entertainment
Rayhan Rafi’s new film ‘Nisshash’ to be released on Chorki
Poran-famed director Rayhan Rafi’s new web film ‘Nisshash’ is soon going to be released on OTT-platform Chorki.
A teaser of the film was released on Chorki’s official facebook page on August 20, where upcoming actress Tasnia Farin has been seen playing the lead role.
Talking about the film, Rafi said that the making, style and genre of Nisshash are totally different from his other works.
Read: Ananta Jalil broke our contract: 'Din: The Day' director
“I’m lucky that one of my films is going to be released on such an OTT platform as Chorki. Thousands of people across the world stream Chorki, which means my film is going to be exposed to a lot of people at the same time,” said Rafi.
Replying to a question, the director said that he is a person who lives among movies.
“My life is a movie itself. I’m always busy with something related to films. I haven’t even taken a one week break since starting working on films. Maybe that’s why I’ve been able to deliver so much work within such a short time,” added Rafi.
Read Legal notice seeks complete ban on screening Hawa
The director also said that he wants to give the audience something worth watching.
“We had to build a huge set as around 50-60 artists have worked in the film Nisshash. I tried my best so that the audience doesn’t say that they’ve wasted their money on something unworthy. I hope the teaser of the film has given the audience an idea of what is to come,” said Rayhan Rafi.
'Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence' begins at Drik Gallery
The Goethe-Institut Bangladesh and Drik Picture Library inaugurated an international travelling exhibition at the Drik Gallery in Dhaka's Panthapath Friday to showcase the violence of gender constructions, and patriarchal forms of aggression on more vulnerable bodies.
Curated by Vidisha Fadescha, "Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence" is part of the Goethe-Institut's ongoing M3: Man, Male and Masculinity regional Project which includes Bangladesh and five other institutes in India.
Read BSA commemorates August 21 massacre with visual art show
‘Game of Thrones’ prequel keeps dragons, adds diversity
The prequel to “Game of Thrones” is set to forge its own storytelling path, with a new set of characters and a more diverse team behind the scenes.
“House of the Dragon” takes place two centuries before the events of the original series, which ended its hit eight-season run in May 2019. The 10-episode prequel begins Sunday on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.
The story focuses on House Targaryen, made famous in “Game of Thrones” by Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys and her fearsome dragons. But don’t expect “House of the Dragon” to be a remake of “Game of Thrones,’’ cast member Steve Toussaint said.
“It’s been done and they did it exceedingly well,” said Toussaint, who plays the very rich Lord Corlys Velaryon. “You know you’re in that world, but you’re seeing a different story, different characters, different motivations.”
Among the new faces in the clan is Prince Daemon Targaryen, played by Matt Smith. His villainous character is a lot more complex than he appears to be on first viewing, the actor said.
“I think the reason I’ve had fun is because he’s maybe not just a villain,” he said. “I think there’s actually a huge amount of fragility and depth and inner madness there. ... It’s not black and white. It can go either way with Daemon at any point.”
Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire and Blood,” the drama was co-created by Martin and Ryan Condal, whose credits include the 2016-19 sci-fi drama “Colony.” Condal is an executive producer and co-showrunner with director Miguel Sapochnik, who brings his experience on “Game of Thrones” to the prequel.
Read:Anne Heche dies of crash injuries after life support removed
“House of the Dragon,” much like its predecessor, focuses on familial succession with a female heir being overlooked. But Sapochnik notes a key difference between the two series: The team making the prequel is more diverse, including a 50-50 split between male and female directors, including Sapochnik, Clare Kilner, Geeta Vasant Patel and Greg Yaitanes.
There was a conscious push to be inclusive behind the scenes, Sapochnik says.
“We really tried to, as much as possible, hire as many female crew as we could, because we think that’s a really important shift that needs to be both recognized, acknowledged, acted upon, maybe give opportunities to people who don’t get opportunities,” he explained.
