Film shoots, movie premieres ‘Corona-struck'

Coronavirus has started to affect the entertainment industry in Bangladesh. The situation has put a temporary stop to both the shooting and premier of movies in Bangladesh. As a matter of fact, several producers have also postponed shooting abroad. A few television dramas, which were set to be shot outside of Dhaka, were postponed also.

The shooting of the biopic of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was supposed to commence after its Maharat on 17 March. However, due to the Coronavirus situation, it was postponed. According to a casting director wishing to stay anonymous, right now the production of the biopic is at a standstill. The whole project has been moved to September of this year. 50 artists have already been picked for the cast of this film. Arifin Shuvo has been cast as Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whereas Nusrat Faria got the role of Sheikh Hasina. The story is being directed by Bollywood's Shyam Benegal.

'Jodi Kintu Tobuo' – the film was supposed to start shooting from 11 March. It would be the first Bangladeshi movie by Indian streaming site Zee5. The Schedule of the artists including the protagonists Ziaul Faruq and Nusrat Faria was taken. However, it was decided on 10 March that it would be set back.

In a conversation with The Business Standard, director of the movie Shihab Shahin commented, "Coronavirus has spread across the world and arrived here, too. That is why we, including the production houses, did not want to take any risks. Zee5 has informed me that since it is their first movie in Bangladesh, they do not want to take any risk at all. So we spoke to the artists and the other involved, and decided to delay."

Shihab Shahin also informed TBS that if everything goes according to plan, they would start shooting after 15 days. They are going to shoot at Cox's Bazar, Gazipur, Narayanganj, and Dhaka for 22 consecutive days. The director also said that the artists were very understanding about the situation and agreed to accommodate the changed schedule.

Movies that require shooting abroad have also been affected. Producer Anjan Aich was planning to shoot for a movie named 'Kanamacchi' in Nepal this month, but he had to postpone it.
"Coronavirus has spread in Nepal. So we had to postpone it. But when we can fix a date again, who knows? A movie requires a large team, and this has put everyone in a predicament." Similarly, director Shamim Ahmed also moved back the shooting of his movie "Mission Sixteen" in Thailand. 

On the other hand, "Unoponchas Batash" was supposed to premiere on 13 March, but the director Masud Hasan Ujjal changed his decision. "Film is not bigger than life", he shared the decision with this quote. He has not disclosed when the movie will premier.  

Director Chayanika Chowdhury's first movie "Bishwa Shundori" is supposed to premiere on 27 March, but it is still not sure if the Coronavirus situation will affect the event.