Television in 2021 at a glance

Popular TV shows of 2021

Among the most popular and widely acclaimed tele-fictions, "Alo", starring Mehazabien Chowdhury, stood out. The story is based on the struggles female police officers go through. Mehazabien received a "Best Actress" award for her role in the drama.

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Other than that, "Gorom Bhater Gondho", "Moronottom", "Ekush Bochor Pore", "Punorjonmo", "Mayer Dak", "Jodi Ami Na Thaki", "Sheshta Onnorokom Chilo", "Leguna Chalok", "Bokuphool", "Breaking News", "Apon", "Talachabi", "Shoth Er Shotto Shomachar", "Shilpi", "Jomoj", "Plus Four Point Five", among others, earned high praise.

Wahid Tarek's "Mr K", Kislu Golam Haider's "Laboni", Vicky Zahed's "Chirokal Aaj", Sanjoy Samaddar's "Troll", Vicky Zahed's "Bhuljonmo", Shihab Shaheen's "Komola Ronger Rod", Iqbal Hasan Khan's "Anowara Monowara", and Shafayet Mansoor Rana's "Akash Bhora Tara" were also well-received.

TV shows have transgressed from romantic and comedy genres, and this effort has continued for the last few years. As a result, the audience for family dramas has spiked.

Various actors starred in OTT originals

Aside from popular actors of television, new actors also jumped on the OTT bandwagon. Some stars have been the highlight of OTT platforms.

Ashfaque Nipun's web series, "Mohanagar",  set Mosharraf  Karim up for success. He also acted in a few more web projects.  Zahid Hasan worked on an OTT platform project for the first time this year. Besides, Zakia Bari Mamo, Moushumi Hamid and many others received love and appreciation from the audience after appearing on web projects.

A busy year for Chanchal Chowdhury, Mosharraf Karim, Afran Nisho and Zahid Hasan

As the busiest actors of television, Chanchal Chowdhury, Mosharraf Karim, Afran Nisho, and Zahid Hasan were occupied with shooting for most of the year. Afran Nisho's diverse roles amazed the audience, as always, while Chanchal Chowdhury was busy with both television and web projects.

Mosharraf Karim's performances earned high praise. Apurba also had his hands full, travelling from one shoot to another.

Collage: Sheikh Mehedi Morshed

Cancelled TV shoots

Meanwhile, due to the coronavirus, a lot of television dramas had to halt their shooting for in the last one and a half years. Many actors were unemployed, but they are back at work now.

Huge backlash

The tele-fiction, "Ghotona Shotto", starring Afran Nisho and Mehazabien, was widely criticised due to its insensitivity towards children with special needs. The actors and the director later apologised publicly. The tele-fiction was taken down from YouTube.

Shooting houses brought back to life

Most shooting houses of Dhaka are located in Uttara. For capturing the essence of rural areas, shooting houses are also placed in Gazipur.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, these houses incurred huge losses, as they were not used, but rent had to be paid to the landowners. This year, the shooting houses were brought back to life.

Annual General Meeting of Actors Equity Bangladesh

Actors Equity Bangladesh arranged its annual general meeting for 2021 at the National Theatre Hall of Shilpakala Academy. Members of Actors Equity Bangladesh, among others, participated in various lively discussions and cultural programmes throughout the celebrations.

Eminent actor and Member of Parliament Asaduzzaman Noor, and playwright Mamunur Rashid were presented with flowers by members of Actors Equity Bangladesh.

'Bokulpur' returned on television

Bokulpur" successfully completed 264 episodes on Deepto TV. However, shooting of the hit series was halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, with the title, "Bokulpur Returns", the show returned on television.

Renewal of old favourites

"Gulshan Avenue" is a beloved mega-serial of BanglaVision. After many years, season two of the show was released this year.

On the other hand, one of the most popular dramas of the year was "Family Crisis". It was broadcast on NTV, and directed by Mostafa Kamal Raz.

Shokh welcomed her first child

Model and actress Shokh took a break from work for a long time. Her becoming a mother this year was a cause for celebration for her fans.

Mahfuz Ahmed announced web film

Mahfuz Ahmed was on a break from acting for several years. But this year, he announced his return. He will soon appear in a webfilm.

Salauddin Lavlu, Brindabon Das working together after 11 years

Salauddin Lavlu and playwright Brindabon Das are close collaborators. However, they have not done a serial together for over a decade. After 11 years, they both started shooting for a series, titled "Shonda Panda".

Translated by Shaniz Chowdhury