Wissenswertes

Shonibar Bikel (2019) is inspired on the Dhaka terror attack incident of 1st July, 2016. Five armed gunmen held up customers, mostly foreigners, at the Holey Artisan Bakery, Gulshan for 12 hours. They eventually killed 18 guests, two bakery staffs and two first respondent police officers. Among the dead victims are nine Italian citizens, seven Japanese, four Bangladeshis, one Indian and one American-Bangladeshi. All five gunmen were later killed when commandos from Bangladesh Army stormed the café in the morning of 2nd July in order to free the remaining hostages and bring an end to the siege.

The film was banned in Bangladesh by the Film Censor Board of Bangladesh in January 2019, but was ultimately released in January 2023 after four years of petitions and protest by various organizations and the general public.