Entertainment
'JK 1971' official teaser released
The official teaser of Fakhrul Arefeen Khan's film "JK 1971," Bangladesh's first English language movie on the 1971 Liberation War, was released online Saturday.
The 1 minute 16 second teaser was released on Gorai Film's YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Based on a true incident, the film features the real-life story of Jean Kay, a young Frenchman, who hijacked a plane of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) just after the vehicle took off on December 3, 1971, in Paris, demanding 20 tonnes of emergency child medicine for Bangladeshi refugees during the Liberation War.
"This is really an exciting moment for us as we recently completed our post-production work. The audience reaction after the release of the teaser tells us that we need to bring this film to theatres as soon as possible," Arefeen told UNB.
Also, the "Bhubon Majhi" and "Gondi" director said the official trailer will be released in September this year, and the movie might hit the theatres in December.
Co-produced by Gorai Films and Tanvir A Mishuk, the film features American Francisco Raymond, West Bengal's Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Sourav Shuvro Das, Indrajit Mazumder; Russian actors Deria Gvrusenko, Nikolai Novominaski, and 36 foreign artists from the US, UK, and Spain.
Renowned scriptwriter Masum Reza and director Arefeen worked on the screenplay of the film.
Also read: 'Rickshaw Girl' continues to be screened in US
'Rickshaw Girl' continues to be screened in US
Amitabh Reza Chowdhury's film "Rickshaw Girl" is being screened in the US for four weeks after having its premiere in New York on May 5.
After the first showing of the film in the city's famous movie theatre Village East by Angelica, Rickshaw Girl is now scheduled to have a couple of screenings in June.
Amitabh Reza Chowdhury told UNB that the screenings will be held on June 4 and 5 at 5pm in Arizona, California and Denver.
The Bangladeshi English film is now being screened in 52 cities in 18 states of the US, according to the director.
Read: ‘Agamikal’ to hit screens on June 3
Hosted in the US by Bioscope Films, Rickshaw Girl is based on the Indian-American author Mitali Perkins' book of the same title.
Nasif Farooq Amin and Sharbari Johra Ahmed wrote the screenplay of the movie.
The protagonist of the movie is a teenager, Naima, who eventually takes pulling a rickshaw as a profession. Novera Rahman has played the character.
The film also stars Champa, Momena Chowdhury, Naresh Bhuiyan, Ellen Shuvro and others.
A joint production of Bangladesh and the US, the film has received several awards in various countries around the world, including the Prescott Film Festival in the US and the Schlingel International Film Festival in Germany.
Star Cineplex showcases ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ in line with international release
Hollywood's iconic actor Tom Cruise starrer film ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ had its global release on Friday, and the country’s first multiplex chain Star Cineplex also brought the action-drama film to Bangladeshi cinephiles in line with its international release across its all five branches in the capital.
The movie, which brought Tom Cruise to the role of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell after 36 years with the sequel to 1986's "Top Gun," has recently been screened at the 75th Cannes Film Festival on May 18 in an Official Selection Screening, where it received a five-minute standing ovation from the audience and Cannes paved a tribute to Cruise and his extraordinary career.
On Friday, Bangladeshi audiences and Tom Cruise fans showed up in Star Cineplex’s Bashundhara City, Sony Square, SKS Tower, Shimanto Shambhar and the newly launched Bangabandhu Military Museum branches and praised the film.
“I have been a fan of Cruise and the original ‘Top Gun’ movie and was waiting to watch its sequel once it hits the theatre. It feels good that we, the Bangladeshi audiences are also watching this film alongside the rest of the world on the same day,” Ashiqur Pial, a banker, told UNB after watching the film at the Sony Square branch of Star Cineplex in Mirpur.
Before releasing it on Friday across all of its five branches, Star Cineplex held a special press screening of the film on Thursday night at its SKS Tower branch in Mohakhali in the capital for journalists, media personalities and celebrities.
The advanced screening was joined by popular silver screen actor Riaz Ahmed, Taskeen Rahman, Sumon Patwary, director Taneem Rahman Angshu, youth celebrities and content creators including Salman Muqtadir, Shoumik Ahmed, Rakin Absar, Shouvik Ahmed and more.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ also has an ensemble cast featuring Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, Monica Barbaro, and Val Kilmer.
