Entertainment
‘Nobo Opens a Door’: Engaging storytelling enthrals children at DLF
On Friday, the ongoing 10th edition of Dhaka Lit Fest (DLF) featured a handful of exciting and interesting events for the little ones, including a storytelling session by Hong Kong-based Bangladeshi writer-scholar Maria Chaudhuri of her brand new book for children titled ‘Nobo Opens a Door’.
At the Nazrul Stage in the afternoon, Maria Chaudhuri read from the book surrounded by child listeners and introduced them to the character Nobo, an adventurous child who averts disaster at her school’s Pahela Baishakh festival with an imaginative twist on traditional sarees, followed by reimagining themselves by creating their own capes, just as Nobo does.
Published in Bangladesh by Ignite Publications featuring Illustrations by Istela Imam, the book was launched on Friday introducing the title character, which is conceptualized by Nobo Dhaka -- a socially aware business enterprise set up to support the preservation of the cultural heritage and traditions of Bangladesh.
Explaining the idea of the character and the book, Maria Chaudhuri told UNB that the reason she was particularly interested in writing Nobo is that this collaboration connects with a great passion.
“The Dhaka society is constantly changing, and the values and experiences that our children are growing up with are completely different from our times. What we want to do with this book, as well as the entire series, is to create a space for the younger generation to talk about things in a way that reflects the different sets of values that they struggle with, in their reality right now.”
“Although the society that we grew up in is constantly changing, that’s not to say people can’t follow tradition in a new way that works for them. That’s exactly what the character, Nobo, does in this book and series. She explores a twist within a traditional idea so that she can still be a part of the Bangla new year celebrations without feeling left alone. We have to recognise that the current generation struggles with traditional values to incorporate into their lifestyle, and they also have different sets of values due to living in a constantly changing world, especially after the pandemic.”
“So this book based on the ‘social superhero’ character Nobo can remind the generations -- both children and their parents -- that culture is an ever-evolving phenomenon that we need to accept and get ourselves accustomed to, and we should celebrate our culture. My hope is that when a child reads this book, they will not only appreciate the culture visually but may absorb it more spiritually too,” Maria told UNB.
Read more: Curtain rises on 10th Dhaka Lit Fest
About the book, author and one of DLF's three directors, Kazi Anis Ahmed, wrote: "This is a wonderful and inventive tale about how tradition survives by being made new, again and again. And the courage it takes to do so. The young protagonist will be an inspiration to her peer-age readers. Chaudhuri's lilting, literary prose hits just the right tone. Nobo is a terrific new addition to our children's literature.”
Siam in line for first National Award, Nonajoler Kabbo to win big
A total of 34 names in 27 categories have been named for Bangladesh's ‘National Film Award-2021’ this year.
The cabinet committee on ‘National Film Award Affairs’ has recently approved the names of winners for the award.
However, the authority concerned is yet to announce the date and venue where the awards will be handed over to the recipients.
Though the film award is given in 28 categories every year, the number now stands at 27 as no one was found in the ‘best dance director’ category.
Read: 2022 rewind: A year of abundance for silver screens, OTT platforms
A total of 21 full length films, 17 short films and seven documentary films were submitted for the national award-2021. Of them, 34 were selected for the awards.
Actors Siam Ahmed and Mir Sabbir Mahmud have jointly been named for the best actor award in principal in Mridha Bonam Mrida and Raat Jaga Phool films.
On the other hand, actresses Azmeri Haque Badhon and Tasnova Tamanna jointly bag the best actress award for principal roles in Rehana Maryam Noor and Nonajoler Kabbo films.
The best film award will jointly go to Matia Banu Shuku and Rezwan Shahriar Sumit for their Laal Moroger Jhuti and Nonajoler Kabbo films.
Read: The year in music: A melodious, rocking 2022
The best short film award will be given to Aka Reza Ghalib for Dhor and best documentary film award to Kawsar Chowdhury for Boddhobhumite Ekdin.
Apart from this, Sumit will receive the best director award for his Nonajoler Kabbo film while the best supporting actor and actress awards will go to Fazlur Rahman Babu and Shampa Reza for their performance in Nonajoler Kabbo and Padmapuran films respectively.