The team making “Dragon” is equally as diverse, and — for the fantasy genre — boasts a relative bounty of women in the writers’ room. The gender balance affects the show’s story and tone, according to some of its female cast members.
The series opens with an aristocratic council naming Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) as heir to the Iron Throne, bypassing his older cousin Princess Rhaenys Velaryon (Eve Best). But Viserys must have his own heir, with dreams of power held by Daemon, his younger brother, and Viserys’ daughter Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy plays the adult version, Milly Alcock the youth).
“You definitely don’t feel like a device or a prop and you don’t feel like the the sexy wench or the mother,” said Olivia Cooke, who plays the adult Alicent Hightower, longtime friend to Rhaenyra. “You feel that you’ve got a fully fledged character which is really nourishing to play.”
The ensemble cast also includes Emily Carey, Graham McTavish, Fabien Frankel, Rhys Ifans and Sonoya Mizuno.
Carey, who plays the younger Alicent, calls the inclusion of women in all aspects of production a step “in the right direction” for the fantasy genre.
Although virtually every female character faces misogyny, each is “still a fully fledged, three-dimensional female character,” Carey said. “They still have multiple other story lines and a whole life away from that misogynistic story line. They’re not just put in the show to serve a purpose. And I think that’s what makes it so special.”
“House of the Dragon” screenwriter Charmaine DeGraté said “it was important for George (R.R. Martin, a prequel executive producer) for it to be this way. Female-driven characters, female-driven shows and female-driven writers rooms just sort of elevates the story. That’s a wonderful way to expand the universe.”
Ananta Jalil brushes off 'Din: The Day' director's allegations
Actor-producer-businessman Ananta Jalil Thursday shrugged off the complaints of Iranian filmmaker Morteza Atashzamzam about the film "Din: The Day" in an Instagram post as " completely baseless."
"I don't know if the Instagram post is real. But what it says are totally baseless. I have all the legal documents, which clearly state that the Iranian production cost was paid by the Iranian producers and I paid for the shooting in Bangladesh," Ananta said.
He added: "A group of people representing their production team came to Bangladesh whom we treated with great respect and made sure that everything was done following our contract."
Read: Epic fail: Ananta Jalil's 'lesson' for rapists descends into victim-blaming
"The director himself met me a few days ago. He never mentioned these issues back then. So, I don't understand why he made those baseless claims on Instagram."
Earlier in the day, Morteza wrote in an Instagram post: "Ananta Jalil broke our agreement and contract, he did not fulfil his responsibilities and promises as we agreed."
He claimed Ananta breached the contract by distorting his creation and also shared an animation of the film's poster on an Instagram reel with the word "fake."
Read Ananta Jalil broke our contract: 'Din: The Day' director
"The name of the movie was supposed to be "Day" (rooz) but nothing happened as we planned. I was the main and major producer but he continued the production in his way, with his content and form and shapes," he wrote.
The Iranian filmmaker said he would sue Ananta and register a complaint against him at the court in Tehran, Iran, and have it followed up by an international lawyer at the court in Bangladesh.
Morteza added that he would also reveal the original contract in public and the main budget of the film.
Read Ananta Jalil vows to stand beside Sylhet with everything
Released during this year's Eid ul Azha, Din: The Day also stars Ananta's wife and actress Afiea Nusrat Barsha as the female lead. There has been a recurring debate about the film's actual budget which Ananta claimed was Tk100 crore.
Ananta Jalil broke our contract: 'Din: The Day' director
Iranian filmmaker Morteza Atashzamzam, director of the Bangladesh-Iran joint production "Din: The Day," has decided to sue Ananta Jalil, the lead actor of the movie, citing a breach of contract.
"Ananta Jalil broke our agreement and contract, he did not fulfil his responsibilities and promises as we agreed," Morteza wrote in an Instagram post Thursday.