Set 36 years after its prequel, the film recounts Maverick's return to the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (commonly known as "Top Gun"), where he must confront his past while training a cadre of younger fighter pilots, including the son of Maverick's closest buddy Goose.
The film was initially scheduled for a July 2019 release, which was delayed by efforts to shoot several complex action sequences, then by the COVID-19 pandemic and scheduling conflicts. Since its release, the film is receiving positive reviews and critical acclaim for Cruise’s incredible stunts as a dashing fighter pilot.
Also read: ‘Top Gun’ sequel a welcome trip to the danger zone
Shah Rukh Khan's son gets clean chit in drugs case
India's anti-narcotics agency has given a clean chit to Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan in the drugs-on-cruise case.
Aryan (23) and his two friends -- Arbaz Merchant and Mummun Dhamecha -- were among 20 people arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on October 3 last year in connection with a rave party the agency "busted" on board a cruise ship off Mumbai coast a day before.
Also read: Anti-narco cops seek more time to file charges against Shah Rukh Khan's son
On Friday, the NCB dropped all charges against Aryan, claiming that no drugs were found on him during the raid, and five other accused "for lack of evidence". However, the agency, in its chargesheet filed in the court, named 14 others in the case.
"There were indeed some irregularities in the initial probe. Action will be taken against the officials concerned for the lapses," NCB chief SN Pradhan told the media.
In fact, on the evening of October 2, some 30 NCB sleuths, disguised as passengers, boarded luxury cruise liner 'Empress' which departed Mumbai port for the neighbouring coastal state of Goa.
The cruise ship was carrying mostly celebrities from Bollywood and the fashion industry. As soon as the rave party began later that evening, the NCB sleuths swung into action and claimed to have caught red-handed those having drugs.
Also read:Top officer probing drugs case linked to Shah Rukh Khan's son removed
Aryan, his two friends, and seven others were soon detained. While two of the detainees were freed after questioning, the NCB sleuths placed Aryan and seven others under arrest a day later after over 12 hours of interrogation. Aryan got bail from a court on October 28.
Aryan's father Shah Rukh is considered the most talented Bollywood star. Popularly called "King Khan", he has acted in over 80 films in a career spanning over 25 years. And he has a net worth of USD 700 million.
‘Agamikal’ to hit screens on June 3
Here's good news for movie buffs! Actors Emon- and Momo-starrer film ‘Agamikal’ will hit the screens across Bangladesh on June 3.
Mamnun Hasan Emon and National Film Award-winning actress Zakia Bari Momo will be seen together after 15 years in this film, following their silver screen debut in Tauquir Ahmed-directed 'Daruchini Dwip' in 2007.
Leading director Anjan Aich has directed the film, produced by Mancha International.
While talking about the release date, Emon told UNB, "Feeling glad that 'Agamikal' is being released just a month after Eid-ul-Fitr. Hopefully, it will be able to become a part of the positive transition our film industry is moving towards."
READ: You can’t pass comment on a film by seeing only trailer, says Shyam Benegal
"The story, character and my experience working for this film were altogether promising. Hopefully, the enthusiasm of people returning to cinema halls after Covid will continue with frequent releases of films," he added.
Apart from Emon and Momo, Tutul Chowdhury, Shuchona Azad, Faruk Ahmed, Shatabdi Wadud, Ashish Khandakar and Saberi Alam are part of the cast.
Ellen DeGeneres ends daytime show with plea for compassion
Ellen DeGeneres brought her nearly two-decade daytime talk show to an end Thursday with a celebrity lovefest and a forceful assertion of her achievement as a gay woman daring to be herself.
DeGeneres and guests Jennifer Aniston, Billie Eilish and Pink shared memories and affection as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” concluded its Emmy-winning, 3,200-plus episode run that began in September 2003.
“Twenty years ago, when we were trying to sell the show, no one thought that this would work. Not because it was a different kind of show, but because I was different,” DeGeneres said of the pushback from TV stations.
When the syndicated show went on the air, she was prevented from saying the word “gay” or even the pronoun “we,” DeGeneres said, since the latter would imply she had a partner. She didn't specify who imposed the ban.
“Sure couldn’t say wife, and that’s because it wasn’t legal for gay people to get married — and now I say ‘wife’ all the time,” DeGeneres added, with a touch of defiance, as actor Portia de Rossi watched from the studio audience. They wed in 2008.
