"Talash" and "Omanush" fail miserably in capturing attention of audiences
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Saikat Nasir directorial film "Talash" and Anonno Mamun's "Omanush" were released last Friday (June 17). Both movies received lukewarm response in theatres, and the films failed miserably in capturing the attention of audiences across cinema halls.
The psychological thriller "Talash", which stars Bubly and Ador Azad, was released across 50 cinema halls. "Omanush", which will be Rafiath Rashid Mithila silver screen debut opposite Nirab, was available in 41 halls only.
Both "Talash" and "Omanush" have failed to generate any business since release. People involved with both movies believe that the poor performance is due to the film being released during a period of incessant rain—due to which people have not been able to visit theatres—and also during the ongoing flooding crisis in Sylhet and Sunamganj.
"Talash" is based on the story of an intoxicated rockstar who falls madly in love. The movie also stars Asif Ahsan Khan and Deepak Sumon, in pivotal roles.
"Omanush" revolves around the lives of bandits, and how they operate robberies amidst the backdrop of a jungle. Misha Sawdagar, Shahiduzzaman Selim, Nawshaba Ahmed, Rashed Mamunur Rahman, Don, also star in the movie in important roles.
Both Anonno Mamun and Saikat Nasir annoucned that they would be donating a big percentage of the revenues from their films to the flood victims in Sylhet and Sunamganj. Annono Mamun specified that he would be donating the first week's revenue from ticket sales, while the team of "Talash" declared that they will create a fund with a part of the revenue from the film and distribute it among the flood stricken people.
We talked with the authorities of various cinema halls across the country to learn more about the financial performance of both these movies.
Star Cineplex authorities told on Sunday night that both the movies "Talash" and "Omanush" hardly brought in any audience. They had hoped that audiences will come to watch these movies, unfortunately the turnout was rather poor.
Shyamoli Cinema Hall official, Ahsan Ullah told The Daily Star that "Omanush" isn't performing well at all. "Only 12 people came to watch the movie during the evening show. This has been the case for almost all showings of 'Omanush' throughout the day. After Eid, we thought other movies would do business. But that is not happening."
"And on top of that the Sylhet flood has also affected the business of movies overall," added Ahsan Ullah.
Iftekhar Uddin Nowshad, managing director of Madhumita Hall, told : "The condition of cinema halls in the country is very bad. I think a paan seller earns more than us. We were only able to generate BDT 5,000 with the combined revenue of all the shows. If this pattern continues, we will have to close our halls soon."
"The booming business that we experienced during Eid came to an abrupt end with the poor performance from these movies. I am very disappointed with the box office performance of these two films," said Iftekhar Uddin.
Rubel of Bogura Modhuban Cineplex said "We have no audiences coming to our threatre. I don't understand why audiences do not come to the halls. We have no way option left but to show Hindi movies to generate an audience."
"Omanush" director Anonno Mamun told that he is very happy with the feedback he is receiving for the movie.
"I am getting a lot of positive feedback for the movie. Nowadays directors don't make movies for the sake of generating revenue from the box office. I was able to generate a good revenue from the movie prior to its release. And we will be going to Sylhet today to give relief to the flood victims," said Anonno Mamun.
Zahid Hasan, head of Avi Kathachitra, a distributor of "Talash", told The Daily Star that they have received good feedback from the audiences as well.
"We are really happy that the audiences were able to enjoy the story of 'Talash'. Even though it has been raining incessantly since the movie was released, we still managed to get a good amount of people into the in the halls," said Zahid Hasan.
"Nowadays, the movie business is no longer just hall-centric. There are many mediums such as OTT and television, where these movies can be watched. Seven to eight years ago, there was a huge movie business during Eid, but now this is no longer the case. I hope the audience will come to the cinema in the upcoming days," added Hasan.
The Daily Star
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