Shakib Khan's 'Soldier' Stalled With 9 Days of Shooting Left, December Release Now Uncertain

Deep uncertainty has returned over the release of 'Soldier', the much-discussed film starring Dhallywood superstar Shakib Khan. Although production began in October last year, filming is still not complete, and sources connected with the project say there is now no possibility of it reaching cinemas this December.

Shakib Khan has already finished a large part of his dubbing for the project, which has been in discussion since production began. Even so, around nine days of shooting remain. It is completing that remaining portion that has created major complications between the director and the production company.

According to sources, schedules were finalised several times, but director Sakib Fahad and executive producer Moumita Hossain could not start work on time. Cameras could not roll on schedule either after the Eid-ul-Azha release of Shakib Khan's 'Rockstar' or after he returned home from the United States last August.

Shakib Khan's manager Monir Zaman has expressed anger over the delays. He said the makers repeatedly took schedules but failed to shoot. In his words, the amount of time wasted on this film could easily have completed two to three new films.

According to Monir Zaman, no project of Shakib Khan in recent years has seen this kind of delay. Those connected with the film believe the prolonged uncertainty over 'Soldier' has also put pressure on the actor's schedule management.

Meanwhile, allegations have surfaced that a payment crisis involving artistes and crew lies behind the stalled filming. An unnamed technician has claimed that most crew members and supporting artistes have not been paid their dues, and that nobody now wants to give fresh shooting dates without the arrears being cleared.

Executive producer Moumita Hossain has directly denied that allegation. She said there is no professional rule that full payment must be made before work is completed. She assured that as soon as the remaining nine days of shooting are finished, the official release date will be announced and the film's teaser published.

Shakib Khan is currently in the United States to attend the Dhallywood Award and is expected to return home towards the end of this month. On his return, he will start shooting director Mehedi Hasan Hridoy's new film from the second week of November.

Work on director Himel Ashraf's new film 'Mohabbat' will begin right after that. With two big new projects lined up, doubts have grown over whether he will be able to find time at all to finish the remaining nine days of 'Soldier'.

The actor's packed schedule and a lack of coordination inside the production company have left the film's future in a haze. With a small remaining portion of shooting stuck, people in the film industry believe the production and release process may be delayed further.

All told, 'Soldier' now faces two questions — when the remaining nine days of shooting will happen, and even if they do, when a release date will be announced. By the production company's own promise, the teaser and release date will follow the end of filming; for now, audiences must wait for that announcement.