Hooghly, West bengal Aug 11, 2026 (Issuewire.com) - Why Kobir Sahabuddin Made “Hotath Dekha”: A Short Film Inspired by College Street, Books and Lost Connections
For filmmaker and writer Kobir Sahabuddin, the idea behind the Bengali short film “Hotath Dekha” began with a place he has long felt connected to: Kolkata’s College Street.
Sahabuddin describes College Street as one of his favourite places. His connection with the area developed through his visits to book fairs and his longstanding interest in books and literature. Over time, the atmosphere of the neighbourhood became associated with memories of books, readers and the many personal stories that can exist around them.
That connection eventually became part of the creative foundation for “Hotath Dekha,” a short film directed by Sahabuddin and listed on IMDb as a 2026 short film.
The film follows the emotional possibility of unexpectedly meeting someone who once held an important place in one's life. The person could be a former lover or someone who disappeared from one's life after once being deeply loved and valued. The story asks what such an unexpected encounter might feel like after years of separation.
For Sahabuddin, the idea was less about creating a conventional romantic story and more about exploring the emotions that can return when the past suddenly appears in front of someone again.
A bookmark plays an important role in the story. For someone who genuinely loves reading, a bookmark can carry a meaning beyond its practical purpose. It can remain inside a book for years, becoming connected with a particular period, memory or person.
This emotional significance of the bookmark became part of the film's storytelling. In “Hotath Dekha,” the object connects the world of books with the memories of a relationship and helps bring the past into the present.
The choice of College Street also reflects this connection. For Sahabuddin, the location is not simply a backdrop for the story. His personal affection for the area and its association with books influenced the atmosphere in which he imagined the characters' unexpected meeting.
At the centre of the film is a simple but emotionally complex question: what happens when someone who was once very important suddenly appears again after a long absence?
People can move on, relationships can end and years can pass, but memories do not always disappear at the same speed. An unexpected meeting can bring back feelings that someone may have believed were already part of the past.
This idea became the emotional basis for “Hotath Dekha.”
The film therefore brings together three elements that are personally meaningful to Sahabuddin: College Street, books and the memory of people who were once close. Rather than beginning with a large-scale cinematic premise, the story grows from an everyday possibility—seeing someone unexpectedly and being confronted with everything that person once meant.
Sahabuddin is credited as the director of “Hotath Dekha” on IMDb. His professional profile also includes credits across writing, directing and audio storytelling.
With “Hotath Dekha,” Sahabuddin turns a familiar place and a familiar human emotion into a short-film narrative. The film's central idea comes from imagining the feelings that might surface when the person we thought we had lost to time suddenly stands in front of us again.
IMDb:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt43689187/
IMDb Profile:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm18636329/
Official Website:
https://kobirsahabuddinofficial.netlify.app/
Media Contact
Kobir music *****@proton.me https://kobirsahabuddinportfolio.vercel.app/
