Rajshahi’s quiet cinematic soul

Bangladeshi cinema has long been centred on Dhaka, its people, problems and pulse. From storytelling to production, most filmmakers, actors and technicians remain rooted in the capital. Yet the soul of rural Bangladesh lives in nearly one lakh villages, each carrying stories rarely told on screen. Outside Dhaka, effective film making initiatives have been scarce, with few cities able to develop a sustained cinematic practice of their own.

Rajshahi stands as a rare exception, having nurtured a distinct cinematic identity shaped by local culture, history and persistence.

“When the first motion picture appeared in 1895 and the Lumière Brothers brought cinema to India in 1898, Rajshahi began screening films just two years later, in 1900,” said Prof Sajjad Bokul, head of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Rajshahi University.

“That means people here were watching moving images about 125 years ago, long before many parts of the world and even before Dhaka,” he added.

Although film screenings began early, film production in Rajshahi emerged much later, around the 1980s, and only in a limited form. Early attempts were largely short-lived.

“In the 1980s, a few enthusiasts, Nannu and Golam Pannaronjon, working from Rani Bazaar under the banner of Kadamatir Visuals, tried to make films, but those projects did not last,” said Rajshahi-based filmmaker Ahsan Kabir Liton. 

Both were theatre activists who used simple wedding video cameras to shoot films infused with folk motifs, including performances such as Naag-naaginir nach and exaggerated action sequences. Their works included Ki Pelam (1985), Porinoti (1988), Ashar Alo (1991) and Nagraj (2005).

Another early filmmaker, Sheikh Abdus Samad, produced local films such as Rajshahir Raja (1984), Protighat (1986), Ekhono Ekhane (1989) and Atongko (1992). Despite the number of films produced, poor equipment and weak storytelling limited their reach. Most never travelled beyond Rajshahi and were rarely watched even locally.

Still, these efforts planted the first seeds, inspiring future filmmakers.

The next major phase, what Prof Bokul calls the “second wave” of Rajshahi cinema, began around 2007–08. Its foundations, however, were laid earlier through film societies formed in the 1990s and early 2000s, including the Ritwik Ghatak Film Society, Rajshahi Film Society and Barendra Film Society. In 2001, Prof Bokul founded the Rajshahi University Film Society.

After Morshedul Islam launched the Children’s Film Society in 2006, a Rajshahi branch followed in 2008, opening the doors of film making to school and college students. Workshops and festivals soon reached even remote schools.

“We used to host festivals by the riverbank,” Liton recalled. “About 1,000 to 1,200 students would participate. Young filmmakers made short films that were screened at festivals in Bangladesh and sometimes in India or Nepal. We learned everything ourselves because there was no one to teach us.”

In 2013, Liton and his team took a decisive step by producing Protyaborton, the first full-length feature film from North Bengal.

“People from across the northern region worked on it – camera from Rangpur, sound from Pabna,” he said. “We jokingly called it a ‘New FDC’. We believed decent ralisation was essential. If other regions make films, the national industry will grow.” 

From this second wave emerged a new generation, including Toukir Islam Shaik, whose web series Shatikaap later gained national attention.

“There’s a deep bond between generations here,” Shaik said. “If someone needs a camera or lights, others help without hesitation.”

Another rising voice is university student Rahi Abdullah, currently working on A Breath of Goodbye, with sound design in India. His Bangladesh–India joint film Deshlai is also being produced between Rajshahi and Kolkata.

“Earlier, we heard of Dhaka–Kolkata collaborations. Now it’s Rajshahi–Kolkata,” Rahi said. “When I arrived in 2021, I felt a unique connection between this city and cinema. Rajshahi is redefining decentralisation.”

Rajshahi is not only a place to make films but also a city that embraces them. Production costs are dramatically lower, and local support is strong.

“What costs Tk50,000 in Dhaka might cost Tk500 here,” Rahi said. “People are friendly. Sometimes locals even call later to ask how the project is going.”

Several recent films, including Tandob, Dagi, Utshob and Matir Projar Deshe, were shot in the city.

An important pillar of Rajshahi’s film culture is Magic Lonthon, one of Bangladesh’s few magazines devoted entirely to cinema, published for over 15 years.

“The younger generation adapted smoothly from analogue to digital,” said editor Kazi Mamun Haidar Rana. “Since 2009–10, film has been taught academically, which has fuelled student interest.”

Today’s filmmakers dream of building a complete creative ecosystem in Rajshahi, where scripts, direction and production can all happen locally.

“We now have 10 to 15 filmmakers capable of making full-length films,” Liton said. “To build an industry, we need both mass entertainment and artistic cinema.”

Plans are under way for a film school offering training in directing, acting, lighting and cinematography, with both indoor and outdoor facilities.

“Rajshahi has everything – riverbanks, rural landscapes, campus life, indigenous stories,” he said.

Toukir Shaik, however, prefers a broader vision. “Cinema today is global,” he said. “Anyone can make or watch films anywhere. Our aim is to establish an independent creative line here that connects with the world.”

Progress is already visible. In 2023, Liton established Bangladesh’s first film archive in Rajshahi, while Rana has acquired land to build a film institute. Yet challenges persist.

Rajshahi hosted the country’s first international film festival outside Dhaka and organised the first cross-border festival with West Bengal in 2011. Recent censorship rules requiring certificates for festival screenings have since raised costs.

“We currently have no plan to hold festivals,” Professor Bokul said. He also lamented the destruction of Ritwik Ghatak’s ancestral home on 5 August 2024, which ended the Ritwik Ghatak Film Festival held there.

That loss is deeply felt across generations of Rajshahi filmmakers. Yet their resolve remains intact. Against all odds, Rajshahi continues to shape its own cinematic identity—quietly, patiently and one story at a time.

The reporter can be reached at: [email protected]