Abdul Mannan Joyraj will be awarded the best villain award for the Laal Moroger Jhuti.
The awards for best comedian actor, child and special award in the child actor category will go to Probash Kumar Bhattacharya Milon, Afifa Tabassum and Jannatul Mawa Jhilik for their roles in Mridha Bonam Mridha, Rehana Maryam Noor and Ja Hariye Jay movies respectively.
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Dolly Johur and Ilias Kanchan will jointly get the lifetime achievement award.
Sujoy Shyam will get the best music director award for song Juboti Konnar Mon, best singer (male and female) award will go to Abdullah Al Mortuza Muhin and Chandana Mazumdar for songs Sonate Esechi and Dekhle Chobi Pagol Hobi in Padmapuron film.
Late Gazi Mazharul Anwar will be given the best lyrist award for Antore Antor Jhala while the best composer award will go to Sujoy Shyam for the same film.
The best story writer award will go to Rezwan Shahriar Sumit for Nonajoler Kabbo, the best screenplay award to Nurul Alam Atik for Laal Moroger Jhuti and the best dialogue award to Tauquir Ahmed for Spurlinga.
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Samir Ahmed will get the best editor award for Laal Moroger Jhuti, the best art director award to Shihab Nurun Nabi for Nonajoler Kabbo.
The best cinematographer award will jointly be given to Syed Kashef Shahbazi, Suman Kumar Sarkar, Mazharul Islam Raju for Laal Moroger Jhuti. The best sound director award will go to Shoaib Talukdar for the Rehana Maryam Noor film.
The best costume designer award will be awarded to Kachhrin Farid for Nonajoler Kabbo while the best makeup artiste award will jointly go to Md Farukh, Md Farhad Reza Milon for Laal Moroger Jhuti.
Read More: 10 Less Known Facts about A.R. Rahman
10 Less Known Facts about A.R. Rahman
A.R. Rahman is an Indian composer, singer, and music producer, who has worked in the Indian film industry as well as internationally. He is one of the most successful and influential composers in the world and is known for his unique sound that fuses Indian classical music with electronic music and world music.
At A Glance: A. R. Rahman's Life
Rahman was named A. S. Dileep Kumar when he was born in Madras, Tamil Nadu, on January 6, 1967. His father, R. K. Shekhar, was a film-score composer as well as a conductor for Tamil and Malayalam films. A.R. Rahman started his schooling at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan. However, he was dismissed from school due to poor academic results.
Later he was admitted to Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School and showed his musical talent. But, he dropped out the school to pursue a music career. Then, he started musical training under Master Dhanraj.
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Rahman’s big break came in 1992 when he was asked to compose the score for the Tamil film “Roja.” The soundtrack was a huge success and established Rahman as one of the leading film composers in India. He went on to compose music for many other successful films, including “Bombay,” “Taal,” “Lagaan,” “Rang De Basanti,” and “Slumdog Millionaire,” which earned him two Academy Awards.
Rahman has also composed music for stage productions, including the “Bombay Dreams” and the Toronto productions of “The Lord of the Rings.” In addition to his work in film and theater, Rahman has also released several solo albums and worked on various philanthropic projects.
Rahman has received numerous awards and accolades for his work, including six National Film Awards, two Academy Awards, and two Grammy Awards. He has also been honored with the Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian awards in India, and the Padma Shri, another prestigious award given by the Indian government.
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10 Lesser-Known Facts About A. R. Rahman
Composer A. R. Rahman is well known for his musical achievements, but the following are some of the lesser-known facts about him that everyone is less concerned about.
Converted to Islam
Although Rahman was born a Hindu, he along with other family members converted to Islam at the age of 2023 in 1989 and changed his name to Allah Rakha Rahman (A. R. Rahman).
