Afran Nisho appears as a prisoner to promote his upcoming film ‘Daagi’

Popular actor Afran Nisho surprised onlookers by appearing in a prisoner’s outfit at Gulshan Shooting Club on Thursday afternoon, as part of an innovative promotional strategy for his upcoming film ‘Daagi’.

With long hair, a full beard, prison attire (numbered '786'), and handcuffs, Nisho arrived in a police van and was escorted by two men acting as police personnel. Typically, convicts wear such attire after sentencing.

Set to release this Eid, ‘Daagi’ marks Nisho’s second feature film in which he plays a convicted criminal. After gaining massive attention with his debut film, 'Surongo', Nisho is returning to the silver screen after two years.

During the film’s press conference at Gulshan Shooting Club, director Shihab Shaheen removed the handcuffs from Nisho's hand on stage. Speaking about the unique promotional approach, Nisho said, "We often see innovative promotional campaigns for films abroad. That inspired me to appear as a prisoner today. Audiences will see me as a ‘Daagi’ (marked criminal) on the big screen from Eid day across theatres nationwide."

Director Shihab Shaheen described 'Daagi' as a story of redemption. "It is a tale of love, separation, and repentance featuring the characters Nishan and Zerin, and the film also explores the experience of imprisonment," he said.

"Once someone bears the mark of prison, they carry it for life. That is where the importance of forgiveness comes in, which is not only a key aspect of our lives but also a fundamental principle of religion and humanity. That’s why we are calling ‘Daagi’ a story of redemption," Shihab Shaheen added.

The press conference was also attended by actresses Tama Mirza and Sunerah Binte Kamal, actor Gazi Rakayet, and actress Monira Mithu, also joined by the producers of the film – Alpha-I managing director Shahriar Shakil and Chorki CEO Redoan Rony.

The film was shot in Syedpur, Rajshahi, and Dhaka, with Shahiduzzaman Selim, Gazi Rakayet, Mili Bashar, Rashed Mamun Apu, AK Azad Setu, and others playing key roles.

Produced by SVF, Alpha-I Entertainment Ltd and Chorki, the film’s story, screenplay, and dialogues were also written by director Shihab Shaheen. The title track of 'Daagi’, sung by Afran Nisho himself, was released on Wednesday. The song was written by Russell Mahmud and composed by Arafat Mohsin Nidhi, with Nisho performing alongside him.

This Eid, several notable films are set to hit theatres, including Shakib Khan’s 'Borbaad' and his previously made film 'Antoratta', Siam Ahmed starrer 'Jongli', Mosharraf Karim starrer 'Chokkor 302', and Sajal-Nusraat Faria’s 'Jinn-3' from Jazz Multimedia.

When asked about competition, producers Shahriar Shakil and Redoan Rony expressed positivity, saying, "The fact that audiences will be able to watch their preferred films in 150 theatres nationwide this Eid is a matter of joy for our entire film industry." They also extended their best wishes to all the upcoming releases and said that the hall list for ‘Daagi’ will be officially announced on the eve of Eid, aka the 'Chand Raat'.