Shakib Khan's Eid film 'Toofan' sends fans into frenzy

Dhaka's Star Cineplex and Jamuna Blockbuster Cinemas have doubled screenings, while regional cinemas have scheduled late-night shows

Shakib Khan's latest Eid blockbuster 'Toofan' has created a frenzy among moviegoers. In Dhaka, the craze for tickets escalated to the point where fans resorted to vandalism two days ago.

Special midnight showings are now lighting up cinemas in many districts to meet the insatiable demand.

Toofan, directed by Raihan Rafi, premiered on Eid day, Monday. According to the director, the film is now running 'rampant' in theatres.

To meet the overwhelming demand, Dhaka's Star Cineplex and Jamuna Blockbuster Cinemas have already doubled the number of screenings.

Cinema owners in other regions have also responded to audience demand by scheduling special late-night screenings at 11pm and 12 midnight.

These screenings will take place at Chhayabani Cinema Hall in Mymensingh, Roots Cine Club mini-cinema in Sirajganj, Tamanna Digital Cinema Hall in Syedpur and Grand Sylhet Cineplex.

Despite the ongoing floods causing misery in Sylhet, cinema halls are still packed with audiences eager to watch 'Toofan'.

Md Shafiqul Islam, managing director of Chhayabani Theatre, told Glitz, bdnews24.com's entertainment-based site, that they have been running late-night shows since last Tuesday due to high demand.

"After the 9pm show was full, there were still many people who wanted to see the film. They were locals who couldn't be turned away. So we had to decide to run shows from midnight to 3am. Even those screenings were full. This has been going on for three days, but today it's raining heavily. It may not happen today."

When asked if Chhayabani had ever held a midnight show before, Shafiqul said: "We have never had a midnight show before. This is the first midnight introduced at Chhayabani with 'Toofan'. Our cinema hall has been renovated and there is more audience pressure now."

Samina Islam Neela, president of Sirajganj's 22-seat mini-cinema Roots Cine Club, told Glitz on Thursday they have started a VIP show at 11pm. For this arrangement, all 22 seats have to be booked together.

"Due to audience demand, I was forced to initiate a special VIP show or private screening at 11pm. We started it last night and it will continue tonight," said Neela.

She added: "For safety and security reasons, we do not open the late-night show to the general public. Instead, we offer it as a VIP show or private screening. The rule is that a family can buy all tickets and book the entire hall for the movie. We have four shows for the general people, and this particular show is for families who request it."

Regarding ticket prices for VIP shows, Neela clarified, "The ticket price stays the same, but there's an additional charge for the VIP show."

"We have four employees working during this time, and they are on extra night duty. According to labour laws, we ensure their rights and book the hall with an additional charge to cover these costs. The ticket prices remain unchanged," she added.

Neela said they have received requests for shows at 3am and 7am.

"But we haven't scheduled any shows after 12am because of movie screening regulations. If there's more audience demand, we might start the 7am show," she said.

Despite heavy rain and worsening floods in many areas of Sylhet just two days before Eid, Grand Sylhet Cineplex has scheduled a special 11pm showing of the movie in response to high demand.

Mehedi Hasan, IT manager of the cineplex, told Glitz: "We're facing a tough situation due to the floods, but the movie is doing very well. Despite the circumstances, people in Sylhet are coming to watch the movie.

"Yesterday (Wednesday), we held a showing at 11pm as a large group requested, and they enjoyed the movie together. All our shows at 11am, 2pm, 5pm, and 8pm are also doing very well. It's great to see people enjoying movies even in this rainy and flooded environment."

The authorities of Syedpur's Tamanna Digital Cinema Hall posted on their Facebook page about the 12am show, saying, 'Toofan show is house full amid rain and storm'.

Among the five films released on Eid, Shakib's 'Toofan' has surged ahead in terms of promotion and audience interest right from the start.

Its main attraction is not just Shakib. Alongside actor Chanchal Chowdhury and Kolkata actress Mimi Chakraborty, Rafi has created a buzz by bringing together some of the most popular artists from the country's drama and cinema world on the big screen.

Initially planned for 100 theatres, 'Toofan' was later released in 128 theatres. From the second day onwards, its screenings continued to expand.

The screenplay of the movie narrates the ups and downs of a gangster's life in the nineties. The film features Gazi Rakayet, Misha Sawdagor, Fazlur Rahman Babu, Salahuddin Lavlu, and many others.

'Toofan' is produced by Alpha-I Studios Limited, with Chorki as the digital partner and SVF as the international distributor. Alpha-I also serves as the domestic distributor.