Bengali Beauty

Noor became inspired to write the script for Bengali Beauty one day after hearing Can't Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Vallie.[13] The setting of the film came to him from a film that had been offered to him before as well as a series of interviews with his aunt, actress Mita Rahman, whom used to be a DJ for the popular World Music program on Bangladesh Betar.[13] Bangladesh Betar and World Music are a central to the film's narrative.[14] The style and tone of the film was inspired by Hollywood Vietnam War movies such as Apocalypse Now, Good Morning Vietnam, and Full Metal Jacket as well as Bollywood classis such as Silsila and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.[15]

The film was first announced at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada in May 2016 .[16] Ridy Sheikh was originally cast as Moyna, however, she was later replaced by Mumtaheena Toya.[10][17]

The principal photography commenced on 2 May 2017 and last for one month.[10][17] Bengali Beauty was shot on location at various iconic settings in Dhaka such as Bangladesh Betar, University of Dhaka, and Notre Dame College among others, as these locations remained without renovation since the 1970s and were authentic to the film's script.[18]

Bengali Beauty received the largest international theatrical release of any Bengali language film in history and its total worldwide gross of US$21,327,428 (BDT 180.5 Crores) make it the all-time highest grossing Bengali language film at the worldwide box office.[2][3][4][5][6][12]

Bengali Beauty became the first Bengali language movie to receive a theatrical release in the United States and United Kingdom. The film released on 16 February in USA's Regal Theaters and AMC Theatres and grossed US$546,000 at the box office.[9][11][12] The film released in the UK's Vue Cinemas and Cineworld Cinemas on 23 November and grossed UK£334,000 at the box office.[4][19] Additionally, the film earned BDT 6 lakhs in Bangladesh despite only receiving one show a day for one week at Dhaka's STAR Cineplex and Chittagong's Silver Screen in the film's 12 October Bangladesh release.[20]

On 3 May, Bengali Beauty became the first Bengali language movie to theatrically release in China; releasing under the Chinese title 金色的孟加拉 (pinyin: Jīnsè de mèngjiālā, "Golden Bengal".[6][21] Noor was honored at the China Fashion Awards on 30 June for the film having completed seven weeks in theaters in as many as 700 screens.[22][23] Bengali Beauty grossed US$20,356,783 (BDT 172.3 Crores) at the Chinese Box Office.[2][5]

Critics praised the film's screenplay, direction, music, and the performances of Noor, Sarah Alam, and Ashfique Rizwan.[15][24][25] Faraz Hossain of Prothom Alo described Bengali Beauty as "a movie that touches the heart" and complimented its writing and direction.[26] He further stated, "Outside the traditional Bengali film, this film brings a different taste. There is no need to say this to anyone. The movie itself is saying this to the viewer."[26]

Smita Bannerjee of Brown Girl Magazine similarly lauded the filmmaking, stating "Bengali Beauty sweeps you away on waves of humor, heartbreak, and ravishing romance."[25] She went on to name it her favourite movie of the year, awarding the film four out of five stars.[25]

Sanjay Pati of Urban Asian described the film as "daring and beautiful", in addition to highlighting Noor and Alam's performances, stating, "The film comes alive when DJ Afzal (Noor) and DJ Mita (Sarah Alam) take the mic."[15] Despite being less enthusiastic about Toya's and Pijush Bandyopadhyay's performances, Pati nevertheless gave the film four out of five stars, declaring it "a welcome gift of vintage goods in a dazzling new package."[15]

Nice Noor of NTV documented audience response in Bangladesh with one audience member stating that "watching Bengali Beauty felt like watching a Hollywood movie. The making and direction were excellent. Rahsaan Noor's acting was the best." Another audience member remarked, "I watched a good Bangla movie after a long time. Rahsaan and Sarah [Alam's] acting was outstanding. Toya suited her character very well."[27]

Syed Rumman of NTV Europe praised the film, stating "In a word, Rahsaan Noor's talented entry is an extraordinary addition to Bengali cinema."[27]

On 21 March, the Bangladesh Film Censor Board banned the film from release in Bangladesh.[9] Among the reasons cited by the Censor Board were that the title of the film was unsuitable, Noor's portrayal of a disc jockey in the film was unsuitable, and the scene where Noor's character cries as he reads the news of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's assassination never happened in real life nor was it realistic that anyone would cry.[8][9]

Noor appealed against the Censor Board's decision, and on 5 June, the Appeal Committee overturned the Board's ban citing the freedom of speech and expression.[8]