The host, who became known for encouraging her audience to join her in impromptu dances, shared some last moves with her sidekick and DJ, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, to the tune “Best of My Love.”
Also read: Duchess of Sussex gets goofy on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show
The dancer-choreographer saluted DeGeneres as someone who inspires others because she has “the courage to step out and be your authentic self.”
Aniston, who as the first guest on the show's first episode gave DeGeneres a “Welcome” doormat, arrived with another that read, “Thanks for the memories." DeGeneres noted the “Friends” star has been on the show a total of 20 times.
“You're welcome,” Aniston said, teasingly, then turned serious.
“I love you, and I so appreciate you and what you have given to the world over the last 19 years. The contribution is endless," she said. She introduced a career retrospective video that also touted DeGeneres' philanthropic efforts, said to include more than $400 million in donations to charities and “deserving viewers.”
“I love you," a beaming Eilish told DeGeneres during their chat. “I love you so much, it’s dumb,” said Pink, who performed “What About Us."
DeGeneres' daytime reign hit a serious bump in 2020, when the show was alleged to be a toxic workplace and three producers exited amid the claims. On the air that fall, DeGeneres apologized for “things that shouldn’t have happened,” but defended herself as being the same genuine person — if an imperfect one — on- and off-camera.
The talk show represented a second major TV act for DeGeneres. In 1997, she made an indelible mark when she came out as lesbian and brought her character on the ABC sitcom “Ellen” with her. The series was axed the next year.
Also read: Ellen DeGeneres to end long-running TV talk show next year
“Twenty-five years ago, they canceled my sitcom because they didn’t want a lesbian to be in prime-time once a week. And I said, ‘OK, then I’ll be on daytime every day,’" DeGeneres said Thursday.
The comedian, actor and producer has said she'll take time to consider her next career move, but first she and de Rossi are making a trip to Rwanda. DeGeneres wrapped her daytime show with a plea to her audience, one she said was worth repeating.
“If I've done anything in the past 19 years, I hope I've inspired you to be yourself, your true authentic self. And if someone is brave enough to tell you who they are, be brave enough to support them, even if you don't understand,” DeGeneres said. “By opening your heart and your mind you're going to be that much more compassionate, and compassion is what makes the world a better place."
Khairul Anam Shakil appointed chair of Nazrul Institute trustee board
Eminent Nazrul exponent, researcher and Ekushey Padak conferred Nazrul singer Khairul Anam Shakil has been appointed by the government as the new trustee board Chairman of Kabi Nazrul Institute on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Public Administration issued a gazette notification on Tuesday regarding his appointment for the next 3 years.
Having graduated from Leeds Beckett University, UK in Industrial Engineering in 1984, Khairul Anam Shakil is one of the most renowned and respected Nazrul singers and researchers.
Also Read: Nazrul’s 123rd birth anniversary Wednesday
Before becoming successful in his genre, Shakil learned music from his uncle Mahmudur Rahman Benu and other music maestros in Bangladesh including Narayan Chandra Basak, Ustad Mohammad Sageeruddin Khan, Sheikh Lutfur Rahman, Sohrab Hossain and Anjalee Ray.
Khairul Anam Shakil is the current Vice President of Chhayanaut, General Secretary of Bangladesh Nazrul Sangeet Sangstha and a faculty member of the Department of Music at the University of Dhaka.
For his excellence in music as an eminent Nazrul exponent, he received Ekushey Padak in 2019 and Nazrul Award from the Kazi Nazrul Institute in 2017.
Kabi Nazrul Institute was established in February 1985, with prominent journalist Mohammad Nasiruddin, being the maiden chairman of the trustee board.
Surgeon: Johnny Depp's severed finger story has flaws
A hand surgeon testified Monday that Johnny Depp could not have lost the tip of his middle finger the way he told jurors it happened in his civil lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.
The finger injury, which occurred in a March 2015 fight in Australia between Depp and Heard, has been one of several key points of dispute in the lawsuit. Depp says he was injured when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him. Heard has said she never saw specifically how it happened, but that it occurred on a night when an enraged Depp sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle.
Depp is suing Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” His lawyers say he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name.
