Dhaka: Thousands of people flocked to cinemas in Bangladesh to watch Shah Rukh Khan’s 'Pathaan' – the first Hindi film to be released in the country in more than 50 years.
Following attaining independence in 1971, Dhaka enacted a ban on foreign films to safeguard the domestic entertainment sector. The Sheikh Hasina administration chose to permit the commercial showing of up to 10 foreign films this year, nevertheless.
The 48 venues that hosted the release of the star-studded, action-packed spy thriller will host nearly 200 shows daily. Despite being available on OTT platforms, all the shows for the first two days were sold out in advance of the release, local distributor Action-Cut Entertainment said.
The film directed by Siddharth Anand also stars other top Bollywood actors such as Deepika Padukone, Salman Khan and John Abraham.
Ahead of the film’s release, Yash Raj Films’s Nelson D’Souza, said: “Cinema has always been a unifying force between nations, races, and cultures. It transcends borders, galvanises 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.”
Sazzad Hossain, 18, said he was “excited” to watch a Hindi film in Bangladesh cinema for the first time. “We are all Shah Rukh Khan fans. For the first time, I’ll watch Shah Rukh Khan on a giant screen.”
Cinemagoers were seen dancing in front of the big screen to the catchy tunes of the film's popular songs.