Musical Training Under Master Dhanraj
Rahman took a music lesson from Ustad Dhanraj. At the age of 11, he joined the orchestra of renowned Malayalam composer MK Arjunan, a close friend of his father, as a player. He quickly mastered vocals, guitar, percussion, drums, harpsichord, fingerboard, keyboard, piano, accordion, goblet, drums, concert harp, etc. Impressed by his talent, renowned composers like MS Viswanathan and Ramesh Naidu, Raj Koti also offered him an opportunity to work with them.
Read More: 2022 rewind: A year of abundance for silver screens, OTT platforms
Scholarship in Trinity College of Music
He embarked on a world tour with Zakir Hussain, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, and L Shankar in his teenage. At that time, Rahman got a scholarship from Trinity College London to the Trinity College of Music. Later, while studying in Madras, he obtained a diploma in ‘Western Classical Music’ from a local school.
Curtain rises on 10th Dhaka Lit Fest
The 10th edition of Dhaka Lit Fest officially began on Thursday, after a three-year hiatus due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Revered as Bangladesh's biggest event showcasing world literature and culture with the participation of around 500 writers, poets, performers, intellectuals, journalists and internationally acclaimed prize-winning speakers, the 2023 edition is featuring 170 sessions during the four-day event.
State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid inaugurated the event alongside Nobel laureate litterateur Abdulrazak Gurnah, and Indian writer-literary critic Amitav Ghosh at Bangla Academy's Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad (AKSB) auditorium in the morning.
DLF Directors Sadaf Saaz Siddiqi, Kazi Anis Ahmed and Ahsan Akbar were also present at the inauguration ceremony.
"After a long hiatus due to the pandemic, Dhaka Lit Fest is finally being held with the presence of global literary dignitaries. The Ministry of Cultural Affiars is proud to be associated with this prestigious event as always, and I wish the event the success it deserves," KM Khalid said at the ceremony.
Indian writer and literary critic Amitabh Ghosh said, "I grew up hearing stories about Bangladesh as my grandmother was from Madaripur district and all her life, she had her Madaripuri accent. It was amazing for me growing up hearing this wonderful dialect, this wonderful language. However, Bangladesh was a kind of absence in my life as I live in India, and I think only those of us who have the experience of that separation can really understand what this absence means.”
Nobel laureate writer Abdulrazak Gurnah said, "Unlike Amitav Ghosh, I cannot tell the story of how I began here and how I belong here because, for me, this is the first time coming to Dhaka and Bangladesh, or indeed, this whole side of the subcontinent,” he said.
“So I’m expecting all kinds of revelations, events to happen that I have not seen before. And I’ve already got a bit of a taste from the performances earlier, the dance – the very beautiful dances – the lovely costumes, the music, and then that incredibly energetic performance by the drummers.”
Earlier in the morning, the proceedings began with a performance of spiritual songs at the Bangla Academy lawn.
Read more: Curtain rises on Dhaka Lit Fest 2023 Thursday
The event remained suspended for three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The ninth DLF was held in November 2019.
Organizers say the historic Bangla Academy premises will become more vibrant due to the presence of eminent personalities from five continents, including two Nobel Prize-winning authors -- namely Orhan Pamuk and Abdulrazak.
The event will feature winners of the Pulitzer, International Booker, Neustadt International, PEN/Pinter, Prix Médicis, Academy Award, Windham-Campbell Prize, Albert Medal, Waterstones Children's Book Prize, and Aga Khan Award.
This event features with conversations, dialogues, film screenings, art exhibitions, music, cultural shows and much more.
According to the organizers, only children up to 12 years of age will not need any ticket to enter.
Read more: Dhaka International Folk Fest underway
Prince Harry says William called Meghan “difficult, rude and abrasive” before physical attack
British Prince Harry has described in his new book how his older brother, Prince William, physically “attacked” him during a dispute in 2019, according to The Guardian.
The event is described in Prince Harry’s forthcoming memoir “Spare”, which is scheduled to be published on Tuesday amid a persistent dispute within the British royal family, claims the report.
The Guardian said that Prince William reportedly tackled Prince Harry, 38, to the ground after calling his wife Meghan Markle “difficult, rude and abrasive” during an argument in the kitchen of their London residence.
