‘Mohanagar’ and ‘Bohemian Ghora’ Head to Netflix as Hoichoi Partnership Brings 14 Series to the Platform
Two popular Bangladeshi web series, ‘Mohanagar’ and ‘Bohemian Ghora’, will soon be available on Netflix, the world's largest streaming platform. Under a new partnership with Hoichoi, a total of 14 of its series are joining the platform. Those involved see the move as a major milestone in the international journey of Bangla content.
‘Mohanagar’, directed by Ashfaque Nipun, will keep its original name on Netflix. ‘Bohemian Ghora’, directed by Amitabh Reza Chowdhury, will instead be released under a new title — ‘Shadi Ka Siyappa’. While one series retains its familiar name, the decision to rename the other is thought to have been taken with a new audience in mind.
In ‘Mohanagar’, Mosharraf Karim plays OC Harun. Built around one night in the life of a Dhaka police station officer-in-charge, the series won praise from viewers and critics alike after its release. The character of OC Harun has become one of the most talked-about roles of Mosharraf Karim's career.
Mosharraf Karim also leads the cast of ‘Bohemian Ghora’. He is joined by Runa Khan, Sadia Ayman, Tanzika Amin and Mousumi Hamid, among others. As a result, two very different performances by Mosharraf Karim will sit side by side in Netflix's new line-up.
Hoichoi says that over the next two years its new series will be released exclusively on Netflix in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Selected older series will also join the platform. The partnership, in other words, is not limited to library content — upcoming productions are part of the deal as well.
The two companies also plan to jointly produce new original series. Bangla stories could therefore be made for Netflix as co-productions rather than only arriving as acquired content. That would create a new kind of opportunity for Bangladeshi creators.
Other series set to join Netflix include ‘Sampurna’, ‘Lojja’, ‘Eken Sirji’, ‘Bloodlines’ and ‘Porinita: A Love Story’. The list spans thrillers, dramas and romances, suggesting that variety of genre was a priority in the selection.
A new series, ‘The Cursed Temple of Kouriburi’, is planned for release on 6 November. Alongside Bangla, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions are due to be published on Netflix. Presenting the same story in four languages at once is part of the partnership's multilingual strategy.
However, the exact Netflix release dates for the two Bangladeshi series, and the countries in which they will be available, have not yet been announced. Nor is it confirmed whether every series will be available in every country. Viewers will have to wait a little longer for answers to those questions.
The partnership gives Bangla content a route to India's much larger audience. Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions could also open the door to South Asia's vast streaming market, far beyond the Bangla-speaking audience to which such series were largely confined before.
At the same time, plans to remake selected stories could help expand the market for Bangla web series, according to those involved. If a successful Bangla series is remade in another language, the scope of work for its makers, actors and crew grows as well.
All told, the Netflix journey of ‘Mohanagar’ and ‘Bohemian Ghora’ is a significant moment for Bangladesh's OTT scene. Once release dates are announced, it will become clear how strongly this new chapter for Bangla series resonates with a global audience.
