Press Release

          The Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh, the Japan Foundation and the International Television Channel Ltd. (hereinafter NTV) are pleased to announce that an all-time Japanese box-office hit “Tora-san’s Many Splendored Love 「男はつらいよ 浪花の恋の寅次郎」” will be aired on NTV at 8:45 am on 18 February followed by one more film of the same series. 
 
         Humanistic yet humorous, this film which will bring laughter and tears, features unsuccessful love and family drama of a peddler, Tora-san (starring Kiyoshi Atsumi) who often goes on trips and suddenly pops over to his home in downtown Tokyo. The life and sentiment of characters depicted in the film made it a long running hit since its first screening in 1969, spanning 48 episodes till 1995 and 1 special episode in 1997.
 
        NTV in collaboration with the Japan Foundation air three selected films of “Tora-san” dubbed in Bengali language for the first time in Bangladesh to introduce various aspects of Japan as well as familiarise Bangladeshi viewers with the Japanese culture and faces. “Tora-san’s Sunrise and Sunset(男はつらいよ 寅次郎夕焼け小焼け)  was aired in September 2016. ”The screening information on “Tora-san Goes North(男はつらいよ 知床慕情)” will be informed on the website of NTV and the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh in March 2017.


<Screening Information>
Film title: “Tora-san’s Many Splendored Love”
Director: Yuji Yamada
27th in the series: Released August, 1981
Run Time: 104 minutes
Date and time of broadcasting: 8:45 am, 18 February 2017
TV channel: NTV
 
 
Synopsis:
           Tora-san meets the beautiful Fumi Hamada (Keiko Matsuzaka) when she pays a visit to a grave on a small island in the Seto Inland Sea. Later, when Fumi is working as a geisha in Osaka, she reunites with Tora-san at the famed Ishikiri Shrine. On a date at the Hozanji Temple on Mt. Ikoma, Fumi tells Tora-san of the little brother she was separated from at an early age. Tora-san urges Fumi to seek him out and together they track him down, only to find that he has died. Tora-san gently consoles poor Fumi but he is put off by her obvious love for him. He returns to Shibamata leaving Fumi behind.
 
          Tora-san has never really liked Osaka, the national rival to his hometown of Tokyo, but with Fumi, he really enjoyed himself and the city. Fumi never really had a family life and she much appreciates pure-hearted Tora-san’s kindness. Their snappy conversations are vivid and hilarious, perfectly capturing the atmosphere and banter of Osaka. The casting for this film is one of the best in the series. The talented actor Gannosuke Ashiya plays the owner of a cheap hotel and famous comedic duo Terue and Hanae Shoji, play senior geisha to Fumi. One of director Yamada’s favorite actors, Hidetaka Yoshioka, assumes the long-running role of Tora-san’s nephew, Mitsuo, as of this film.
 
 
Madonna: Keiko Matsuzaka
Guest actor: Gannosuke Ashiya
Location: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture

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