Read more: Prince Harry's memoir ‘Spare’ to narrate journey from ‘trauma to healing’
The report quotes Harry’s book: “He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me.”
Then, Prince Harry asked his brother to go. According to the British news outlet, William “looked regretful and apologised,” Harry remembered.
In the conversation between the two princes, which was taken from the book, the newspaper described Prince William as saying, “You don’t need to tell Meg about this.”
Read more: Prince Harry: Split from royal life 'unbelievably tough'
Harry was quoted: “You mean that you attacked me?”
To which William apparently responded: “I didn’t attack you, Harold.”
The latest information on the troubled relationship between the brothers comes as their father King Charles gets ready for his coronation in May after the passing of his mother Queen Elizabeth II in September at the age of 96.
In a Netflix docuseries exploring the causes of their surprising departure for North America in 2020, Prince Harry and Markle spoke out about their experiences as members of the British royal family in December.
Read More: Harry and Meghan slam British tabloids in new Netflix series
They laid most of the blame for their misery in it on tabloid harassment and racist media headlines, some of which they claim the family was responsible for.
The two are now unpopular in Britain as a result of their relocation to Markle’s home state of California.
In a televised interview with ITV in the United Kingdom and CBS in the United States, out this week, in advance of the publication of the book, Prince Harry stated that he wanted “a family, not an institution.”
Read More: Royals tour US green tech incubator, meet at-risk youth
5 Best Movies of Mel Gibson
Although born in New York, Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson aka Mel Gibson grew up in Sydney, Australia. This American actor got his acting chops by studying acting at Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art.
Mel Gibson started his acting journey in 1977 with the Australian TV series The Sullivans. In the same year, he made his debut on the big screen with a thriller film called Summer City, in which he acted as the lead actor. In the 1980s, he formed his own movie production company Icon Entertainment.
Gibson was often compared to legendary classic film stars such as Steve McQueen, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Sean Connery, and Robert Redford. He was even called for playing the role of James Bond. But he turned down the offer as he did not want to be known by any other fictional name other than his own.
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In addition to being an actor, Gibson's biggest identity is that he is also a film director. He was accompanied by filmmakers such as George Miller, Peter Weir, and Richard Donner, which developed his mastery of filmmaking. Dedicated to fans of the 80s and 90s movies, today's article focuses on the 5 best movies of Mel Gibson.
Top 5 Movies of Mel Gibson
Braveheart (1996)
Historical Epic | IMDb: 8.4
It was Braveheart that the whole world remembers Mel Gibson for. He himself did all the work of directing, producing, and acting in the lead role in this American film.
Sir William Wallace, a Scottish warrior in the late 13th century, led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence against King Edward I of England. In the context of this historical event, Blind Harry wrote the famous epic The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace in the 15th century. And inspired by this, Randall Wallace wrote the screenplay of Braveheart.
What stands out the most in the film is the battle scenes. In addition, Gibson's set design and acting took the audience back to the mood of 700 years ago. The Battle of Stirling Bridge sequence in particular is considered one of the best-directed battle scenes of all time.
This movie helped Gibson bag the most prestigious awards like 2 Oscars (Best Director and Best Picture) and 1 Golden Globe (Best Director). As a result, he became the sixth Oscar-winning actor-turn-director worldwide.
Read More: Top 10 Upcoming South Indian Films in January 2023
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Buddy Cop | IMDb: 7.6
This is one of Gibson's most influential movies. It is the parent film of the successful film franchise Lethal Weapon. Here he is seen as LAPD detective Martin Riggs, who teams up with a colleague of a completely different ideology to try to catch a group of drug smugglers. Her pairing with Danny Glover as Roger Murtaugh in each of the films was highly acclaimed. Following the success of Lethal Weapon, director Richard Donner gave audiences three more sequels. In fact, the popularity of the film series even led to a television series.
“Separating for the sake of my son”: Pori Moni explains what went wrong with Razz
After sharing a couple of bombshell Facebook posts on the eve of the new year hinting that she was seeking separation from her husband and Dhallywood’s most successful actor in 2022 Shariful Razz, Pori Moni explained her marital issues via a Facebook post on Sunday.
