Indian audience stuns Mosharraf Karim in West Bengal drama festival
Mosharraf Karim, the esteemed Bangladeshi actor, graced the Ashokenagar Drama Festival in West Bengal this year, where he inaugurated the six-day event alongside Bratya Basu, a renowned actor-producer from the region. His active participation in two noteworthy incidents during the festival has sparked significant attention and discussion.
Amidst the festival's proceedings, an announcement echoed over the microphone, welcoming Mosharraf Karim as the esteemed guest from Bangladesh, igniting feelings of admiration and pride among the audience. A traditional honour with floral presentations and a crest ensued, followed by Mosharraf expressing his desire to return to the festival for multiple acting engagements in the future, articulating his wish to perform on the festival's stage once more.
His words resonated deeply with the gathered crowd, who responded with unified applause, affirming their support for his aspirations. Narayan Goswami, the festival's initiator, and Bratya Basu both assured the audience of extending another invitation to Mosharraf for the subsequent year's event.
A surprising turn occurred towards the conclusion of Mosharraf's speech when several attendees approached him, requesting a dialogue from a specific play. Despite his confusion about the play referenced, a young man stepped forward, received the microphone from Mosharraf, and delivered a dialogue from the play "Takar Khela," a production featuring Mosharraf and Nadia under Mohon Ahmed's direction.
The adeptness of the devotee's performance left Mosharraf astounded, prompting him to stand on stage, attentively listening to the devotee's rendition for a considerable duration. Later, in the regional language, Mosharraf addressed the audience, expressing his disbelief at someone successfully delivering such a significant dialogue of his, commending the young man for his remarkable portrayal.
At the conclusion of the Ashokenagar Drama Festival, amidst reporters, Mosharraf Karim was queried about the enthusiasm of Bangladeshi cricket enthusiasts following India's loss in the Cricket World Cup. Being mindful of past criticism akin to Chanchal Chowdhury, Mosharraf cautiously emphasised that these discussions should stay on the cricket field.
On another front, after the success of "Dictionary," Mosharraf Karim's next venture in West Bengal, "Hubba," directed by Bratya Basu, encountered a release delay from its initial December schedule. This postponement was attributed to the consecutive releases of high-budget Bollywood movies. Bratya Basu recently revealed that "Hubba" is now releasing on January 19 next year to avoid competing with these heavyweight films, providing the movie a fair chance at the box office.
Explaining the decision, Basu cited concerns about securing screens in theatres due to the simultaneous releases of Ranbir Kapoor's "Animal," Shah Rukh Khan's "Dunki," and Prabhas's "Salaar". The deliberate move to January 19 for "Hubba" was primarily based on business considerations to optimise its commercial prospects.