Depp has denied he ever struck Heard, and says she was the abuser in the relationship. Heard has testified about more than a dozen separate instances of physical abuse she says she suffered at Depp's hands.
In testimony Monday, surgeon Richard Moore testified about the severed finger as jurors saw gruesome photos of the injury. He said that Depp described that his palm was down on a bar when it was struck by the bottle.
Also read: Jury sees pics of Heard's swollen face after fight with Depp
Moore, who did not treat Depp, testified that Depp's description is unlikely, in large part because his fingernail remained intact. Moore said the fingernail was exposed, as Depp described the placement of his hand, and would have been damaged. Moore also said there would have been other cuts on the rest of his hand from the glass that shattered on impact.
While Depp told the jury that Heard severed the finger by throwing a vodka bottle, at the time of the accident he told people and sent text messages saying he'd done it to himself. At one point he said the finger had been pinched between solid accordion doors.
Depp now says he lied to protect Heard. Moore testified that getting the finger pinched in accordion doors would be consistent with the injury.
The trial is now in its sixth week. Monday's testimony was relatively mundane in a trial that has provided an ugly glimpse into the couple's toxic relationship. There had been an expectation that Heard's lawyers were going to call Depp to the stand Monday, but that did not occur. Heard's lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, said at the end of the day Monday that they are still discussing whether to call him.
Jurors had already heard from both Depp and Heard extensively — each was on the stand for four days, undergoing grueling cross-examinations.
Also Monday, a psychiatrist testified that Depp's behavior fits the pattern of a person whose drug and alcohol abuse contributes to domestic violence.
Depp lawyer Wayne Dennison questioned the ethics and credibility of the psychiatrist's opinions, given that he never conducted an examination of Depp
Later Monday, Dennison extensively questioned another Heard witness, entertainment expert Kathryn Arnold, about her assertion that Heard lost out on a potential $40 million to $50 million when another Depp lawyer called Heard's claims of abuse a “hoax.” Heard has filed a counterclaim against Depp based on those statements.
Arnold said she measured Heard's career against “comparable” stars like Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa and Zendaya to show where Heard's career would have gone if Depp attorney Adam Waldman had not defamed her.
Also read: He said, she said: Accounts from Depp and Heard rarely match
Dennison, in his questioning, scoffed at the notion that Heard was in the same league as those stars. He was also dismissive of Heard's role as Mera in the “Aquaman” superhero film franchise, saying that the to-be-released “Aquaman” sequel is more like a “buddy comedy” than a film that will feature Heard as a romantic lead.
Heard "was on the precipice of a great career,” Arnold insisted.
The trial has drawn increasing public attention over its length. People camped out overnight and squabbled over places in line as they sought to get one of the 100 seats in the courtroom allocated to the public. During a morning break, one woman professed her love for Depp and asked when he was going to acknowledge that he was the father of the baby she was holding in her arms.
She was removed from the courtroom.
One more 'I do,' this time in Italy, for Kourtney and Travis
A trilogy of Kravis nuptials has been completed with a (probably) final ceremony in Portofino, Italy.
Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker each posted to Instagram on Sunday a photo of themselves kissing at the altar, with the caption, “happily ever after.”
The photo showed a backdrop that included scores of candles and a Madonna-and-child painting. A smiling officiant looks on.
Kardashian later added another photo of the two smiling and facing the guests moments later, with the text, “ Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Barker.”
Also read: Kardashians take Portofino for Kourtney-Travis wedding
She wore a white corseted mini-dress and a floor-length veil with a giant Virgin Mary design on the side. He wore a black suit. Both were designed by Dolce & Gabbana, according to People Magazine.
The wedding was held at Castello Brown, a castle built in the Middle Ages overlooking the Gulf of Portofino, TMZ reported.
The ceremony came after an Elvis-impersonator-officiated “practice” wedding — with no marriage license — followed by a small ceremony — with marriage license — in Santa Barbara, California.
The wedding party arrived Friday in the jet set playground of Portofino, a seaside village known for its multicolored houses and crystalline green water on the Italian Riviera coast.
Photographers snapped the couple, along with the rest of the Kardashian-Jenner clan and Barker's daughter Alabama, as they arrived for dinner Friday and when they took to the streets again Saturday on their way to lunch. In a prelude to her wedding outfit, Kourtney wore a veil and short black dress emblazoned with a likeness of the Virgin Mary.
