Biman drops Tanvir Mokammel's 'Lal Shalu', 'Chitra Nodir Pare' from in-flight screening
The national carrier says its in-flight entertainment content is regularly changed or rotated, usually on a quarterly basis, due to licensing agreements, storage limitations, and passenger satisfaction.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines has decided not to screen eminent filmmaker Tanvir Mokammel's two multiple National Award-winning films, Lal Shalu and Chitra Nodir Pare, on its flights from 1 October.
The filmmaker confirmed the matter to The Business Standard today (29 September).
He said, "Biman informed me of the decision about a week ago. No official reason was given for dropping the two films."
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The director further said, "I saw no reason why the two films should not be screened on Biman flights, particularly as they have collectively recorded 4.56 million views on YouTube."
"Instead, Biman will screen two of my other works – the feature film 'Lalon' and the documentary 'Karnaphulir Kanna', under a new contract effective from October," Tanvir added.
According to media reports, Lalon was also not approved for screening on Biman flights in 2025, when the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus was in power.
Lal Shalu, based on Syed Waliullah's acclaimed novel of the same name and starring Raisul Islam Asad in the lead role, was released in 2001 and won eight National Film Awards.
Chitra Nodir Pare, released in 1999, is set against the backdrop of the 1947 Partition and features actors including Toukir Ahmed, Afsana Mimi, Momtazuddin Ahmed, Raushan Jamil and Sumita Devi. The film received seven National Film Awards.
The filmmaker has directed several acclaimed films and documentaries focusing on Bangladesh's history, society, culture and politics.
Meanwhile, Biman Bangladesh Airlines said its in-flight entertainment (IFE) content is regularly changed or rotated, usually on a quarterly basis, due to licensing agreements, storage limitations and passenger satisfaction.
The airline said it does not own the films and shows it screens. Instead, it obtains temporary screening rights from content service providers (CSPs) through media brokers for a specific content cycle.
"At the end of each content cycle, the airline is legally required to remove the content for which the licensing period has expired," Biman said.
It also said the physical servers on aircraft have limited storage capacity, meaning older content must be removed to make space for new additions.
Biman said regular changes to the IFE menu are also necessary to keep the viewing experience engaging, particularly for business and frequent travellers.
The airline said CSPs process, edit and transcode content for specific aircraft hardware before the files are uploaded through physical data loading or local airport Wi-Fi synchronisation while the aircraft is on the ground.
"Due to this complex process, Biman Bangladesh Airlines schedules these updates on a specific monthly cycle," it said.
