Dhallywood - A Brief History of Bangladesh Bangla Cinema

Based in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, Bangla film called Dhallywood, Dhaka, the word and Hollywood.

Already in 1898, movies are shown and in Dhaka in the Crown Theatre Bioscope Company Bradford. Established in 1898 in Calcutta by Hiralal Sen, the Royal Bioscope Company was the first Bengali organization for producing and exhibiting films. Although the films were in Bengali, the production work is mainly in Calcutta. First notable films made in Dhaka are Sukumari and the last kiss, produced by the Nawab family in 1928 and 1931, respectively.

Picture House, which began operations in 1913, was the first permanent cinema in Dhaka. House renamed new image, and later, Shabistan. The film industry has grown so rapidly that in 1947, there were around 80 cinemas in the area that is now Bangladesh.

Partition of India in 1947, the area was known as East Pakistan. The first film after the partition was a newsreel about the visit of Mohammad Ali Jinnah. The first feature film with sound came much later. Launched in 1956, the film Mukh O Mukhosh was based on the work of its director Abdul Jabbar Khan Dakaat (thieves). More movies that took place in the 1960 total annual production reached 35 films a year.

The number continued to increase when East Pakistan gained independence and became Bangladesh in 1971. One of the first films produced after this tumultuous time was Titash Ekti Nadir Naam (a river called Titas) by Ritwik Ghatak the great director.

Unfortunately, contemporary Bangla Natok from Bangladesh has become more commercial in nature. The industry has been criticized by the recent poor quality of the films focus only on the melodrama, sex and violence. Currently, the industry produces an average of 100 films a year, where the average budget per movie is 6.5 million Bangladesh taka.