2 Bengali films released during Christmas bring back movie buffs to theatres in large numbers

Kolkata: As movie buffs have returned to theatres in larger numbers after three years of Covid lull and recovery phase, two Bengali films released during Christmas are performing exceptionally well with back-to-back sold-out shows.

The two films are Suman Ghosh-directed Kabuliwala and Atanu Roy Choudhury-produced Pradhan.

National award-winning filmmaker Ghosh’s Kabuliwala is an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's short story of the same name.

Since December 22, the film has already earned over Rs 1 crore in revenue and is currently running in 66 theatres in Bengal, including both single screens and multiplexes, according to a source from the production house.

The film, which stars Mithun Chakraborty and explores the bond between a father who leaves his young daughter in faraway Kabul and discovers a resemblance to his daughter in a little girl in the city, has been consistently sold out since December 22. The film will be released nationwide on December 29.

Choudhury’s Pradhan has been released in 111 theatres. The film's first-week collection has surpassed all previous records for recent Bengali film releases during Christmas. The film, which stars Bengali superstar Dev and is also co-produced by him, focuses on corruption.

Choudhury expressed his satisfaction with the film's performance, saying it has exceeded his expectations. Many theatres have had sold-out shows, while others have had an occupancy rate of over 60 per cent in most screenings.

Some multiplexes, like PVR Inox South City, are showing the film five times a day, while others are showing it at least three times.

Director Suman Ghosh expressed happiness with the large turnout for both Kabuliwala and Pradhan despite facing tough competition from the Hindi blockbuster Dunki starring Shah Rukh Khan.

During 2020-2021, with theatres operating at 50% capacity, film releases had lower turnouts, and the OTT platforms dominated during Durga Puja-Diwali and Christmas releases.

However, the situation has started to change since 2022, with the release of three Bengali films.