He claimed Ananta breached the contract by distorting his creation and also shared an animation of the film's poster on an Instagram reel with the word "fake."
Read: Azmeri Haque Badhon: Starring the Title Role of 'Rehana Maryam Noor' Film Premiered in 74th Cannes
"The name of the movie was supposed to be "Day" (rooz) but nothing happened as we planned. I was the main and major producer but he continued the production in his way, with his content and form and shapes," he wrote.
The Iranian filmmaker said he would sue Ananta and register a complaint against him at the court in Tehran, Iran, and have it followed up by an international lawyer at the court in Bangladesh.
Morteza added that he would also reveal the original contract in public and the main budget of the film. "It's time for Ananta Jalil to pay back his debt to the Iranian team. The legal prosecution will reveal the whole truth in due time."
Shakib Khan back home after nine months
After nine months of living in the United States, Dhallywood superstar Shakib Khan finally returned to his beloved motherland Bangladesh on Wednesday noon. The actor immediately got showered with massive love from his crazy fans.
Shakib landed in Bangladesh on August 17, 2022 at 1 pm (local time) by a Turkish Airlines flight, after a hectic 21- hour journey.
Fans and admirers of the megastar came from different parts of the country and ultimately took over the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, resulting in huge traffic on the entire airport area and several points in the city including Uttara and Banani.
Read:Superstar Shakib Khan to seek AL nomination
After landing in his motherland, Shakib Khan told journalists that he is stunned to get this massive and overwhelming reaction from his beloved fans. He will bring exciting new projects soon and also be completing his unfinished projects very soon.
On Monday, Shakib wrote a heartfelt tribute from the John F Kennedy Airport in New York, reflecting on his nine-months long stayover in the US.
“Whenever life has presented me with a challenge, or when I've set myself a challenge to break down - I have always won through the grace of the Almighty and the love of my millions of fans. The past nine months in the US have been a challenge in my life, and once again I have successfully completed it along with your love,” Shakib Khan wrote from his verified Facebook page.
Read Film Rajkumar: Everything about Shakib Khan’s Upcoming Movie with US Actress
However, those nine months were like living in invisible chains, he mentioned. “Great people find themselves formerly isolated when they do great things! Each time they start over with a new understanding, their tomorrow!”
Reflecting on his newly found understanding on relationships with people, he wrote: “At the moment, I found numerous people in far-off countries, who accepted me as their family member and supported me mentally. On the other hand, I have moreover realized that a few of those whom I thought were mine until presently were not truly mine.”
“Nevertheless, I received the most comprehensive blind support in this life from millions of fans at home and abroad who have always stood by me and loved me selflessly.”
Read Shakib Khan at odds with acting association's stance on Pori Moni
Shakib concluded by saying that although he does not know why, he required this transformation to rediscover and comprehend his life's philosophy, reality, and everything else. He mentioned that throughout this time, he closely imagined every aspect of his life, just like he usually does in films.
“This time has helped me rethink the world and myself. Inshallah, if we live, the days ahead will be more lovely.” Shakib Khan wrote on the post.
On November 12, 2021, Shakib went to the US and made an announcement about his production company SK Films' latest production ‘Rajkumar’ there, which will also feature American actress Courtney Coffeyy.
Read Ananta Jalil brushes off 'Din: The Day' director's allegations
The popular Bangladeshi actor Shakib Khan will begin work on the government-funded movie ‘Maya’ next month. Puja Cherry will be the female lead in the movie, which will mark their second collaboration after ‘Golui.’
Ayub Bachchu’s 60th birth anniversary today
Tuesday marks the 60th birth anniversary of late rock superstar, guitarist, composer, and founding front man of popular band LRB Ayub Bachchu.
The music fraternity and fans across the world are commemorating the legend with great respect for his enormous contribution to the music of Bangladesh, especially in the band music genre.
