The participation of foreign actresses in Dhallywood is not a new phenomenon. Especially, actresses from West Bengal have been regular faces in the industry, and their presence seems to be increasing. Interestingly, some of these actresses, whose careers were declining elsewhere, have found a new spark in Dhallywood. Except for Mimi Chakraborty, most were unknown to local audiences before starring opposite Shakib Khan, and their films have become blockbuster hits.

In the upcoming month, Bollywood actress Sonal Chauhan will make her Dhallywood debut in the film *Dorod*, which is set to release without any major festival. The film also features Payel Sarkar from Kolkata. The question remains whether these actresses are drawn to Dhaka due to a lack of work in the Kolkata industry, or if Dhallywood filmmakers and actors are more interested in casting them.

In 2023, Shakib Khan's *Priyotoma* was released during Eid, featuring Kolkata television actress Idhika Paul. Before that, Shakib starred with Darshana Banik in *Antaratma*, though it hasn't been released yet. In 2024, during the Eid of Ramadan, *Rajkumar* was released with American-Bangladeshi star Courtney Coffey opposite Shakib. The same year, during Eid al-Adha, *Toofan* was released, starring Mimi Chakraborty from Kolkata opposite Shakib Khan.

Swastika Mukherjee also acted with Shakib Khan 13 years ago in F.I. Manik’s film *Shobar Upore Maa*. Recently, in *Toofan*, Shakib was paired with Mimi Chakraborty again.

Director Raihan Rafi stated to *Samakal*, "I try to work with local stars. Except for one film, all my films have featured local actresses. In *Toofan*, I cast Mimi Chakraborty opposite Shakib Khan due to the demands of the story. There shouldn’t be any distinction between local and foreign artists."

However, another director, speaking anonymously, mentioned that there are various reasons for casting foreign actresses. He claimed that local actresses often create issues on set, make unreasonable demands, and sometimes even cancel shoots. In contrast, actresses from Kolkata come, work on time, and leave without causing problems.

He added that Bangladesh is facing a shortage of leading actresses. Many local actresses are entangled in personal issues like divorces and lawsuits, which leads filmmakers to bring in Indian actresses to avoid complications and complete the shoot smoothly. The trend of foreign artists coming to work in Bangladesh has been present for a long time, but recently, it has increased.

Renowned director Kazi Hayat commented on the inclusion of foreign actresses, saying, "There are three types of films being made in Bangladesh: first, the commercial films centered around FDC; second, those centered around Shakib Khan; and third, those produced by actors and actresses themselves. Among these, foreign actresses are mostly seen in Shakib Khan's films because he is at the top of his game. After 25 years of hard work, he has reached this position. It's only natural that the actresses in his films are selected based on his preferences, and there's nothing wrong if he works with foreign actresses."

Apart from Shakib Khan, other actors have also worked with foreign actresses, though these films haven't garnered as much attention. It seems only when an actress stars opposite Shakib Khan does she come into the limelight.