Farooki’s ‘Shonibar Bikel’ On OTT Now

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's highly-anticipated film 'Shonibar Bikel (Saturday Afternoon)' has finally received a global release on the Indian OTT platform Sony LIV, after being stuck in a censorship dispute for more than four years.

The director himself confirmed the news on his official Facebook profile. In his post, Farooki stated “Saturday Afternoon is coming to an OTT (platform), finally, on November 24, on Sony LIV. The film can be watched from any other country in the world, except from Bangladesh.”

Although it missed its much-awaited release in Bangladesh, local audiences got a sneak peek of the film in February this year when the trailer was released. The one-shot film, which features an ensemble cast of seasoned actors like Mamunur Rashid, Zahid Hasan, Intekhab Dinar, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Iresh Zaker, and Nusrat Imrose Tisha, among others, has already garnered critical acclaim.

It was released in March in the USA and Canada. Inspired by the 2016 Holey Artisan massacre in Gulshan, 'Shonibar Bikel (Saturday Afternoon)' is Farooki's 8th directorial film and is a Bangladeshi-German-Russian co-production. The film had its world premiere at the Moscow International Film Festival 2019 and won ‘Kumamoto City Award’ from Fukuoka International Film Festival on 2020.

Despite receiving clearance from the Bangladesh Film Censor Board on January 21 this year, the film has been denied censorship for its theatrical release for local audiences due to government clearance issues.