Bangladesh’s tryst with OTT has rejuvenated Indian viewers’ three-decade-long relationship with Bangladeshi shows, especially thrillers, thanks to their original screenplays, high-quality production and interesting plotlines.
We pick five Bangladeshi thrillers available on the streaming services Hoichoi, Chorki and Zee5 that you can binge-watch.
Taqdeer
Directed by Syed Ahmed Shawki, this Chanchal Chowdhury-starrer has some similarities with the Korean thriller A Hard Day.
The series chronicles the life of Taqdeer Alam (played by Chanchal Chowdhury), who is an ambulance driver who leads a simple life and stays away from trouble. However, in the hope of earning some extra money, Taqdeer often ferries dead bodies and returns with a consignment of fish on his way back to Dhaka. On one such trip, he discovers a dead body inside the freezer containing the consignment of fish. His life takes a turn for the worse from here.
Watch it on: Hoichoi.
Pett Kata Shaw
This web series directed by Nuhash Humayun is a gripping modern-day retelling of old Bengali folktales. It stars Sohail Mondal, Shirin Akter Shila, Afzal Hossain, Chanchal Chowdhury, Pritam Hasan and Novera Rahman in important roles.
In this series, every episode tells a different story, but they are joined by the common thread of horror. Humayun cleverly creates a make-believe world of old folktales where a petni who doesn’t eat uncooked fish will not be out of place. He deftly deals with issues ranging from metaphysics to belief systems, mental health to inherent biases in this knock-out of a thriller.
Watch it on: Chorki.
Mahanagar
Set in Dhaka, this show highlights the systemic corruption that is endemic to the Indian subcontinent. The events of the series unfold at a party attended by the city’s elite.
Afnan Chowdhury (Shamol Mawla), son of industrialist-politician Alamgir Chowdhury (Lutfur Rahman George), is in a bad mood and suddenly leaves the party. He is picked up by the police for crushing a common man to death with his car. Alamgir Chowdhury tries to free his son by bribing the OC (Mosharraf Karim). But things do not go as planned as AC Shahana Huda (Zakia Bari Mamo) plays spoilsport. Written and directed by Ashfaque Nipun, the show is a slow-burner and will keep you hooked till the end, leaving you scrambling for answers.
Watch it on: Hoichoi.
Contract
Directed by Tanim Noor and Krishnendu Chattopadhyay, this show exposes how powerful men run a corrupt system and can get anybody killed for personal gain.
Bastard, a young man, gets the contract to kill notorious gangster Black Ranju. Things get complicated when cop Beg enters the scene. Based on the novel Contract, which is a part of the immensely popular Beg Bastard series by Mohammad Nazimuddin, this action thriller stars Arifin Shuvoo, Chanchal Chowdhury, Shamol Mawla, Zakia Bari Mamo and Rafiath Rashid Mithila in important roles.
Watch it on: Zee5.
Karagar
Syed Ahmed Shawky’s thriller revels in the eerie and mysterious that lurks beneath the surface of ordinary situations.
A man is discovered inside a dark prison. The doors of this cell have not been opened for decades. Even the door lock is rusted. It is as if the stranger has ‘appeared’ in that cell overnight. Head full of white hair spilling onto his neck and forehead, the ‘guest’ is an enigma. He can’t speak or hear and only communicates in sign language. Even his attire is different from the rest of the prisoners. Who is this guy? Where did he come from? This Chanchal Chowdhury-starrer has the answers.
Watch it on: Hoichoi.
