A quarter-billion Bengali speakers are scattered from Kolkata and Dhaka to New York, London and Sydney, and Bengali-only originals like the goofy detective hit The Eken or the gangster saga Montu Pilot rarely surface on the big global apps. The Bengali streaming service Hoichoi exists to close that gap, with more than two hundred originals made purely for that worldwide audience. Because the diaspora is the whole point, the service deliberately runs in over 37 countries and never hard-locks viewers abroad.
The catch sits in the catalog. Signing up in the US is easy and the everyday shows play fine, yet the lineup tends to be thinner than the Indian one because some titles do not overlap between regions due to licensing. To pull in the full library, point Surfshark at a server in India and the complete show list comes right back. The picture tops out at 1080p, since Hoichoi does not stream in 4K yet, so a big screen will not look sharper.
Tested weekly by our team. Green: works, amber: partial, red: blocked.
| VPN Service | Price | Hoichoi | Tested | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SurfsharkBEST | From $1.78/mo | ✓ Works | August 23 | Try it |
 ExpressVPN | From $2.79/mo | ✓ Works | August 23 | Open |
 NordVPN | From $2.99/mo | ✓ Works | August 23 | Open |
 Private Internet Access | From $1.79/mo | ✓ Works | August 21 | Open |
 CyberGhost | From $1.75/mo | ✓ Works | August 22 | Open |
 IPVanish | From $2.19/mo | ✓ Works | August 24 | Open |
 ProtonVPN | From $3.59/mo | ✓ Works | August 21 | Open |
✓ Works✓ Works✓ Works✓ Works✓ Works✓ Works✓ WorksTakes about 2 minutes. Works on your phone, tablet, TV, PC, or laptop.
Hoichoi works in 37 countries, including in the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Australia, in Canada and in New Zealand. In 157 more it is blocked, and outside available regions you will need a VPN.
Hoichoi works without a VPN in the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Australia, in Canada, in New Zealand, in Ireland and in Germany, plus in 30 more countries.
Hoichoi is blocked in Japan, in Brazil, in Afghanistan, in Albania and in Algeria, plus in 152 more countries. To access it, use a premium VPN like Surfshark.
Hoichoi is the streaming home of Bengali storytelling. Launched in September 2017 by SVF Entertainment in Kolkata, it was built from day one for the Bengali community spread across the globe. You get more than two hundred original web series and over six hundred films, every one of them in Bengali, from detective favourites like The Eken, Byomkesh and Montu Pilot to dramas such as Indu, Kaalratri and the 2026 release Queen. This is a service about culture rather than spectacle, so video tops out at HD with no 4K. A limited free tier lets you sample the catalogue, while a subscription unlocks the full library. The lineup shifts by region, with the US selection smaller than India’s, and plan names like Prabasi and Pujari speak directly to life abroad.
5 tips from our Hoichoi testing team · Updated July 16, 2026
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