Honest review of Bangladeshi films in 2025
Daagi! Jongli! Taandob! Borbaad! Utshob! These were the titles of the top five films to come out of Bangladesh’s film industry in terms of Box Office numbers. The sequence in which they appear in the first sentence of this piece also explains my feelings on the scriptwriting of these films.
Daagi
This film starred some big names such as Afran Nisho, Tama Mirza, Sunerah Binte Kamal, and a few others. Against a budget of BDT 3.5 crores, the film has grossed BDT 16 crores.
The story is about Nishan coming out of prison after a 15-year-long sentence and trying to rebuild his life. Old friends and collaborators return and take him back into the underworld that led him to prison in the first place. The story delves into Nishan’s emotional struggle and his search for redemption.
Excessive emotions feel unrealistic, and that is exactly why, in spite of the tremendous acting of the cast, the script eventually falls flat. The negative roles, in particular, are hammed up in a way that feels anachronistic. Contemporary audiences are no longer swayed by over-the-top dialogues and delivery. The film overdoes the melodrama in my humble opinion.
Jongli
Jongli proves how much Bangladesh’s film industry needs to improve while writing action thriller scripts. The film seems to be heavily inspired by Bajrangi Bhaijaan, but turns out to be what Bajrangi would have been if he acted like Shahid Kapoor’s titular character in the film Kabir Singh. Against a budget of BDT 2.05 crores, the film scored BDT 10.22 crores, and it once again proves that Siam Ahmed is so beloved in Bangladesh that the Bangladeshi audience will watch anything starring him.
The protagonist of Jongli is a toxic, overly aggressive outcast who finds purpose and redemption when he meets a young child who needs his help. What could have been a heartwarming story arc is marred by overacting both by Siam Ahmed and the child actor Pakhi.
Borbaad
The film racked up a whopping BDT 75 crores against a budget of BDT 16.5 crores. Such is the pull of Shakib Khan. This film’s plot revolves around a violent man’s obsession with a woman who has already suffered at the hands of his family. A twist ending is a staple in this industry, and this film does not disappoint in that regard. The film is violent and gory, gratuitously so, and not for the faint of the heart.
Taandob
Taandob received a lot of hype when it first released. Understandably, so, as it seems like it was giving homage to several Bollywood action films and Money Heist. This film racked up BDT 30 crores. How much money was burned to make this film has not been disclosed by the producers.
Perhaps the director was aiming for a stylised treatment, but Taandob strained the suspension of belief in its liberal use of item songs, incongruous wardrobe choices and gratuitous swimming pool scenes. We get it. Swimming pools are luxuries.
Ohhh! And lots and lots of twist endings, that perfectly encapsulate the taandob (destruction) of film script writing.
Utshob
Utshob is the only film in this list that gives hope for Bangladeshi films. It is an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, and it is superbly contextualised in Bangladesh, with the actors bringing their A game. The film was released under a measly budget of BDT 2 crores, earned BDT 13 crores.
The film is a feel-good flick that shows Zahid Hasan playing the character Jahangir, who is unpopular in his neighbourhood for his treatment of others around him. Just like in the classic novel, he (Jahangir) is visited by ghosts from the past and the present, who show what effect his words have on people, and later he redeems himself by changing his character and attitude. This time, the ghosts are much more fun in the form of Bangladeshi stars playing themselves.
So here are the top five highest-grossing films in Bangladesh this year. One should not compare action thrillers with family dramas. However, Bangladeshi films are mostly action thrillers, and usually, the family drama is the one that receives critical acclaim. That definitely means something. The former may need improvement in terms of scripting, and the latter is what is lauded by the viewers.