Kolkata: The brutal lynching of Bangladeshi actor Shanto Khan and his producer father Selim Khan on Monday in Bangladesh has numbed Kolkata.
Arindam Das, executive producer of Tollywood, who had worked with Selim for his films in Kolkata, had even spoken to him on Monday afternoon.
Selim, the proprietor and director of Shapla Media, had co-produced the unreleased film ‘Commando’ starring Dev.He had approximately 10 films in various stages of production with numerous prominent Tollywood stars and had directed ‘Tungi Parar Miya Bhai’, a film based on significant events in the life of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. According to a report by The Daily Star, “In Chandpur, Selim Khan, chairman of Lakshmipur Union Parishad, and his son Shanto Khan, an actor, were beaten to death. As the news of Hasina’s resignation spread, Selim and his son fled his village and went to Farakkabad Bazar of Balia Union. When people tried to stop them, they managed to flee by opening fire. When they reached the nearby Bagarabazar area, an angry mob caught and killed them. Chandpur Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sheikh Mohsin Alam confirmed the matter.”
Das recounted, “I had spoken to Selim bhai on Monday. Just a few hours later, Shamim Ahmed Rony — director of ‘Commando’ — called me from the US, inquiring if I had received any news. He said his hands were trembling after hearing a distressing news about Selim Bhai. When I checked, what I discovered left me numb,” he shared.
Apart from Dev’s ‘Commando’, Selim had produced a significant number of Bengali films with Tollywood stars. Shapla Media film’s ‘Ami Neta Hobo’ starring Shakib Khan, was bought in India by Kolkata’s Eskay. In 2022, the production house released ‘Bikkhov’, where Shanto Khan was cast opposite Srabanti Chatterjee, alongside other Tolly actors like Rajatava Dutta and Joydeep Mukherjee. Among his upcoming productions were ‘Agnibina’ with Rituparna Sengupta, ‘Manob Danob’ with Bonny Sengupta and ‘Chhuti’ with Bonny and Koushani Mukherjee.
Dev said, “I had been to Bangladesh several times and floored by the hospitality of the people there. The news of deaths is upsetting. I hope this phase will end and Bangladesh will be back on tracks soon,” he told reporters in Delhi. “This is shocking. I had completed one of his Bangladeshi productions titled ‘Production No. 1’,” Bonny Sengupta said.