Following an eight-year wait, a Hindi film will finally be released in Bangladesh. Pathaan, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham, will be the first Hindi film to be released in Bangladesh after an 8-year-long wait. Yet, even before its release, the film is receiving criticism in the country, notably from Dipjol, a veteran actor in the Bangla film industry.
Opposing the release, the actor said that Hindi films have obscene scenes and songs that don’t fit the culture of Bangladesh.
The actor shared his displeasure over Bangladesh’s Ministry of Information’s decision to allow the release of Hindi films in the country. He stated that the Bangladeshi film industry is striving to produce high-quality films to appeal to all audiences. He further claimed that importing Hindi films would have a significant negative impact on the local film industry.
He said that the move will affect local cinema and that Hindi films are not in line with the country’s ‘social culture’.
According to a report in The Daily Star, the actor said, “We are trying to make quality movies to impress the audience. If Hindi films are imported then our movies will be severely affected. In the past few months, some of our movies have done extremely well in the theatres which has helped people to come to the cinema hall. Our audience wants to see movies that represent our tradition with their families.”
The actor also said that Bollywood films have vulgar scenes and hence, they should not be screened in Bangladesh. “Their movies have many vulgar songs and scenes. They do not go with our social culture. We present a more clean and family-oriented entertainment to our audience. We try to give moral lessons to our audience in the form of entertainment,” said Dipjol.
Directed by Siddharth Anand, the spy action film Pathaan follows the story of an exiled RAW field operative, played by Shah Rukh Khan, who is tasked with bringing down Jim, a former RAW agent-turned-rogue terrorist played by actor John Abraham. Deepika Padukone essays the role of a Pakistani ISI agent, Rubina, who helps Shah Rukh Khan in his mission.
Even prior to its release, the film had struck controversy twice over its songs. In Besharam Rang, actress Deepika Padukone was seen wearing a Saffron bikini that hurt religious sentiments. On the other hand, Jhoome Jo Pathaan was mocked as music directors Vishal Shekhar reused their old composition instead of coming up with a new one.