Shuvoo, Faria headline Anam Biswas' football drama ‘Thikana Bangladesh’

“Thikana Bangladesh”, a film inspired by the remarkable story of the Swadhin Bangla Football Team during Bangladesh's Liberation War, officially began its release campaign by unveiling its first poster yesterday, (July 25), a date that holds profound historical significance.

Directed by Anam Biswas, the film marks the beginning of its journey to audiences with the release of the poster, deliberately timed to coincide with one of the most memorable moments in Bangladesh's Liberation War.

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On this day in 1971, the Swadhin Bangla Football Team played against the Nadia Football XI in India, becoming the first Bangladeshi football team to take the field abroad under the red-and-green flag. The match remains a proud chapter in the nation's struggle for independence, symbolising not only sporting excellence but also the fight to build international support for Bangladesh's liberation. That history, along with the team's courage and patriotism, forms the heart of “Thikana Bangladesh”.

Echoing that spirit, the film's first poster depicts a footballer's statue standing before a flood-submerged landscape in war-ravaged Bangladesh, while fighter aircraft soar overhead and the national flag flies prominently beside it. The imagery symbolises football's unique role as a form of resistance during the Liberation War.

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The government-funded project, which received a grant in the 2019–20 fiscal year, features an ensemble cast including Arifin Shuvoo, Nusraat Faria, Rezwan Parvez, Khairul Basar, Irfan Sajjad, Azad Abul Kalam and Shatabdi Wadud.

Sharing the poster on Facebook, director Anam Biswas revealed that the film is now nearing completion after overcoming numerous challenges.

“After weathering many storms, ‘Thikana Bangladesh’ is almost complete. So, on 25 July 25, we are beginning our conversation with the audience. It was on this very day in 1971 that the story of the Swadhin Bangla Football Team began through a blood-stirring football match. For the first time, the red-and-green flag flew beyond the country's borders. Let our conversation begin on this historic day," he wrote.

Biswas also said the team is planning to release the film later this year and has begun its promotional campaign in phases with that goal in mind.

More than a war film, “Thikana Bangladesh” tells the story of how the Swadhin Bangla Football Team used the beautiful game to inspire patriotism and rally international support for Bangladesh's independence. After years of anticipation, audiences are expected to witness this extraordinary chapter of the nation's history on the big screen when the film is released later this year.