Sharmin Joya

During the second wave of quota reform protests this year, young actress Shahnaz Sumi became actively involved as a student of the Government College of Applied Human Science, starting in the first week of July. In an interview with The Daily Star, she shared her perspective on the protests, the challenges facing the showbiz industry, and her hopes for the future.

The strike has garnered significant support from other key industry associations. The Advertising & Filmmakers Association (ADFA), the Bangladesh Alliance of Cinematographers (BAC), the Post Productions Association of Bangladesh (PAB), and the Art Directors & Costume Designers Association of Bangladesh have all united in solidarity with BAAcP. Additionally, the Bangladesh Association of Art Makers and Set Designers (BAAMS), along with groups representing makeup artists, production managers, and other essential crew members, have thrown their weight behind the strike.

Toya and her husband, Sayed Zaman Shawon, who is also an artiste, both joined the movement. They have also sent aid and volunteered to support flood victims.

At the outset of the anti-discrimination student movement, only a few artistes voiced their support. Among those who did was actress Safa Kabir, who felt a sense of duty and stepped out of her comfort zone to ask, “Why are these kids being beaten on the roads?” She also suggested that these students are young and need to be dealt with love, not aggression, leaving her message to the protestors, “Dear students, I’m with you all.”

On August 4, 2018, Nawshaba was detained by RAB from a shooting spot in Uttara. Under Section 57 of the ICT Act, she was charged with spreading rumours on social media about the student protest for the demand for road safety. It is to be noted that she was not the only one who was charged under that act. Photographer Shahidul Alam, lawyer Imtiaz Mahmood, journalist Kajol, and many other activists were charged under this act for speaking against the former AL-led government.

Over the Top (OTT) platforms are one of the major digital mediums of entertainment. The country has been suffering from a complete internet outage, resulting in huge financial losses for industry leaders.

Returning to Bangladesh after four years still refreshes the memories of Paoli Dam’s first visit. “It was in 2010, during the shoots of Gautam Ghosh’s 'Moner Manush', the Indo-Bangla joint venture,” shared the actress, whose origin is Faridpur. “I haven’t had the opportunity to visit Faridpur till now,” she sighed.

As many had lost their lives in violent clashes that upended the entire nation, cultural personalities welcomed the verdict that would look to re-establish peace across the country. The Daily Star reached out to some of the seniormost cultural figures in Bangladesh yesterday.

Vicky’s landmark “Punorjonmo” series reached such heights that to date, wherever he goes, people ask about a spin-off possibility. For the readers, he spilled the beans— “Hajot” is the prequel of the “Punorjonmo” universe. Since Rafsan Haque’s character has reached the mass audience, this time we plan to make it larger than life. Hence, for that, we need time to create something special.”

The talented artiste feels that the experience of working in “Ajob Karkhana” enriched his soul. “I used to look for the research works done on folk musicians and music genres and at that time, I didn't have the real experience of witnessing them performing live, which I had during the shoot. It seemed surreal to me when listening to Jari, Ghatu or Baul songs (in front of Lalon Shah’s shrine) in a rustic atmosphere with thousands of people.”

Music is deeply connected with human emotions and often acts as therapy, which helps heal the mind and soul. Apart from listening to different forms of music, musical films is a popular genre in cinemas, where the narrative is highly depended on melody.

The multi-talented artiste has also mastered mime art and been featured in fiction and web projects. She has been involved with dancing, singing, recitation, and debating, from a young age.

This Eid-ul-Azha, the young sensation Khairul Basar has graced our screens with 12 television projects, some already aired and others awaiting release. Fresh from the festivities, Basar drops by The Daily Star for a quick chat.

She earned immense popularity after portraying Hridi in the much-acclaimed film “Aynabaji”, in 2016. Masuma Rahman Nabila is now set to grace the screens after a long time, with Raihan Rafi’s film “Toofan” where the actress has paired up with Shakib Khan, for the first time. She also shared the screen with Chanchal Chowdhury in this project, who was her debut film co-actor.

The release of the energetic title track of “Toofan” (titled after the film) several days ago, amped up its reception across social media platforms almost immediately. Notably, Tahsan Shuvo, the man behind many title tracks for Bengali films, was also the one who penned the lyrics of the song.

The usual scenario of attending any film festival is that artistes go to showcase their films. An unusual scenario took place when Bangladeshi actress Ashna Habib Bhabna returned from the 77th Cannes International Film Festival, after scoring a Malaysian movie.

After completing “Shongbad”, the actress wants to take a break. Being the homesick kind, she mostly enjoys her own company, however, she also shared that she needed a vacation this time. “I want to explore a new country this time. It depends on my mood; whenever I feel a little pride in myself, I want to run to the hills and mountains, it makes me feel grounded and helps me to stay humble. When I feel exhausted, I prefer going near the sea, as it helps me to be calm.”

The talked-about singer, praised for her performance in the recent advertisement jingle “Boishakhe Banglami-Hok Ullash”, recently dropped by The Daily Star office for an exclusive photoshoot. While sipping a cup of black coffee, fitness enthusiast Dola spoke about her career in music and law, revealed her fitness secrets, and provided exciting updates on her musical journey.

Adnan and Tanveer Hossain’s co-produced Filipino short film “Radikals” has been nominated for its world premiere at the prestigious 77th Cannes Film Festival, at the 63rd Semaine de la Critique (SDLC) of Cannes, this year.

A journey that commenced with modeling a decade ago has taken Irfan Sajjad to immense popularity. The actor has managed to make his way to the OTT with several projects, such as “Koli 2.0”, “Dour” and “Baba Someone’s Following Me”, amongst others.