Release of at least two Bengali films have been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, industry sources said.
Late actor Tapas Paul's last film Banshi, co-directed by Tuhin Sinha and Rahul, was scheduled to be released on Friday but has been postponed till the theatres reopen.
"Tapas-da was very much eager to know the audience response to his portrayal in this film, which is based on real-life situations, but he left us about a month before the scheduled release. We were anticipating an encouraging box office response to this film," said Sinha.
Nothing is more important than people's lives and we hope that once the crisis is tackled, the film can be released, he added.
Director Raj Chakraborty's Dharmayuddha, which was scheduled to release on April 3, has also been hit due to the outbreak.
The release of Dharmayuddha has been postponed as public safety is more important, Chakraborty, who has also produced the film, said.
More From This Section
"We will think about a new release date after talking to all, including friends in the industry, and based on the advisory of the government," he said.
Dharmayuddha starred Ritwik Chakraborty and Subhasree Ganguly, among others.
Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy's Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti were running to near-packed houses since March 6 before the cinema halls were shut on March 17.
"The film recovered its production cost within the first nine days. It was running to packed houses from Ballygunge to Barrackpore and beyond. The day it was suspended, it was full in most theatres, including Nandan," a source close to the production house said.
"We are sure all those theatres would screen the film again once the lockdown is over," she said.
The film stars Ritabhori Chakraborty and Shubhasis Mukherjee, among others.
Anik Dutta's 'Borun Babur Bondhu' also received a good response after its release on February 28, a source at the production house said.
The film starred Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee, Kaushik Sen and Arpita Chatterjee, among others.