Band legends including Maqsoodul Haque, Hamin Ahmed, Labu Rahman, his former bandmates Saidul Hasan Swapan, SI Tutul, Riyadh Sarwar, lyricists Shahid Mahmud Jangi and Latiful Islam Shibli and many other music stars have shared their fond memories and heartfelt wishes on social media, commemorating the rock icon's birth anniversary.
Born on August 16, 1962, in Patiya, Chittagong, Ayub Bachchu started his music career with the band ‘Feelings’ in 1977 after graduating from Government Muslim High School in 1975.
At Feelings, he performed as the lead guitarist alongside his most popular contemporary rock star and another rock legend of the country, James, for the next two years before joining the melodious band ‘Souls’ in 1980.
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Alongside the iconic Bangladeshi singers and musicians such as Tapan Chowdhury, Naquib Khan, Kumar Bishwajit and more, Bachchu continued as the band’s lead guitarist till 1990, before eventually launching ‘LRB’ (Love Runs Blind), a full-fledged rock band in 1991.
With the bold attempt to release their first venture as a double album, the band brought out ‘LRB-I’ and ‘LRB-II’, featuring many of its popular songs like “Ghum Vanga Shohore”, “Shesh Chithi”, ‘Madhobi” and more. Soon, LRB started to become popular for their tunes and presentations with balanced and guitar-based lyrics.
Although started as a hard rock band, LRB soon became known for their experiment with genres such as blues rock, soft rock, and psychedelic rock; and continued cementing its legacy as one of the pioneering rock bands in Bangladesh. With Bachchu, LRB released 14 critically acclaimed albums and "Ferari Mon: Unplugged Live", which was the first live album in Bangladesh.
The band went on to perform over 1,000 concerts that have included extensive performances in Bangladesh as well as tours in Asia, Europe, Australia and the United States and became the first Bangladeshi band to perform at the prestigious Madison Square Garden in New York City. Altogether, LRB changed the landscape in Bangladeshi band culture under the leadership of Ayub Bachchu.
Aside from being the successful front man of LRB, Bachchu was also extremely successful in his solo ventures including ‘Rokto Golap’ (1986), ‘Moyna’ (1988) and with his extremely popular album ‘Koshto’ (1995), often considered by many as a king’s comeback after seven years while Bachchu was busy with LRB.
Read: Legal notice served to singer Noble for derogatory remarks against Tagore
With a total of 16 solo albums, a full-fledged studio-turned production house named ‘AB Kitchen’, numerous super hit playbacks such as ‘‘Ammajaan’’, ‘’Sagorika”, “Ononto Prem”, “Ami to Preme Porini” and many other scores in Bangladeshi commercial movies, Blockbuster hit singles and band scores such as “Koshto Pete Valobashi”, ‘‘Shei Tumi Keno Eto Ochena Hole’’, ‘’Ferari Ei Monta Amar’’, ‘‘Cholo Bodle Jai’’, ‘’Ekhon Onek Raat’’, ‘‘Hashte Dekho Gaite Dekho’’ and more, and inspiring musicians from guitar enthusiasts to popular and established artists in both Bangladesh and West Bengal - Ayub Bachchu created his legacy during his short-lived glorious life.
On October 18, 2018, the rock legend startled the world by passing suddenly from a terrible heart attack.
He is survived by his wife Ferdous Ayub Chandana, daughter Fairuz Saffra Ayub, son Ahnaf Tazwar Ayub, and billions of followers worldwide.
Anne Heche dies of crash injuries after life support removed
Anne Heche, the Emmy-winning film and television actor whose dramatic Hollywood rise in the 1990s and accomplished career contrasted with personal chapters of turmoil, died of injuries from a fiery car crash. She was 53.
Heche was “peacefully taken off life support,” spokeswoman Holly Baird said in a statement Sunday night.
Heche had been on life support at a Los Angeles burn center after suffering a “severe anoxic brain injury,” caused by a lack of oxygen, when her car crashed into a home Aug. 5, according to a statement released Thursday by a representative on behalf of her family and friends.
