The screening of Raihan Rafi’s much-hyped Eid release ‘Taandob' was suspended in Kalihati upazila of Tangail following protests by local religious groups and growing security concerns. Expressing frustration on social media, prominent filmmaker Ashfaque Nipun condemned the incident and criticised the interim government’s failure to tackle mob-led disruptions.
“Recently, the screening of ‘Taandob' in Kalihati was halted due to threats from so-called ‘Touhidi Janata’, tourist centres in Sylhet were closed, yet the Chief Adviser of the interim government remains focused on the Chattogram Port,” Nipun recently wrote in a Facebook post.
“You respond swiftly to any threat to the port—when will we see such resolve against mob behaviour? Immediately reinstate ‘Taandob' screenings in Kalihati, make public places safe, and above all, stop the rise of mob dominance. As this couldn’t be done over the past 10 months, your primary responsibility over the next 10 months should be to ensure it,” Nipun wrote in the post.
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The film was being screened at the Zilla Parishad’s Community Centre-cum-Multipurpose Hall in the Auliabad area of Kalihati since Eid day. Local cultural organisers Kamruzzaman Saiful and Saju Mehdi arranged the screening by renting the venue for Tk 10,000 per day with official approval, paying in advance for five days.
The initiative faced resistance from a section of locals, and on Friday, a protest rally was held under the banner of the Parki Union Olama Parishad, where demonstrators demanded the screening be stopped, claiming it could disrupt nearby mosques, madrasas, and educational institutions.
Protesters also warned of potential “unsocial activities” centring the film’s screening, and they informed local media that they had submitted a written appeal to the administration requesting the film’s screening be halted.
Explaining the critical situation, one of the organisers of the screening Kamruzzaman Saiful told local media, “We were getting a good response from viewers, but started receiving threats from various sources. Due to increasing safety concerns, we had no choice but to suspend the screenings from Tuesday evening.”
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The other organizer Saju Mehdi said, “We invested heavily on paying rent, repairing the AC, printing tickets, and appointing volunteers. Unfortunately from the beginning, a certain group opposed the initiative and even prevented us from putting up posters and obstructed our promotional work.”
Despite several mishaps and mob attacks in various screening places across the country since the Eid day, ‘Taandob’ has been dominating the screens as expected, courtesy of its strong storyline and Dhallywood megastar Shakib Khan’s majestic performances.