‘Movies remove borders’: 4th B’desh film fest kicks off in Kol

Kolkata: Bangladesh information and broadcasting minister Hasan Mahmud, while inaugurating the 4th Bangladesh Film Festival in Kolkata on Saturday, said films helped remove geo-political borders.
Bengali movies have no geographical boundaries, Mahmud said, adding that he wanted both governments to work together so that Bengali movies can flourish further. Bengalis are recognized globally for their talent, he said.
Praising Bengal’s art and culture, Mahmud sought more cultural exchange programmes between the two neighbours so that the border can be defied.He recalled how the romantic pair of Uttam-Suchitra is still now very popular in Bangladesh. Performers are not bound by boundaries, he said.
Speaking at the inauguration, director Goutam Ghose wanted collaboration between the two nations so that Bengali films can have a much wider global audience. He said he was happy to see a long queue at Nandan for watching ‘Hawa’, the inaugural film.
Bengal tourism and IT minister Babul Supriyo also called for increased collaboration between India and Bangladesh which, he said, will help the Bengali film industry.
S Sarwar Kamal, Bangladesh MP, felt that Bengali movies have a bigger audience than Hindi movies and for which he wanted increased screening of Bangladeshi movies in Kolkata.
Actor Jaya Ahsan said Kolkata’s film lovers can see over 32 films from Bangladesh at the festival.