'Taandob' - Shakib, Nisho’s midnight photo sparks frenzy in filmdom

Midnight photo of Shakib and Nisho sparks frenzy in Dhaka filmdom.

The long-standing rift between Dhallywood superstar Shakib Khan and actor Afran Nisho appears to have come to an end, as they were seen together in a now-viral photo taken at Shakib’s office on late Tuesday.

According to sources close to both, Nisho visited Shakib’s office for a lengthy conversation that lasted several hours. Also present at the meeting were Shahriar Shakil, Managing Director of Alpha-i; Redoan Rony, CEO of Chorki; and Javed Sultan Pias, Chief Digital Business Officer of Prothom Alo.

Around 12:30 am on early Wednesday, Shahriar, Redoan, and Javed shared a stage to take for a photo with the same caption "Brothers" on Facebook, showing Shakib and Nisho side by side in a friendly pose.

'Taandob' director Raihan Rafi was not present in the photo; however, he also shared the image with the caption "#Taandob" - indicating the core reason which finally made this union possible.

Although neither actor never made any official comment regarding their dispute, fans and industry insiders suggest that tensions stemmed from some of the remarks Nisho made ahead of the release of his debut film, the Raihan Rafi directed 'Surongo' in 2023 Eid-Ul-Azha, when Shakib Khan-starrer blockbuster 'Priyotoma' was also released.

Those comments were perceived by many as indirect personal attacks on Shakib, the current undisputed megastar of Dhallywood - and caused a rift between the two, further fueled by social media clashes among their fanbases.

The two superstars once again battled this year's Eid-Ul-Fitr with the dominant presence of both of their films in the box office. The Shakib-starrer 'Borbaad', and Nisho-starrer 'Daagi' - both became two of the most commercially successful films of all time in Dhallywood.

However, in recent interviews, Nisho spoke highly of Shakib Khan who made his 26th anniversary in Dhallywood this year - and both of them recently shared the stage, dancing in the Meril-Prothom Alo Awards 2025 alongside Pritom Hasan and Tasnia Farin.

Recently, it was revealed that Nisho would be making a cameo appearance in the upcoming Eid release 'Taandob' by Raihan Rafi, starring Shakib Khan. Unfortunately, some of the fans and Shakib loyalists expressed dissatisfaction online regarding the cameo, intensifying the divide.

However, with the producers stepping in, the stars appear to have resolved their differences—an act symbolised by the now-iconic photo that quickly made waves across social platforms on late Tuesday night.

'Taandob' is set for release during Eid-ul-Azha and also stars popular actress Jaya Ahsan and renowned model-television actress Sabila Nur, who makes her silver screen debut in the film.

While there has been no official confirmation yet, sources reveal that both Siam Ahmed—who made waves with 'Jongli' during Eid-ul-Fitr—and Afran Nisho will appear in cameo roles in the film.

The internet-breaking image may have just paved the way for a new era of collaboration in Bangladeshi cinema. - UNB