Eskay Movies

Eskay Movies was founded by Ashok and Himanshu Dhanuka in 1988.[1] In 2005, Eskay released their first feature film, Chore Chore Mastuto Bhai, starring Mithun Chakraborty, Chiranjeet Chakraborty, Jisshu Sengupta.[2] From 2008, Eskay would begin to release films every year, such as Bhalobasa Bhalobasa,[3] Dujone,[4][5] and Jamai Raja.

Eskay Movies released two films in 2010, Kohono Biday Bolo Na and Wanted, the latter of which became popular for its director-actor duo of Rabi Kinagi and Jeet.[6] After releasing Hello Memsaheb, Eskay would go on to release Fighter[7] and Shotru[8] in 2011.

Eskay began 2012 with the critically acclaimed film Khokababu starring Dev and Subhashree Ganguly,[9][10] which became one of the highest grossing Bengali films. Eskay would go on to release Bikram Singha: The Lion Is Back[11][12] and Idiot.[13] After the successful release of Kanamachi,[14] Eskay released Khoka 420[15] and Khiladi,[16] with the former becoming a box office success.[17] Eskay has also acquired the rights to remake the hit youth-centric romantic comedy Kannada movie Googly.[18]

Eskay Movies' sole release in 2014 was Ami Shudhu Cheyechi Tomay, which was co-produced with Bangladeshi film company Action Cut Entertainment.[19] The film, which won the award for Best Bengali Film at the 2015 Kalakar Awards, would go on to spark a trend of Indo-Bangla joint venture films, most of which would be a co-production of Eskay Movies and Jaaz Multimedia.[20]

Aside from their film Mayer Biye,[21] Eskay Movies co-produced three films with Jaaz Multimedia in 2015: Romeo vs Juliet, Agnee 2 and Aashiqui: True Love. Despite having initial success with the audience,[22] Romeo vs Juliet, a remake of the film Jatt & Juliet, was panned critically.[23] Agnee 2, a sequel to the Bangladeshi film Agnee, was released to commercial success[24] but mixed critical reception.[25] Aashiqui: True Love would launch the career of actress Nusrat Faria in both India and Bangladesh.[26][27]

Eskay Movies released seven films in 2016, all of which were co-produced by Jaaz Multimedia: Angaar, Hero 420, Niyoti, Badsha – The Don, Shikari, Prem Ki Bujhini and Rokto. The year began with two films starring Om, Angaar,[28] a drama, and Hero 420, a romantic comedy.[29] Hero 420 was released for the occasion of Valentine's Day, releasing on 12 February in India and 19 February in Bangladesh.[30][31] After debuting in Angaar, Jolly starred alongside acclaimed actor Arifin Shuvo in the film Niyoti, which released in India in June[32] and in Bangladesh in August.[33] Badsha – The Don, a remake of the film Don Seenu starring Jeet[34] and Nusrat Faria, received commercial success[35][36] and mixed critical reception.[37] Shikari, which stars Shakib Khan and Srabanti Chatterjee,[38][39] was a commercial success[35][36] and received critical acclaim,[40][41] leading to a Best Film win at the Kalakar Awards, where Srabanti Chatterjee also won Best Actress.[42] Shikari also led for two Best Actor wins for Shakib Khan, at the Tele Cine Awards[43] and Bangladesh's Meril Prothom Alo Awards.[44] Prem Ki Bujhini received negative reception[45] while Rokto received mixed reception.[46]

In 2017, Eskay Movies released two Indian films, The Bongs Again and Byomkesh O Agnibaan, and two films co-produced with Jaaz Multimedia, Nabab and Doob: No Bed of Roses. The Bongs Again, a sequel to The Bong Connection, received mixed reception.[47] Byomkesh O Agnibaan, a sequel to Byomkesh O Chiriyakhana, also received mixed reception.[48][49] Both Nabab and Doob were a box office successes and received critical acclaim,[50][51][52][53] but Doob, starring Irrfan Khan, received international praise,[54][55][56] competing at the Shanghai International Film Festival[57] and winning at the Moscow International Film Festival.[58]