Tripura: 2nd Bangladesh Film Festival begins

Bangladesh Information and Broadcasting Minister Muhammad Hasan Mahamud on Wednesday said that barriers put up by Indian broadcasting and cable operating networks to air Bangladeshi channels should be lifted and the platforms should be made economically feasible for the Bangladesh channels.

Speaking with media persons, on the sidelines of the inaugural session of the second Bangladesh Film Festival at a private hotel in Agartala, he said, "There are no government bars in airing Bangladeshi channels in India. Bangladesh government has also no prohibition in connection with flawless streaming of Indian channels through Bangladesh's own cable networks."

"In Tripura, a good number of Bangladeshi channels could be seen on TV as the local cable operators are very cooperative in this regard. While, in states like West Bengal and other parts of India, the cable operators and the broadcasting partners charge hefty amounts for streaming channels which are not economically viable for Bangladesh channel owners," Mahamud added.

Mahamud further said that in their country, the sky is open for all, and all Indian channels are being aired and sought the same thing from the Indian side as well.

"If these barriers are lifted, the seamless cultural exchange between India and Bangladesh shall touch new heights," he said.

On joint production films, he said, "A good number of films are being produced and released. Apart from that, some films are being released in exchange also. So this is a persistent process started long ago and shall continue in the same form."

Earlier, the Film Festival was inaugurated in presence of Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and Tripura Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Sushanta Chowdhury.

The star-studded festival began with a historical docudrama "Hasina: A Daughter's Tale" based on the life of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Speaking at the film festival, Tripura Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Sushanta Chowdhury said, "This festival is a kind of cultural exchange between two countries and is trying to strengthen the cultural ties between India and Bangladesh."

"In presence of Bangladesh I&B Minister, we have discussed several issues and I have invited them to be a part of the ensuing Agartala Book Fair and inaugural function of Tripura Film Institute," he said.

MP and celebrated singer of Bangladesh Mumtaz Begum who arrived in Tripura to attend the function said that due to COVID 19, such cultural exchange programmes were halted and it resumed with the first such event in Tripura.

"I hope such programmes shall continue in the future as well", she said.

Film stars like Apu Biswas and Ferdous also attended the function and opined that the Bangladesh film industry can utilize the beautiful locations of Tripura as well as the North East for shooting.

( With inputs from ANI )

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