Global streaming giant Netflix and Bengali streaming platform hoichoi have joined forces to take acclaimed Bengali series, upcoming premieres and new adaptations to wider audiences, with titles including ‘Mahanagar’ and ‘Bohemian Ghora’ set to reach viewers through the global streaming service.
Under the first-of-its-kind partnership, all hoichoi series premiering over the next two years will be available exclusively on Netflix in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, alongside their Bengali debuts on hoichoi.
The collaboration will also bring a curated collection of 14 existing hoichoi titles to Netflix, spanning crime thrillers, detective mysteries, folklore horror, social and courtroom dramas, and romance.
The collection includes ‘Madam Inspector’, ‘Sampurna’, ‘Lajja’, ‘Eken Sirji’, ‘Anjaan Saaye’, ‘The Curse of Parnashavari’, ‘Bloodlines’, ‘The Adventures of Daadi & Jagga’, ‘Raat Abhi Baaki Hain’, ‘Achinta: Trial By Law’, ‘Shaadi Ka Siyappa (Bohemian Ghora)’, ‘Queens’, ‘Parineeta: A Love Story’ and ‘Mahanagar’.
Ashfaque Nipun, director of ‘Mahanagar’, expressed gratitude to the series’ cast, crew, his team and hoichoi for their contributions in taking the show to Netflix.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Nipun said his journey from Chattogram to hoichoi and eventually Netflix would not have been possible without their support, noting that no one in his extended family had previously been involved in the media industry.
“All praise belongs to Allah; and all my thanks go to the cast and crew of my series ‘Mahanagar’, especially my team and hoichoi, without whose contributions ‘Mahanagar’ could not have reached Netflix,” he wrote.
Nipun said the journey had been possible because of the collective efforts of those who worked on the series, while thanking viewers for their overwhelming love and support.
“I have always believed that people are as big as their dreams. The bigger the dream, the greater the possibilities,” he wrote, adding that the audience’s love gave him the courage to dream bigger.
Another title in the collection, ‘Bohemian Ghora’, has also drawn attention from its director-producer Amitabh Reza Chowdhury, who said the series was much more than a story about a truck driver and his eight wives.
In another Facebook post on Thursday, Chowdhury said the series explores Bangladesh’s land, people, folk culture, complex relationships and distinctive sense of humour, combining laughter, romance, deception and the unusual ways people navigate life.
“Stories scattered across the roads of Bangladesh are now reaching international audiences,” he wrote, describing the development as an opportunity to present the country’s stories, people and distinctive humour to viewers worldwide.
The first new release under the partnership will be ‘The Cursed Temple of Kauriburi’, a folklore horror series starring Jeetu Kamal, Solanki Roy and Paoli Dam. The series is scheduled to premiere on November 6, with more titles expected to follow in the coming months.
The two platforms will also collaborate on original series produced by hoichoi studios, reimagining selected hoichoi stories through new adaptations and creative perspectives. Further details of these projects will be announced later.
Netflix said the partnership reflects its continued efforts to expand its licensed content alongside original productions, bringing stories from different markets to its global audience of nearly one billion people.
Launched in 2017 as the maiden venture of SVF’s new media arm, hoichoi offers more than 2,000 hours of Bengali content, including over 100 original series, films, short films and docu-series.
In 2023, the platform expanded into theatrical film production with the launch of hoichoi studios, further extending its commitment to Bengali storytelling.