Published on 12:26 PM, January 04, 2024

Apurba-Tanjin Tisha starrer ‘Premchobi’ dubbed in Hindi

Photo: Screengrab from "Premchobi"

A new chapter in Bengali drama/telefilm has unfolded globally, originating not from Bangladesh or India but from the UK – the Hindi dubbing of a Bengali telefilm, with English subtitles, thus scored a significant milestone.

On January 2, the Bengali telefilm "Premchobi", starring Apurba and Tanjin Tisha, was released on the YouTube channel of the UK-based Jafreen Studio. Although labeled as a 'movie' in the caption, the quality of the work is commendable. The meticulous Hindi dubbing of the actors, synchronised with their Bengali expressions, is particularly noteworthy and deserves praise.

Hence this marked the first occurrence of such a measure in the Bangladeshi drama/telefilm market.

"Premchobi", is not a recent creation. Rubel Hasan produced the telefilm six years ago in 2018, with the screenplay written by UK expatriate Jafreen Sadia. Essentially, the Hindi dubbed project was released from London.

In response to being asked about choosing to dub an old telefilm in the new era, producer Jafreen shared with Bangla Tribune, "For a long time, I had a question in my mind – if English, Turkish, or Iranian language-based content can gain huge popularity by being dubbed in Bangla, then why wouldn't Bengali drama be popular in foreign countries? My initiative aims to find the answer to that question. I want non-Bengali viewers to watch our well-made projects so that our stories, styles, and artistes will be seen around the world. 'Premchobi' is my first venture in this direction, and similarly, I am in the process of dubbing several other projects in Hindi."

Jafreen Sadia mentioned that she has received a positive response after releasing the telefilm in Hindi. She believes that it will take a little more time to gain further popularity. The original dubbing for "Premchobi" has been carried out in two professional studios in India and London.

Meanwhile, director Rubel Hasan, said, "'Premchobi' was actually produced a long time ago and has obtained millions of views in Bangla. Now, it has been released in Hindi, and it's a positive initiative. We hope to reach Hindi-speaking audiences through this. However, I believe such initiatives would be more effective if they involve new projects rather than old ones."

Jafreen Sadia, the entrepreneur behind the Hindi dubbing of Bengali dramas, announced that she will soon release the Hindi versions of two more old dramas titled "Rajkumar" and "Mone Prane" on YouTube.