Within 29 days of its release, “Utshob” has crossed Tk 5 crore in ticket sales across the country’s multiplexes. The film has also performed beyond expectations in international markets such as Australia and the United States. Currently, it is running with the highest number of shows in several Cineplexes.

What was supposed to be a conversation on Jaya’s spectacular success in both “Taandob” and “Utshob” soon turned into a pseudo-political discussion on the future of women in the country. How could it not? The entire country has meanwhile been shaken to its core after the brutal rape of a woman in Cumilla.

The special screening at Star Cineplex's SKS Tower branch was attended by several noted personalities, including renowned filmmaker and Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, economist and BRAC Chairperson Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, teacher-writer-columnist Anu Muhammad, politician Zonayed Saki, and prominent artists and professionals from the media industry.

The actor was admitted to a hospital in Dhaka with pneumonia on June 6, just a day before Eid-ul-Azha, and was unable to join his co-stars in the film’s promotional campaign. From his hospital bed, he watched reviews pour in and audiences respond with warmth—something he described as profoundly moving.