After 15 years, popular television actors Shahriar Nazim Joy and Kushum Shikder are reuniting on screen, this time through a web series instead of a TV drama. The duo will appear together in ‘Paap Kahini 2’, an Eid-ul-Fitr release that Joy is directing himself.
Joy and Kushum once built a strong fan following with their on-screen chemistry in the early years of Bangladeshi television drama. After working together in several projects, they took different career paths and stopped appearing together. Their reunion has already created buzz, particularly because it brings their pairing to an OTT platform for the first time.
Joy said the three-episode series explores how greed leads to sin and ultimately to destruction. He described the project as creatively satisfying for him, both as a director and as an actor, and said stories driven by moral conflict continue to push him as an artiste.
Both actors began their careers nearly two decades ago. Kushum Shikder gained recognition after winning the Lux–Anandadhara Photogenic Champion title in 2002 and made her acting debut the same year in Biye’r Angti, where Joy starred opposite her. The two went on to work together in several television dramas before Kushum stepped away from TV for about eight years to concentrate on film projects.
Joy also took a break from acting before returning to the spotlight through television hosting. In recent years, he has strengthened his presence on OTT platforms such as Chorki, iScreen and Hoichoi with projects including ‘7 Number Floor’, ‘Guti’, ‘Paap Kahini’, ‘840’, ‘Jimmi’ and ‘Ammajan’. After spending five months in the US, he recently returned to Bangladesh and said several new projects are lined up for release around Eid.
Expressing her excitement, Kushum said reuniting with Joy feels special because they started their careers around the same time and have grown together as artistes. She added that working with long-time co-actors brings a sense of ease and mutual understanding.
Produced for the OTT platform iScreen, Paap Kahini 2 will begin shooting in the last week of this month. The series also stars Runa Khan and Ashna Habib Bhabna.
