Utshob (Bengali)
Utshob is a 2025 Bangladeshi comedy drama film directed and produced by Tanim Noor under the banner of Dope Productions, with Chorki and Laughing Elephant serving as co-producers. The story of the film was inspired on A Christmas Carol author by Charles Dickens. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Zahid Hasan, Jaya Ahsan, Aupee Karim, Chanchal Chowdhury, Afsana Mimi, Tariq Anam Khan, Azad Abul Kalam, Intekhab Dinar, Sunerah Binte Kamal, Shoumya Joyti, and Sadia Ayman.
The film’s screenplay was written by Ayman Asib Shadhin and Samiul Bhuiyan, with Rashed Zaman served as the cinematographer. It was theatrically released on Eid al-Adha 2025 and met with critical acclaim from both critics and audiences.
Plot
In Shantinir area of Mohammadpur, Dhaka, Mobarak celebrates Eid on the roof of his community center along with his relatives. While performing on stage, he suddenly falls into the throes of death before he can finish the song.
One year later, Jahangir, the narrow-minded younger cousin of Mobarak, is running a decorative business in Shantinir, intent on demolishing the community center. The residents of the area are annoyed at him and complain about his behavior and lifestyle, calling him “Khaishta Jahangir” (Rude/Ill-tempered Jahangir). Jahangir’s nephew, who has permanently returned from Canada and whom Jahangir does not care about much, invites him to his house for Eid the next day, and gifts him a Punjabi.
That night, mysterious events start taking place in Jahangir’s house; he wakes up from a nightmare in which he sees Mobarak’s spirit foretelling him about ghosts showing him his past, present and future. He then finds Chanchal Chowdhury in his house, claiming to be the “ghost of the Past” in the form of the actor. The ghost shows Jahangir’s past life, starting from the death of his parents and shift to Mobarak’s house, the death of his elder sister, then meeting a student named Jesmin whom he falls in love with and later marries, on the conditions that he allows Jesmin to continue studying and Jesmin takes care of his nephew Joy like a mother.
The ghost disappears all of a sudden, and the ghost of Present appears in the form of Jaya Ahsan, showing him his life after marriage. Due to him growing self-centered and rude towards Jesmin and Joy, their relationship begins to weaken. His elder sister’s husband comes and takes Joy to London with him. Afraid of losing Jesmin, he hides her admit card, preventing her from attending her exams. She later finds the card in a box. Frustrated, she divorces and leaves him. Jahangir states he never tried to find out where she went.
The ghost returns him to his house and disappears. Going out for a walk, he meets the ghost of the Future in the form of Aupee Karim, who shows him the events to occur the next day; first he is shown the poor condition of his coworkers, then his nephew – revealed to be Joy – talking with his wife about Jahangir, and then an elderly Jesmin who is now living with her family in Dhaka.
Returning to the present, Jahangir meets a doctor and narrates the whole story to him. The doctor helps him realize that the ghosts have made him look back at his past mistakes; this inspires him to give up his ill manners. The next day, he pays his respects to Mobarak at the graveyard and starts treating his neighbors with more kindness, and meets Jesmin, who reveals that her first child, Esha, is actually Jahangir’s daughter. He meets Esha and invites her at the Eid celebration party, as well as Joy’s family. At the party, he promotes his coworker, announcing his retirement, and also announces his decision to keep the community center intact in memory of Mobarak. Jesmin herself comes and drops Esha at the center with Jahangir, who then celebrate Eid together. The film ends with the three ghosts, still in the forms of the actors, watching fireworks in the city from a rooftop.
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