Khairun Sundari (; English: A Beautiful Lady, Khairun) is a 2004 Bangladeshi romantic folkâÂÂdrama film directed and written by Aâ¯Kâ¯Sohel and produced by Meghalaya Studio Reddit. Starring Moushumi as Khairun and Ferdous Ahmed as her husband. the film explores themes of rural love, betrayal, and tragedy inspired by a purportedly true village story from the Jamalpur region.
Released nationally in 2004, Khairun Sundari became a major commercial blockbuster and became the highest-grossing Bangladeshi film of 2004 as well as one of the highest-grossing films of all time. The title trackâÂÂmost notably the folkâÂÂinfused track âÂÂKhairun Loâ¯Tor Lomba Mathar Keshâ sung by MomtazâÂÂwas a breakthrough performance by the singer. The film gained a cult following particularly in rural areas for its potent blend of folk lore, melodrama, and emotional resonance with rural female audiences. It was remade in India as Praner Swami (2007) starring Ferdous Ahmed, Rachana Banerjee & A.T.M. Shamsuzzaman.
The story is inspired by a widely circulated folk tale said to have unfolded in the 1940s in Jamalpur district:
In Baksiganj's Merurchar village lives a young girl named Khairun, daughter of a master snake charmer known as Azgar Master. One day, Fazal Haq, a local betel-vendor from nearby Barkhali village, sees her and falls deeply in love. They marry with family approval and begin a happy life together.
Tragedy strikes when FazalâÂÂs friend, harboring jealousy and mistrust, deliberately sets fire to their home. In the chaos, Fazal mistakenly kills his own son. Haunted and unsettled, he later teams up with local criminals to murder Khairun. Her body is thrown into the river where it is found the next day. Her death sparks outrage in the village; neighbors identify her corpse and public protests lead to FazalâÂÂs arrest. He is sentenced to prison and serves many years.
After serving his sentence, Fazal is eventually releasedâÂÂreports say special clemency is grantedâÂÂand he remarries. Meanwhile, Khairun becomes enshrined in local legend as Khairun Sundari, a tragic symbol of love, betrayal, and martyrdom.