cinema hall owners are expressing delight at the grand success of ‘Pathaan’ while they also are demanding to get at least two Indian movies every month in Bangladeshi halls simultaneously when those films get released in Indian theater.
Other castings of ‘Pathaan’ are Bollywood stars Deepika Padukone, Salman Khan, John Abraham, Dimple Kapadia and Ashutosh Rana.
Talking to this correspondent, film lovers in Dhaka said “Pathaan will be a massive hit movie in Bangladesh, because there are millions of Shah Rukh Khan fans in this country”.
A cinema hall owner said, “During this Eid, eight movies were simultaneously released while all of those films had flopped. We have been suffering because of a prolonged draught in Bangladeshi film industry for many years, while Bangladeshi filmmakers have miserably failed to come up with any successful movie except for ‘Poran’ which has been a blockbuster.
“We would like to request Indian film industries to reach into an arrangement with Bangladesh government so that at least every month one Bollywood or even Tamil movie can run in Bangladeshi halls”.
Bangladesh had previously imposed a ban on foreign films to protect the interests of the local industry. But this year, it was decided that the country will allow up to 10 imported films to be screened commercially.
Pathaan is the first one to get a proper release; the film opened in 48 theatres, and will have nearly 200 shows per day. According to the local distributor Action-Cut Entertainment’s Ananya Mamun, tickets for the first two days were sold out in advance of the release, a Times of India report says. Pathaan is the first Hindi film to be released in Bangladesh since the country gained independence in 1971, Yash Raj Films said in a statement ahead of the historical move.
Bangladesh briefly relaxed its laws regarding foreign films for Salman Khan’s ‘Wanted’ in 2009, but according to a Variety report, the film’s commercial release was disrupted after a local cinema organization protested. Wanted was removed from the 50 theatres it was playing in after a week. Ahead of Pathaan’s release in Bangladesh, Yash Raj Films’ Nelson D’Souza said in a statement, “Cinema has always been a unifying force between nations, races and cultures. It transcends borders, galvanizes people and plays a significant hand in bringing people together. We are incredibly thrilled that Pathaan, which has done historic business worldwide, will now get a chance to entertain audiences in Bangladesh!”
Incidentally, Salman appears in a cameo in Pathaan, which went on to become the highest-grossing Hindi movie of all time in India. The action-spy thriller made more than Rs 1000 crore globally, and marked the long-awaited return of Shah Rukh Khan in starring roles. The film also starred Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, Dimple Kapadia and Ashutosh Rana. The character Pathaan will next appear in the third Tiger film, starring Salman. Both films are a part of YRF’s spy universe of interconnected action movies.
