Will Dramas, Music and Movies Be Shut After 7 PM?

To intensify electricity-saving activities, the government has directed that ongoing and upcoming fairs, trade fairs, and cultural events in various areas must conclude by 7 PM. However, cultural activists are questioning whether this directive allows the use of generators or permits cultural events to be held indoors inside auditoriums.

Additionally, the government's directive remains unclear about whether movies can be screened in cinema theatres across the country after 7 PM. Many are confused about this. In this context, some cultural activists have asked: Will cultural events including dramas, songs, and movies be shut down after 7 PM?

On Monday, a directive was issued by the Coordination-2 Branch of the Power Division and sent to mayors and administrators of all city corporations, divisional commissioners, and district deputy commissioners.

According to the directive, previous instructions mandated that shops, malls, and markets remain open until 7 PM, that all billboard lights be turned off by 7 PM, and that ongoing or upcoming fairs, trade fairs, and cultural events across the country be concluded by 7 PM. Later, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha, a temporary decision was made to keep shops, malls, and markets open until 10 PM.

In continuation of that, the directive informed that from June 1, the government has decided that shops, malls, and markets will remain open until 7 PM instead of 10 PM. It further stated that this time limit will also apply to ongoing and upcoming fairs, trade fairs, and cultural events in various parts of the country.
Theater activists and performers question the government's directive on cultural events after 7 PM.
Apurba Mehedi, Executive Editor of Khepa theater magazine and a member of Aranyak Natyadal (Aranyak Theater Troupe), told Agamir Somoy: "Every evening, theater performances take place at the Shilpakala Academy, the Mahila Samiti, and several other auditoriums in Dhaka. These are staged indoors. The government's directive should clarify whether it applies to outdoor cultural events or also to indoor ones. Furthermore, the notice does not make it clear whether someone can organize a cultural event using a generator. There are many traditional cultural events that have been held after evening for years. The government should review this directive regarding fairs, cultural events, and film screenings."

Theater actor Saiful Journal told Agamir Somoy: "The World Literature Center will hold an event called 'Purnima Sandhya' (Full Moon Evening) on Tuesday. This event has been organized monthly for a long time, and it takes place after evening. Next Friday and Saturday evening, Nazrul Jayanti (Nazrul's birth anniversary) events are scheduled at the Chhayanaut auditorium. Will these events also be prohibited under this directive? And what about the screenings of films released on Eid? The government needs to clarify this."

Regarding the issue, Agamir Somoy spoke with three deputy secretaries of the Power Division. None of them agreed to comment on record. One official concerned said, "We have issued the letter according to the directives we received. Cultural activists or the Shilpakala Academy authorities can present the matter to the Prime Minister through the Ministry of Culture. Then perhaps the directive will be reviewed."

However, the official said that organizing cultural events using generators after 7 PM "will be allowed."