The reality star, 43, and the Blink-182 drummer, 46, are known for their PDA and didn't disappoint. They were seen Friday on a boat sharing a kiss in the abundant sun — she in a T-shirt of her beau's band and he in his favorite style condition: shirtless with his multiple tattoos on display.
A larger reception is planned later in Los Angeles, according to reports.
Also read: Potential jurors for Kardashians air disdain to their faces
Barker and the oldest Kardashian sister went Instagram official with their relationship early last year. He popped the question in October, beachside with a ring of red roses and white candles at a Montecito, California, hotel.
Kourtney had a long previous relationship with Scott Disick, with whom she had three kids. Barker has been married twice. His first marriage, to Melissa Kennedy, lasted nine months. His last divorce, from Shanna Moakler, came in 2008. They wed in 2004 and share two teen kids.
You can’t pass comment on a film by seeing only trailer, says Shyam Benegal
Apparently responding to criticism on social media, celebrated Indian film director Shyam Benegal has said it is very difficult for him to guess why some people are upset and noted that one cannot pass a comment on a film by seeing only its trailer.
“You cannot pass a comment on a film by seeing a 90-second trailer. You can comment on just the trailer,” he told The Telegraph, adding that he just got a message that there have been some comments.
Also read: Trailer of "Mujib --The Making of a Nation" is out at Cannes festival
Trailer of ‘Mujib - The Making of a Nation’ was released at Festival de Cannes on Thursday. The film is expected to ready by the end of 2022.
The filmmaker said the presentation in Cannes (where the trailer was launched) went off very well.
When Benegal had made a film on another Bengal icon, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, titled Bose: The Forgotten Hero, it had landed in court as the film had shown Bose getting married (to Emily Schenkl)¸which some people had taken to be incorrect and disrespectful.
But in Mujib’s case, Benegal said he had not foreseen any controversy coming. The film’s trailer describes him as a “devoted family man” and has some scenes of him interacting with family members.
“Bose had left Bengal and went far away from his original family. But Mujib wasn’t alienated from his family. He was very much there except for the period when he was put in prison and taken away to West Pakistan. That’s why I would like to know myself what it (the negative reaction) is about,” the film director quoted as saying.
Benegal said he was in Dhaka shooting the film and the entire cast was from Bangladesh. “Their pronunciation of some words is different from the Bengali spoken in West Bengal and they pride themselves on their Bengali. All of that is there in the film. That is why I had taken only Bangladesh actors as they would feel much closer to Mujib,” he said.
At the Cannes, Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said the feature film on Bangabandhu was about the struggle, pain and suffering of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in liberating a nation.
“People of the world will know how he remained unwavering in the face of gallows and how he transformed an unarmed nation into an armed one and led the liberation war. It isn’t easy to capture the whole life of such great people in 3 hours but the team making the movie has done a great work," he said while talking about the movie "Mujib – The Making of a Nation."
The co-production agreement for the film “Bangabandhu” was signed on 14th January, 2020 between two Executive Producers - NFDC and Film Development Corporation (FDC), Bangladesh.
The total budget of the film is over US$ 10 million (INR 75 Crores) shared in the ratio of 40:60 by India and Bangladesh respectively.
The release is delayed owing to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The entire shooting of the film “Bangabandhu” has been successfully completed, spread in four schedules in India and Bangladesh.
Also read: Trailer of Shyam Benegal's 'Mujib - The Making of a Nation' premiered at Cannes
The actors in the lead roles Arifin Shuvoo and Nusrat Imrose Tisha, for the love of the nation & the emotion named Mujib, have worked for free and have taken only 1 Bangladeshi Taka as a token amount.
Arifin Shuvoo has played the role of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his life’s journey from early days to the Making of a Nation has been depicted in the film.
Tisha, plays the role of Sheikh Fazilatunnesa (Renu), the better half of Mujib. The film showcases her family, struggles, strength and her role in Mujib’s success as one of the greatest leaders in the World.
Delivering his remarks in a recorded message Benegal said, “The trailer is out and I hope the audiences will appreciate it."
"It was an absolutely marvellous journey working for this film as I got an opportunity to work with the artists and technicians from both the nations. And thankful to Ministries from India & Bangladesh for their overwhelming support," he added.