Director announces 'Shyama Kabya' withdrawal from Cineplex, says he was humiliated

Film director and scriptwriter Badrul Anam Saud, whose film 'Shyama Kabya' premiered at Star Cineplex on 3 May, stunned his followers and fans by announcing the withdrawal of his film from the cinema on 5 May.

In a Facebook post, Saud cited various discrepancies in projection at Star Cineplex, which he claimed affected the narrative of his film. 

"Due to projection issues, the audience was given an inaccurate experience of the movie. As a result of which, I cancelled an almost houseful show on the opening day," he said. 

"We noted inappropriate timing of the interval. It was given in between a sequence. We question the integrity of the projectionist for this mishap as the show resumed within a sequence after the interval," read his status. 

He further mentioned there were some discrepancies within the same ticket sales stats as well. 

"I would like to withdraw my film from Star Cineplex. Please don't project any of our shows," he said.

He later elaborated on his reasons for withdrawal in a Facebook Live session. 

Saud recounted how despite complaining about projection issues in Hall 3, his film was relocated to a better hall, while Shakib Khan's 'Rajkumer' replaced it in Hall 3. 

"I felt humiliated as Star Cineplex kept on telling me that my film would be dropped if the audience turnover didn't improve," Saud expressed his frustration. "They even compared how Shakib Khan's film is doing so well in the theatre," said the director. 

He emphasized the stark contrast in treatment between his film and Shakib Khan's, stating, "Shakib Khan is the biggest star of our country; even a hall with bad projection issues cannot affect its turnover. But I didn't need a constant reminder of how my film will be dropped."

Acknowledging the universal rule that films facing poor sales may be dropped by distributors, Saud reiterated that such reminders were unnecessary and humiliating for a filmmaker and that is why he made the difficult decision to withdraw the film merely three days into its screening.

Mesbah Uddin Ahmed, senior manager of Media and Marketing at Star Cineplex, responded to local media, attributing the film's withdrawal to low audience turnout and not mentioning the projection issues raised by Saud.

Badrul Anam Saud rose to prominence with his debut feature film, 'Gohin Baluchor.' His latest psychological thriller, 'Shyama Kabya,' features Shohel Mondol and Neelanjona Neela, depicting the story of a college teacher who secludes himself in his home due to a traumatic childhood incident.

"Shyama Kabya" received international acclaim at the Gange Sur Seine Film Festival in Paris, winning awards in four categories.