ZEE5 Global announced it at  the launching programme of its first Bangladeshi Original, a dark-comedy thriller – "Mainkar Chipay" (In a Spot of Bother) at a virtual press conference.

Mainkar Chipay, directed by Abrar Athar,  will be released on November 9 this year.

The announcement was made by Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global.

She also announced that the development and production of three new Bangladeshi content projects over the next few months, with more in the pipeline.

The announcements were made at a star-studded event attended by the likes of Ziaul Faruq Apurba, Nusraat Faria, Afran Nisho, Bidya Sinha Mim, Arifin Shuvoo and many more.  Asaduzzaman Noor, the former Minister of Cultural Affairs of Bangladesh, Vice Chairman of Asiatic 360, and a legendary veteran actor himself, also graced the event with his presence.  

The event also saw the trailer of the upcoming venture being unveiled. All these shows will be available to ZEE5 Global subscribers in over 190 countries.

Mainkar Chipay, directed by internationally acclaimed young film maker Abrar Athar, is a situational thriller comedy which will see Afran Nisho, Sariful Razz and Shamol Mawla working together for the first time.

The film is set to release on 9th November and will mark the beginning of ZEE5’s Bangladeshi Original Content chapter.

“We’re super excited to shoot the first Bangladeshi original on Zee 5. The film was shot in record time and we wrote the script in a way that didn’t require a large crew or a lot of equipment. It’s a crime thriller comedy and we really hope people have as much fun watching it as we did making it.” said Director Abrar Athar.

Among other projects, notable Bangladeshi screenwriter and film maker Shihab Shaheen is set to commence shoot on 28th October for his new film while second ZEE5 Original title Jodi, Kintu Tobuo…, a romantic comedy starring Ziaul Faruq Apurba and Nusraat Faria, while another national award-winning young director Anam Biswas will be working on “What the Fry?” starring Bidya Sinha Mim.

Also part of the line-up will be Tanim Noor and Krishnendu Chattopadhyay’s (with Parthe Sarkar as an associate director) Contract, a web series starring Arifin Shuvoo, Chanchal Chowdhury, Zakia Bari Mamo and Iresh Zaker.

The Originals are being produced in partnership with local content agency Good Company Limited – An Asiatic 360 Content Initiative.

Amit Goenka, President – Digital Businesses and Platforms, ZEE Entertainment said, “Investing in local content that resonates with global audiences and building out strong local partnerships is high on our agenda this year. Bangladesh is a high priority market for us and we’re very glad to be rolling out our first set of Originals in this market today as a first step towards our vision for strong collaborations with this market”

Announcing the lineup, Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global said “Bangladesh has an immense pool of talented directors and artistes and rich cultural stories. In line with our vision of creating rich local narratives with the local talent, and giving them a global audience, we’re thrilled to be announcing a slate of multiple projects."..

"The launch of our very first Bangladeshi Original - Mainkar Chipay. We have brought together the best of talent from Bangladesh to create these unique narratives which are sure to resonate with viewers, not just in this region but across the globe," she also said.