‘Bonolota Express’ movie screening in Bangladesh’s Brahmanbaria called off over ‘obscenity’

Local religious leaders claim Bonolota Express promotes “anti-Islamic ideas”

A planned screening of the film Bonolota Express in Brahmanbaria has been postponed by organisers following objections from a local religion-based student group.

The screening had been scheduled for Saturday by the Brahmanbaria Film Society as part of its ongoing “Bhatghumer Cinema Adda” initiative, which has been screening films regularly over the past year.

On Thursday and Friday, members of the Brahmanbaria District Qawmi Chhatra Oikya Parishad campaigned on Facebook against the event, triggering debate online.

One of the group's leaders, Hafez Nasrullah Muaz, shared the event poster on Facebook marked with a red cross and called for the screening to be stopped.

In the post, he said such activities should be halted immediately and urged the administration to take effective steps to preserve the district's “religious and social environment”.

At an emergency meeting organised by the district Qawmi alliance, speakers alleged that a group was attempting to promote “anti-Islamic ideas” and “obscenity” through the film screening and vowed to oppose the event.

Tawza Khandakar, an organiser and economics student at Brahmanbaria Government College, said members of the film society met MP Khaled Hossain Mahbub on Friday evening.

“He assured us that he would discuss the matter with Qawmi students and religious leaders and later inform us of the outcome,” Tawza said.

The organisers also said they had sought assistance from the administration but received no response.

Mohaiminul Azbin, an advisor to the film society, said three members of the organisation, including general secretary Bakhtiar Shahriar, had met the head teacher of Annada Government High School and submitted a written application for permission to use the venue for the film screening.

However, acting head teacher Sabina Yasmin disputed that claim.

“Some former students met me and said they would gather in the hall room for a reunion and discussion. That was all,” she said.

“I was not informed that a film screening would be organised at the school, and I did not provide any written approval for such an event,” she added.