How Priyotoma and Surongo broke Dhallywood’s box office slumber

Bangladesh's film industry has been struggling since the early 2000s. To recoup their investment, movie-makers had turned to creating vulgar content, which pushed general audiences away from movie theatres. Many cinemas over time shut down and the industry survived only on Shakib Khan.  

But there's a limit to how many movies one actor can do. 

On the flipside, a handful of creative filmmakers pursued their passion despite the state of the industry.  They produced movies like 'Hawa' and 'Poran', which earned them praise but not much money at the box office.

In 2023, two movies, 'Priyotoma' and 'Surongo', however, broke against that trend.

'Priyotoma' was popular for its emotional simplicity and music, including a hit title track. The pairing of Shakib Khan with Idhika Paul from Kolkata and the film's unique promotional methods also helped make it a hit. It attracted families, which is uncommon for movies in this industry nowadays. 

Following its success in Bangladesh, it was also released in North America and India. The film, which cost 2.5 crore takas to make, went on to earn about 42 crores.

'Surongo', which came out on the same day, offered a fresh story, focusing more on adventure than the usual fight scenes and songs. The film also gained attention due to Afran Nisho, a well-known TV actor, making his first appearance in cinema, alongside Tama Mirza. With a production budget of 2 crores, the film managed to make about 15 crores.

'Surongo', was produced by Shahriar Shakil and Redoan Rony and directed by Raihan Rafi while 'Priyotoma' was produced by Arshad Adnan and directed by Himel Ashraf. 

"My interest in 'Priyotoma' was piqued by seeing Shakib Khan's old age look in the movie," said Mazhar Rubel, a moviegoer from the Board Bazar area in Gazipur. He watched both movies in the theater. 

"I watched 'Surongo' because of Afran Nisho, to see how he acts in movies. I went with my family."

"Audiences always want to see simple and ordinary stories, which 'Priyotoma' has. And the promotion was good," said Himel Ashraf, the director of 'Priyotoma'.

"I think that making the story of 'Surongo' easy to understand for audiences was an important part of its success," said director Raihan Rafi. "Because of this, we earned several times more than our investment."

'Priyotoma' is the most successful movie since 'Beder Meye Josna', said Miah Alauddin, Senior Vice-President of the Bangladesh Film Exhibitors Association.

"The presence of Shakib Khan is a reason for its success because he has his own audience. Moreover, viewers want to see 'clean' stories," he said.

"At least two such movies should be released each year," Miah added.

Mohammad Iqbal from the Bangladesh Film Producers Association also highlighted the significance of music in 'Priyotoma'. 

"I think the two songs and the background score from 'Priyotoma' are a major reason for its commercial success."