The actress revealed the reasons behind her decision, explaining that she suffered physical violence and calling the marriage a one-sided effort from her side throughout its entirety.
“A person would never decide to have a child if they aren't committed to a relationship. I gave this relationship everything I had to make it work; however, I was taken for granted. Despite my best efforts, which were all on my end, I kept failing,” Pori Moni wrote.
The actress also revealed that she was physically assaulted numerous times by Razz.
“When I looked at my son, Rajya, I completely forgot about everything, but then I remembered that if he observes a destructive relationship, he would never grow up in a balanced atmosphere,” she added, stating that her decision to separate will be beneficial to both Rajya and Razz.
Read: Pori to Mim: 'Your intimacy with Razz troubles me'
Pori Moni also stated that she would not state further against Razz and his family, considering that he is the father of her child. “However, if he or his family try to perform any harmful behaviour again, I will take harder actions,” she mentioned.
Ending the post with a grievance regarding the entire situation, Pori Moni wrote: "What could be more heartbreaking to me than Rajya not having his parents together as he grows up?"
On Saturday, Pori Moni announced that she will reveal everything in a press conference today, after posting images of a bloodied bedsheet and pillow. "Happy New Year! Press conference tomorrow, loading," she wrote in the post.
Earlier on Dec 31st, she revealed that she is no longer with Razz, expressing that she freed herself from a toxic relationship.
Pori Moni married Sariful Razz in October 2021. Last year on August 10th, Shaheem Muhammad Rajya was born to the couple.
5 Best Movies of Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan is one of the pioneers of bringing the new stream of female-led roles in Hindi cinema. Although her acting debut was in the 1995 sitcom Hum Panche, she made her mainstream film debut in 2003 with the Bengali cinema Bhalo Theko. Then in 2005, she started doing Hindi films through Parineeta. Along with it, the massive success of Lage Raho Munna Bhai in the following year bring her into the limelight. Since then she kept giving amazing movies one after another. Let's check out the top 5 movies of Vidya Balan, which made her who she is today.
Bollywood Star Vidya Balan’s 5 Most Popular Movies
Paa (2009)
This film is inspired by the 1996 Hollywood movie Jack, directed by R. Balki. Amitabh Bachchan plays the title role in this drama film portraying a boy who looks like an old man. The mother has to go through many ironies due to her son's rare genetic condition.
The whole story takes a more interesting turn when the boy infected with progeria learns that his father is a respectable man in the town. Abhishek Bachchan played the role of this father and Vidya Balan the mother. Although their relationship is father-son in real life, Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan play opposite roles here.
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The role of a single mother struggling with Progeria was quite challenging for Vidya. Initially, she felt a bit exaggerated about the character. Playing the mother of an actor as prestigious as Bachchan is a tough task, especially when he was 30 years older than her. Vidya won Star Screen Awards, IIFA Awards, and Filmfare Award for the first time in her life as Best Actress.
Ishqiya (2010)
Ishqiya is one of Vidya Balan's best works and it marks Abhishek Chaubey's directorial debut. Vidya's co-artists in this black comedy film were Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, and Salman Shahid.
Balan's character here was completely different from her other simple heroine roles. She portrayed the character of a seductive and sly village widow from Uttar Pradesh brilliantly. For the part, she adapted to the local dialect, which included some slang words as well.
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Not only Vidya Balan unleashed a sensational actress lying within herself, but it was also established through this that she is far ahead of other Barbie doll heroines in mainstream cinema.
This role let her bag many achievements. Most notable of these were the Big Star Entertainment Awards for Most Entertaining Female Film Actor, the Filmfare Awards for Best Actress at the Critics' Choice Awards, the Producers Guild Film and Screen Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and the Stardust Awards for best actress in Thriller or Action Role.
Kahaani (2012)
Kahaani is one of the films associated with Vidya Balan's name. Screenplay by Sujoy Ghosh and Advaita Kalar, this thriller film indulged to grow a captivating story. Here Balan was seen rummaging Kolkata for her missing husband despite being pregnant.
