After a year of successful run, SVF’s digital entertainment app Hoichoi is back with season 2. In its first season there were more than 500 Bengali movies, about thousand songs, 22 original shows and 20 short films to choose from. The audience has spent about 230 million minutes watching its 1,400 hour-long content in the past one year. The total page view had crossed more than 140 million with nearly 22 million streaming.
Encouraged by such healthy numbers, Hoichoi has come up with another 100-hour of new content to offer to its subscribers. There will be 30 more new web series including, Bidyut, Japani Doll, Dhanbad Blues, The Experiment, Spiti Valley, VJ-Bhow-Mik, Taranath Tantric, Nishachor, Tansen er Tanpura, Bong Janani, Cell Number 42, Bloody Mary, Nikhoj, Murder By The Lake, Miss Tipsy, Dhaka Metro, Choritroheen, Money Honey, Bou Keno Psycho, Paanch Foron and Comedy of Terrors. The top twelve Bengali movies of the year including, Ek Je Chhilo Raja, Criss Cross, Byomkesh Gotro, Adventures of Jojo, and Shah Jahan Regency, will also witness world digital premiere in this platform.
Based on a character created by author Bibhuti Bhusan Bandyopadhyay, Taranath Tantrik will be directed by renowned filmmaker Q. “It’s a character dwelling on the fringes of the society, a practitioner of dark art, of which I am a big fan since I have myself lived in that zone for quite some time. In fact, all my movies, some way or the other deal with this thing. I have been living and breathing this character, working on it for three years, now. We published a graphic novel on Taranath Tantric and also did an installation of his house in Kolkata Book Fair. I decided on web platform since it’s flexible in format and allow different kinds of narrative patterns,” says Q, an international award-winning director, now settled in Goa.
Japani Doll will be all about the craze around sex dolls, while Dhanbad Blues will see actor Rajatava Dutta playing a failed filmmaker, who is valued by the coal mafias. The web series of Byomkesh will see the adaptation of Chorabali, where again Anirban Bhattacharya will be reprising the role of the sleuth. Miss Tipsy will be a detective erotica, while Bou keno Psycho is a dark comedy.
The 12 original movies that will be released in Hoichoi include Biryani, Do Not Disturb, Rong Bodol, The Festival and Teen Cup Cha. Teen Cup Cha will be three different stories directed by three directors including Mainak Bhowmik, Debalay Bhattacharya and Pathikrit Basu revolving round a cup of tea.
The series which will see a season 2 re-run include Dupur Thakurpo, Ekon Eken, Hello2 and Sei Je Holud Pakhi.
To further boost its viewership Hoichoi app will be available in Bengali interface, too. Some of the original shows will have dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil, Telegu and Arabic languages. Hoichoi top-up cards will also available in local kirana stores along with merchandise, such as, mobile covers, fridge magnets, bottle opener, T-shirt and key rings.