SVF

Vishnu Kant Mohta: I think there are some unbelievable talents that exist in Bangladesh

Vishnu Kant Mohta is the executive director of Shree Venkatesh Films (SVF) and co-founder of the Bangla-content streaming platform Hoichoi. The digital content streaming platform has recently been launched in Bangladesh, and will premiere Amitabh Reza Chowdhury’s first web series ‘Dhaka Metro’ on Thursday. In a tête-à-tête with the Dhaka Tribune Showtime’s Faruque Ratul, Vishnu explains the vision behind Hoichoi, and his belief about ‘Dhaka Metro’

Tell us about your journey with Shree Venkatesh Films

I joined SVF in 2004 or 2005. I have been with them for about 12 odd years and I think it has been an amazing journey. Personally speaking, it was a rewarding journey, because I had the chance to see a lot happen in the Bangali content ecosystem. The first wave of technology coming into this industry was in the form of digital cinema, where cinemas were digitized.

That was my first challenge, which was being able to release films across all cinemas simultaneously. Previously, when print or celluloid was being used, films were released only in certain cinemas. Celluloids were really expensive. So digital cinema made films easily available, and they can be released in different theatres simultaneously.

Now, Hoichoi was a global Bangali idea. It was about uniting people who speak Bangla. Bangalis live in both West Bengal and Bangladesh, but there are not that many differences [between them]. Very small, minute, differences exist between different cultures. People of the world needed to see the talents among Bangalis, who live in this South East region. Internet came as a blessing to distribute content much more easily. Hence, Hoichoi had to become a platform for talents. It is not just a content business or a content company.

In the last year-and-a-half, we managed to create a loyal fan base, across the globe. We have been able to showcase some of the best talents, which came out of this part of the world. I think there are some unbelievable talents that exist in Bangladesh. “Dhaka Metro” started more than a year ago, as we discussed today. We wanted to perfect the idea, and we wanted to perfect the slate of ideas that will come out of Bangladesh. “Paachforon” is the first true-born Bangladeshi content that is available on Hoichoi. Now we want to take more content from here and spread it across the globe, which is only possible through the internet—and in our case—it is only possible through Hoichoi….Click here to read the full story