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Popular Kolkata actor Parambrata Chatterjee and the one and only Nawazuddin Siddiqui in supporting roles made the whole movie impeccable. Apart from the screenplay, the cinematography of the film and the performances of the lead actors garnered much praise from critics.
2022 rewind: A year of abundance for silver screens, OTT platforms
2022 was a year of revelation in more ways than one for the over-the-top (OTT) platforms of Bangladesh, a rising medium in the country following the footsteps of global ones such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, and Disney Hotstar.
When it comes to the potential audience base in Bangladesh, OTT platforms are just getting started here. But with rising demand, driven by local content and live sports, the future looks promising.
The pandemic was not over this year. But carrying the success of the pandemic-induced 2020-2021 forward, the local OTT platforms – namely Chorki, HoiChoi, Bioscope, and Binge – brought several contents to enthral the audience.
On December 18, a record 15.5 million unique viewers watched the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 final between Argentina and France on Toffee, the only digital entertainment app which livestreamed the sports event in Bangladesh, said Banglalink which operates the platform.
Read: The year in music: A melodious, rocking 2022
Also, Toffee hit a new milestone garnering around 1 billion views of "the greatest show on earth," it added.
Football fans across the country turned to Toffee to enjoy every World Cup match, starting from November 18 to December 18.
For the first time in Bangladesh, millions of viewers opted for a digital platform to watch the tournament, which was previously only broadcast on TV.
Also, over the last two years, the rise of OTT platforms not only offered a breath of fresh air to audiences but also helped many popular actors and creators to rediscover and redefine their acting skills and explore the magic of creative independence.
Read: Fuad enthrals Dhaka with popular tracks in night of nostalgia
Seasoned and popular actors, including Intekhab Dinar, Afran Nisho, Chanchal Chowdhury, Mosharraf Karim, Apurba, Siam Ahmed, Ziaul Haque Polash, Pritom Ahmed, Mehazabien Chowdhury, Nazifa Tushi, Tasnia Farin and others were seen in different dramas and web series, and they received profound success and critical acclaim for their performances.
Content makers and directors such as Nuhash Humayun, Shihab Shaheen, Tanim Nur, Syed Ahmed Shawki, Ashfaq Nipun, Raihan Rafi, Vicky Zahed, Amitabh Reza and others mesmerised the audiences throughout the year with content such as "Kaiser," "Pet Kata Shaw," "Karagar," "Syndicate," "Bodh," "Sabrina," "Punorjonmo" and others.
"Shaaticup" from Chorki was a breakout content of the year, directed by Mohammad Touqir Islam which narrated a crime thriller featuring Rajshahi's local dialect and a cast of 137 actors for its eight episodes.
Young filmmaker Nuhash Humayun, however, was the standout filmmaker on the web this year for glamorising the horror genre. His web series "Pett Kata Shaw" by Chorki starring Shohel Mondol, Shirin Akter Shila, Afzal Hossain, Chanchal Chowdhury, Pritom Hasan, Masuda Khan, Novera Rahman and more garnered massive appraisal from audiences and critics for being the modern revival of the mysterious and lurid plots of traditional Bengali folk tales, earning him an official selection for the upcoming 52nd edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).
Read More: 5 Best Movies of Vidya Balan
Nuhash's other major project of 2022 representing the same genre, "Moshari," earned him two awards at two "Oscar-qualifying" film festivals (HollyShorts Film Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival).
Earlier this year, he got signed with the Hollywood agencies Anonymous Content and Creative Artists Agency, and later he made the Halloween special dark-comedy "Foreigners Only" from the global OTT platform Hulu as its first Bangladeshi content maker.
Also, the year 2022 has, perhaps, been the most eventful one for the big screen compared to recent years.
In January, the seventeenth biennale edition of the Bangladesh Film Artistes' Association (BFAA) election was held, resulting in veteran silver screen actor Ilias Kanchan getting elected as the new president for 2022-2024.
Read More: ‘I wasn’t necessarily acting’: Chanchal Chowdhury on ‘Karagar-2’
The talk of the town, however, was the post of the general secretary (GS) – for which, actor Zayed Khan was declared the winner over actress Nipun Akter in a close contest.
