“Udhao”, the drama thriller that marked the directorial debut of talented young filmmaker Amit Ashraf, released yesterday online on an on-demand streaming service. In a rare move for Bangladeshi films, “Udhao” is now available on the Vimeo on Demand service, with options for 30-day streaming period (for US$ 2.99) and streaming anytime (for US$ 5.99).

The film, starring Shahed Ali, Shakil Monir Ahmed, Animesh Aich and Nawshaba among others, saw a limited release in Bangladesh in 2013, and was praised critically despite not resonating with the average filmgoer. The film however, traveled to 21 film festivals in the USA, Sweden, Ireland, Norway, Italy and Portugal, and won seven awards in total. 

Amit, who studied in a creative arts programme at New York University, is well aware of the global happenings and trends in entertainment, as is evident from the impressive festival numbers on his film. The rather bold initiative to put a film up for web-streaming for a price, targeted presumably at expatriates and foreign audiences, is certainly commendable, and will show path for upcoming independent filmmakers as well.