After nearly three years, Afran Nisho is making his OTT comeback with Aka, set to premiere soon on streaming platform Hoichoi. Yesterday, the makers unveiled the thriller series’ “half-look” poster, showing Nisho in two contrasting appearances—each with half of his face obscured, giving the poster its name. The tagline teases: “Who’s coming? Hero or villain? Protector or predator? You’ll find out soon.” The series also stars Masuma Rahman Nabila, taking on her first major role in a web series. Direction is by Vicky Zahed.
Speaking about the project, Vicky said, “I’ve made many kinds of thrillers, and while this is a thriller too, it’s my first time embedding a strong social message within the genre. You could call it a social thriller. I’m experimenting with new ideas—how audiences react will be interesting to see.”
Vicky and Nisho have previously collaborated on buzzworthy projects like Purnojonmo, Bhooljonmo, Chirakal Aj, and Redrum. On working with Nisho again, Vicky said, “I have a long history of working with Nisho bhai, but this is our first series together. It’s always special working with him. Nabila has also been a great support. This project means a lot to all of us.”
Calling Aka one of his most challenging works yet, Vicky revealed it took nearly six months to complete—his longest-running project so far. “After such a long gap working with Nisho bhai, there was a lot of pressure to meet expectations. We didn’t want the audience to be disappointed, so we put in extra effort. The goal is to surprise viewers with the story and execution. It was supposed to release this month, but we decided to take the time to get everything just right,” he explained.
Because it’s a thriller, Vicky avoided revealing too much about the plot, except to say it’s a complex tale of justice, revenge, mystery, and suspense. He remained tight-lipped about Nisho’s role as well, though he did drop a hint about the title: “The word ‘Aka’ can mean many things—sometimes it refers to a demon-slayer, other times it can be someone’s nickname. What ‘Aka’ means in this series will only be clear once it’s released.”
Nisho, who last appeared on the web three years ago, recently made waves on the big screen with Surongo and Daagi. Right after wrapping Shihab Shaheen’s Daagi earlier this year, he began filming Aka, which was shot in various locations around Dhaka. “This is a new kind of challenge for me,” Nisho said, expressing hope that audiences will embrace the series.
Masuma Rahman Nabila, fresh off her comeback in Toofan last year, is equally excited. “Aka is an important chapter in my career—it’s my first web series, so I’m thrilled. I hope viewers connect not only with my character but with the story and execution as a whole,” she said.
The seven-episode series Aka will stream on Hoichoi in the first week of September.
