Bangladesh Motion Pictures Exhibitors Association or BMPEA has announced that it will boycott movies of actors Misha Saudagar and Riyaz Uddin Ahmed as a punishment for ‘assaulting the BMPEA president’.
The organisation made the announcement on Tuesday at a press briefing at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity in the capital.
The BMPEA has also decided to boycott producer and theatre owner Khorshed Alam Khasru, who is also alleged to have taken part in the alleged assault.
Association leaders said Riyaz, Misha and Khasru, along with their followers, recently attacked Madhumita Cinema Hall owner and BMPEA President Iftekhar Uddin Nawshad in front of the Bangladesh Film Censor Board office over an argument on the release of Indo-Bangla joint productions ‘Boss 2’ and ‘Nabab’.
The decision to boycott them came as the authorities took no steps against the trio and their followers, said BMPEA General Secretary Kazi Shoyeb Rashid.
He said, “From now on, no theatre across the country will show any films of these three.”
Riyaz, Misha and Khasru were unavailable for comment on the boycott decision.
The release of these two joint-production movies during the Eid-ul-Fitr had created resentment among local artistes and workers of the industry.
But, the BMPEA was in favour of their release in Bangladesh considering their business interests.
BMPEA leaders said following the ‘assault’, they had lodged a protest and submitted a memorandum to the information minister, and the secretaries to the information, law and home ministries had assured them of taking legal actions against the attackers of Nawshad, who is also a member of the Censor Board.
But, since then, the government officials are surprisingly silent on the matter, Kazi Shoyeb Rashid alleged, adding that “no measures against the attackers have been taken”.
Nawshad told reporters that they were interested in joint-production movies because they want to show good films in theatres.
“Good movies bring the audience to the cinema halls, and that keeps the business running. Nowadays, only Shakib Khan’s films bring people to the theatres. That’s why we are in favour of joint productions.”
He, however, claimed that the exhibitors or theatres owners would not have backed movies co-produced with foreign investors if ‘good story-based movies like Aynabaji’ were regularly made in Bangladesh.
Amid protests from the artistes, the government on Sunday decided to prohibit the production of films with other countries until the passing of a proper guideline.
All joint productions will be put on hold until the fresh and up-to-date guidelines are prepared.