7 February 2025: For 15 years, Sunday Suspense has redefined the art of storytelling with gripping narratives that transport listeners into worlds of horror, mystery, crime, and adventure. What began as a radio experiment has now become a cultural phenomenon, garnering a dedicated fanbase, record-breaking views, and an undeniable legacy in the Bangla storytelling space. Available on Mirchi Bangla’s YouTube channel and streaming exclusively on Gaana, Sunday Suspense has amassed an astounding 1.07 billion lifetime views, over 330 million hours of watch time, 2.8 million subscribers, and 15.2 billion impressions, proving that it has become an integral part of Bangla pop culture.
A testament to its ever-growing legacy, Sunday Suspense made history with a special offering, Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’ in its first-ever authorized Bengali audio adaptation. in 2024. This was followed by the author’s ‘The ABC Murders,’ which introduced listeners to Christie's timeless intrigue and masterful suspense, further cementing the show’s reputation for bringing global literary classics to Bangla audiences.
The Expanding Appeal of Alternative Content
Over the years, the audio story-telling series has expanded beyond horror stories to a diverse range of Intellectual Properties (IPs) that span mythology, classic literature, and serialised fiction. These new ventures reflect the brand’s commitment to evolving audience preferences while maintaining its signature storytelling finesse. Among the standout projects is ‘Times of Puraan,’ a retelling of the Mahabharat, which has already garnered an impressive 4.7 million playlist views since its launch in July. Another remarkable addition is ‘Golpo Goldmine,’ which brings serialised Bengali novels to life, beginning with the beloved classic ‘Pratham Aalo,’ launched on August 15th 2024, and already boasting 2.7 million playlist views. Additionally, the launch of Friday Classics in June 2024 has revived timeless Bengali short stories and world literature classics in Bangla, accumulating 7.5 million playlist views thus far. ‘Pratham Aalo,’ ‘Merchant of Venice,’ ‘Jane Eyre,’ and ‘Frankenstein,’ are a few other IPs that fans must check out.
The unparalleled success of Sunday Suspense is best exemplified by the individual episodes that have crossed significant viewership milestones. Stories like ‘Bijoynagarer Heere,’ ‘Sabuj Dweeper Raja,’ ‘Kaalchakra,’ ‘And Then There Were None,’ ‘Bosepukure Khunkharapi,’ and ‘Kukrajhorar Nekremanush’ have all exceeded 1 million views, while ‘Ranga Kakima’ and ‘Feluda: Royal Bengal Rahasya’ have entered the elite 2 million+ views category.
Understanding the ever-evolving preferences of its audience, Mirchi Bangla has also introduced unique concepts that cater to different storytelling formats. ‘Haar Heem Horror,’ a collection of short horror stories ranging from five to ten minutes, has garnered 5.4 million playlist views, while ‘Back-To-Back Horror,’ a compilation of short-form horror stories, has accumulated 1.2 million playlist views.
Meanwhile, Mirchi Bangla Originals has proven to be a runaway success, raking in 8.6 million playlist views. Notably, one of its standout episodes, ‘Sarkari Chakri,’ has crossed the 1 million views mark, underlining the audience’s appetite for fresh, homegrown narratives.
Sunday Suspense Celebrates its 15th Anniversary at the Kolkata Book Fair
To celebrate its 15-year milestone, fans of Sunday Suspense and literature enthusiasts will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in this growing universe from February 2nd to 9th at the Kolkata Book Fair where they can catch Mirchi Bangla at Stall #191. Here’s what you can expect at the Kolkata Book Fair:
On February 3rd, renowned young actor Rwitobroto Mukherjee joined Mirchi Agni to present ‘Haar Heem Horror’ while on February 4th, he was a part of the ‘Writing for the Ear (Original)’ and ‘Friday Classics’ sessions. On February 6th, you can watch him present World classics like ‘The Merchant of Venice’ and ‘Macbeth.’
Walk in on February 5th to catch screen actor Gaurav Chakrabarty, a favourite with the listeners of Sunday Suspense for his portrayal of the Count in ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ and the voice behind the ever-popular iconic Bengali detective Byomkesh Bakshi. He will be there at the stall to talk about being Byomkesh and the art of audio storytelling.
There will be several meet-and-greet sessions with renowned writers such as Saikat Mukhopadhyay, Himadri Kishore Dasgupta, Procheto Gupta, and Dipanwita Ray.
Fans will also get the chance to enjoy live storytelling sessions hosted by Mirchi RJs like Neel, Mohor, Sayan, and Ayantika and popular content creators. Additionally, aspiring authors can participate in walk-in auditions and drop in their short stories for a chance to be featured.
On the 7th of February, a special panel discussion featuring actor-director Parambrata Chattopadhyay, writers Avik Sarkar and Ranadip Nandy, visual artist Trinankur Banerjee, and Mirchi RJ Ayantika will be moderated by Mirchi Agni.
For more details, visit Stall #191 at the 48th International Kolkata Book Fair and follow Mirchi Bangla on Youtube
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