Pathaan is the first Indian film in 50 years to be released in Bangladesh.

Thousands of people came to Dhaka theatres on Friday to see Shah Rukh Khan’s blockbuster Pathaan, the first Bollywood film to have a complete release in Bangladesh in more than a half-century.

When the action-packed spy thriller premiered in India in January, it broke box office records, and the star has a worldwide fan base.

However, Dhaka prohibited films from its neighbour immediately after its independence in 1971, despite urging from local filmmakers.

“I am so excited because a Hindi film is being released in Bangladesh for the first time,” said Sazzad Hossain, 18, visiting a cinema in Dhaka. “We’re all huge Shah Rukh Khan fans.” I’ll see Shah Rukh Khan on a big screen for the first time.”

Bangladeshi theatres have declined precipitously, with poor-quality local films failing to compete with Bollywood’s flash and glamour or attract crowds, with the aged Shakib Khan serving as the country’s lone bankable star.

To stay in business, several movie theatres began illegally exhibiting pornography, although over 1,000 have closed their doors in the last 20 years, many of which have been transformed into retail malls or flats.