Home
+
Published : 08 Jun 2025, 12:16 AM
What was supposed to be a dramatic climax on screen turned into real-life mayhem inside the theatre.
A technical glitch during the screening of Dhallywood superstar Shakib Khan starrer 'Taandob'—ironically meaning “destruction”—sparked mayhem on Eid day at Chhayabani Cinema Hall in Mymensingh, where angry moviegoers vandalised the venue and reportedly looted parts of it in frustration.
The incident occurred during the final moments of the 3:30pm show on Saturday at the hall located on CK Ghosh Road in Mymensingh city.
The two-storey cinema, which seats 750 people, descended into chaos when the movie suddenly stopped due to a technical fault.
Audience members, enraged by the disruption, reportedly vandalised the inside of the theatre and its premises. Several seats, chairs, posters, as well as the doors and windows of the ticket counter, were damaged in the outburst.
A show was cancelled, and the hall remained closed from 6pm to 7pm, before police arrived to bring the situation under control and screenings resumed.
CHAOS
Al-Amin Hossain, a moviegoer who travelled from Sherpur to watch the film, criticised the theatre’s management.
“This is one of the better halls in the division,” he said. “How could they schedule a major release during Eid without ensuring proper technical checks?”
He also described poor conditions inside the hall, including standing water and ticketing issues.
“The movie just stopped before it ended, that’s simply unacceptable. That’s why the audience reacted the way they did.”
Another viewer, Hasan Zakir, pointed to poor crowd management and continued ticket sales despite a full house.
“Even though the show wasn’t over, tickets were still being sold non-stop,” he said.
“Sometimes the sound would cut out; at other times, the screen would go black. It was incredibly frustrating. Taandob is a superhit film, so of course the crowd was upset.”
Al-Amin Sheikh, the hall’s cashier, said the glitch was fixed quickly, but the damage had already begun.
“People on the second floor started throwing chairs down—it could have caused serious injuries,” he said.
“They smashed up the chairs, the cash counter, and even looted money. If this keeps happening, we won’t be able to keep the hall open.”
Assistant Sub-Inspector Md Rasel of Mymensingh Metropolitan Police Outpost No. 3 said law enforcement responded promptly.
“This was a reaction driven by emotion,” he said. “Yes, problems happen—but vandalism is never the solution.”
A HALL WITH A FADING PAST
Once part of a thriving cinema scene in Mymensingh, Chhayabani is the last surviving hall from the city’s golden era of film. In the 1980s, five cinemas, namely Ajanta, Chhayabani, Alka, Purabi, and the Sena Auditorium, drew large crowds.
That changed with the rise of low-quality films, dwindling attendance, and the 2002 cinema hall bombings, which accelerated the decline.
Ajanta, Alka, and Sena Auditorium eventually shut down. Purabi was recently demolished, and a multi-storey building is now under construction on its site.
Today, only Chhayabani remains.
Apart from the two Eid seasons, the hall sees very low footfall and has struggled to stay open.
But on this Eid, the release of Shakib's blockbuster Taandob brought a rare surge in demand, more than the hall could handle.