But Nipun refused the result and filed an appeal to the Election Appeal Board of the BFAA. After that, the board declared Nipun as the GS.
Then Zayed filed a writ petition against the decision to the High Court of the Supreme Court. In March, the court cleared the way for Zayed to serve as the GS of the BFFA after striking down the decision of the Election Appeal Board of the association.
Next Nipun filed a petition against the decision to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.
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In November, after months of back-and-forth between Nipun and Zayed, the Appellate Division finally cleared the way for Nipun to serve as the GS.
Of all the films released this year, two Dhallywood films – "Hawa" and "Poran" – were the most notable and successful ones, breaking records everywhere.
Raihan Rafi directed Poran starring Sariful Razz, Bidya Sinha Mim and Yash Rohan and inspired by the Rifat murder case in Barishal, competed against another much-talked-about film, Ananta Jalil starrer and produced "Din – The Day" on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha this year.
Poran was acclaimed by both the audiences and the multiplex and single-screen owners while Ananta and director – Iranian filmmaker Morteza Atashzamzam threatened legal actions against each other following several suave exchanges of verbal blows between them surrounding the real budget and release of the movie.
Read More: Top 10 Upcoming South Indian Films in January 2023
However, the biggest blockbuster over recent years was Mejbaur Rahman Sumon directed film "Hawa."
The Chanchal Chowdhury-Nazifa Tushi-Shariful Razz starrer film garnered a massive audience response across the country and broke revenue records both at home and beyond while creating a great buzz on mainstream and social media with its catchy songs like "Shada Shada Kala Kala" and "Aat Ta Baje Deri Korish Na."
The cinema industry also observed other major releases this year, including Siam Ahmed starrer "Shaan" and "Operation Sundarbans," Shakib Khan's "Golui" and "Bidrohi," Sariful Razz-Bidya Sinha Mim and Siam starrer "Damal," and Jaya Ahsan's "Beauty Circus."
Mim, Nazifa Tushi and Puja Cherry were the breakout actresses in the industry this year. Shabnam Bubly, Apu Biswas, Pori Moni and Barsha remained embroiled in controversy for their comments and fights throughout 2022.
Read More: 'Adventure of Sundarban': Trail of children's film starring Pori Moni, Siam released
However, the entire film fraternity was seen unified in support of acclaimed filmmaker Mostafa Sarwar Farooki, and his battle against the Censor Board for the release of his much-anticipated film "Shonibar Bikel" (Saturday Afternoon).
Cox's Bazar tourists witness majestic last sunset of 2022
Cox’s Bazar is now buzzing with tourists who have flocked to the beach town to witness 2022’s final sunset and welcome the New Year.
Tourists and locals enjoyed the last sunset of 2022 on the beach and bid farewell to 2022.
Masud Chowdhury and Samantha Rahman, a tourist couple from Narayanganj, said, “We welcome 2023 with a trip to Cox's Bazar to let go of disappointment, sadness, and pain."
Apart from the beach, tourists flock to the city's Burmese market, Himachari, Inani, Patuatek, and other tourist attractions.
Tourism businessmen, beach workers, and tourist police are busy hosting tourists.
Abul Kashem Sikder, general secretary of the Cox's Bazar Hotel Motel Guest House Owners' Association, said that some 90% of rooms have already been reserved for the '31st Night' (New Year's Eve) celebration this year.
Read more: Revellers gather in Cox's Bazar to usher in New Year
Executive Magistrate Masum Billah, in charge of the tourism cell of the district administration, said that like every year, lakhs of tourists have gathered at Cox's Bazar beach to welcome the year 2023.
Md. Zillur Rahman, Police Superintendent of Tourist Police, said that the tourist police have also taken several security measures to ensure the safety of tourists.
“Additional police will be deployed in Himchari, Inani, and Patuartek zones when the St. Martin cruise starts on January 1,” he said.
Read more: Cox's Bazar: Long weekend over Xmas a fillip for domestic tourism