Bongo, the nation’s pioneering video streaming platform, is set to launch a link between works of Bangladeshi literature and film through their 'BoB' (Based on Books) project Season One, presented by bKash on this Eid-ul-Fitr.
Adapted from the seven bestsellers of Ekushey Boi Mela 2020, this exclusive project offers something for all viewers of all genres, including drama, romance, comedy, thriller, action, and supernatural, Bongo says via a press release.
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A ‘Brainchild’ project of Mushfiqur Rahman, Chief Content Officer of Bongo and Zahid Ahmed, Deputy Chief Content Editor of Bongo, this challenge of adapting from the literature will not only serve the purpose of presenting different and refreshing contents to the audiences but also encourage new and contemporary writers to see an alternative way of channelling their stories, the platform says on the press release.
Bongo has given priority to contemporary young writers for the first season of Bongo BoB, besides prominent fiction writer Shahaduz Zaman. This time, seven popular books of 2020 were selected through rigorous discussions with the writers and publishers to be exclusively streamed on www.bongobd.com.
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Mushfiqur Rahman said, "Our stories are reflected in our literature. We have long wanted to get out of the conventional trend and work with literature. This may be the first literary work as a series. It is our stepping stone and we shall continue to build on it. We are glad to have bKash on board who believed in the project.”
He also mentions that works on eminent names of Bangla literature such as Shahidul Zahir, Syed Shamsul Haq, and Selina Hossain in their future projects of films, dramas, telefilms, and web series.
According to Zahid Ahmed, the Bongo BoB Project is a long-term initiative. He said, "Looking through the history, Bangladesh's film industry played a significant role in the country's GDP, but we could not hold on to it, one of the reasons is the lack of original stories. The same can be said about television. Through this venture, we want to present original stories to our audience that hold global standards.”
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The seven authors of the books Bongo chose are Shahaduz Zaman, Sadat Hossain, Rahitul Islam, Shibabrata Barman, Mahbub Morshed, Jobaed Ahsan and Maruf Rehman. Zahid Ahmed mentions that the writers have been selected very consciously. The demand for the character in the story has also got priority before glamour in the selection of artists.
Considering the situation, Bongo says that it was not easy for the directors adapting the films as everyone faced various challenges, time, production during COVID-19 and the pressure of adaptation. Writer Maruf Rehman mentioned that with the change in the medium of storytelling, the need for change, expansion and refinement in the script is obvious. His novel Laboni will be adapted in one of the films under the same title.
The seven directors are Animesh Aich, Noor Imran Mithu, Iftekhar Ahmed Fahmi, Sanjoy Somaddar, Wahid Tareq, Vicky Zahed and Golam Haider Kisloo.
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For the artists, it was also quite challenging as well who had to work with precaution and safety protocols for COVID-19. For the first time, actor Ilias Kanchan will be seen on the Bongo OTT platform. Ishrat Jahan Chaiti, Azmeri Haque Badhon, Partha Barua, Manoj Pramanik, Mumtahina Toya, Ashna Habib Bhabna and many more seniors and contemporary artists will be featured in these telefilms.
“Bongo has always been a pioneer in the Video Streaming industry in Bangladesh since 2013. We have been digitizing movies from the 70s, 80s and 90s to preserve our culture. When this show was first pitched to our content committee, it was a no-brainer decision for us. We are extremely excited to take this approach and will continue to build on this along with delivering our technology to enable millions to watch anywhere, anytime and on all screens.
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We reach over 179 countries globally, over 15 million viewers through all Bongo Channels and this time with the BoB Series we are also launching with English subtitles so that global audiences can also get a taste of Bengali stories,” said Fayaz Taher, Chief Operating Officer of Bongo.
The on-screen stories will be broadcasted on Channel 9 (2 pm), Deepto TV (4:30 pm), ETV (9:20 pm) and GTV (11:30 pm) from the 1st to 7th day of Eid-ul-Fitr. These will also be streamed exclusively on Bongo's OTT platform at www.bongobd.com, or users can download the iOS, TV or Android App.
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