She was declared brain-dead Friday, but was kept on life support in case her organs could be donated, an assessment that took nine days. In the U.S., most organ transplants are done after such a determination.
A native of Ohio whose family moved around the country, Heche endured an abusive and tragic childhood, one that helped push her into acting as a way of escaping her own life. She showed enough early promise to be offered professional work in high school and first came to prominence on the NBC soap opera “Another World” from 1987 to 1991, winning a Daytime Emmy Award for the role of twins Marley and Vicky Hudson, who on the show sustained injuries that anticipated Heche’s: Vicky falls into a coma for months after a car crash.
By the late 1990s Heche was one of the hottest actors in Hollywood, a constant on magazine covers and in big-budget films. In 1997 alone, she played opposite Johnny Depp as his wife in “Donnie Brasco” and Tommy Lee Jones in “Volcano” and was part of the ensemble cast in the original “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”
The following year, she starred with Ford in “Six Days, Seven Nights” and appeared with Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix in “Return to Paradise.” She also played one of cinema’s most famous murder victims, Marion Crane of “Psycho,” in Gus Van Sant’s remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic, and co-starred in the indie favorite “Walking and Talking.”
Around the same time, her personal life led to even greater fame, and both personal and professional upheaval. She met Ellen DeGeneres at a the 1997 Vanity Fair Oscar party, fell in love and began a 3-year relationship that made one of Hollywood’s first openly gay couples. But Heche later said her career was damaged by an industry wary of casting her in leading roles. She would remember advisers opposing her decision to have DeGeneres accompany her to the premiere of “Volcano.”
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“We were tapped on the shoulder, put into her limo in the third act and told that we couldn’t have pictures of us taken at the press junket,” Heche said in 2018 on the podcast Irish Goodbye.
After she and DeGeneres parted, Heche had a public breakdown and would speak candidly of her mental health struggles.
Heche’s delicately elfin look belied her strength on screen. When she won the National Board of Review’s 1997 best supporting actress award, the board cited the one-two punch of “Donnie Brasco” and the political satire “Wag the Dog,” in which Heche portrayed a cynical White House aide and held her own against film great Robert De Niro.
Heche also called effectively on her apparent fragility. In 2002 she starred on Broadway in the play “Proof” as a woman fearful of losing her sanity just like her father, a brilliant mathematics professor. An Associated Press review praised her “touching performance, vulnerable yet funny, particularly when Catherine mocks the suspicions about her mental stability.”
In the fall of 2000, soon after her break-up with DeGeneres, Heche was hospitalized after knocking on the door of a stranger in a rural area near Fresno, California. Authorities said she had appeared shaken and disoriented and spoke incoherently to the residents.
In a memoir released the following year, “Call Me Crazy,” Heche talked about her lifelong battles. During a 2001 interview with TV journalist Barbara Walters, Heche recounted in painful detail alleged sexual abuse by her father, Donald Heche, who professed to be devoutly religious and died in 1983 from complications of AIDS. Heche described her suffering as so extreme she developed a separate personality and imagined herself descended from another planet.
In the final days of his life, Heche said, she learned he was secretly gay and that she believed his inability to live honestly fueled his anger and hurtful behavior. Not long after her father died, her brother Nathan — one of her four siblings — was killed in a car crash.
“I’m not crazy. But it’s a crazy life. I was raised in a crazy family and it took 31 years to get the crazy out of me,” Heche told Walters. In an effort to escape the past, “I drank. I smoked. I did drugs. I had sex with people. I did anything I could to get the shame out of my life.”
Heche dated Steve Martin in the 1990s, and is widely believed to have inspired the childlike, but ambitious aspiring actor played by Heather Graham in his Hollywood spoof “Bowfinger.” She later had a son with camera operator Coleman Laffoon, to whom she was married from 2001 to 2009. She had another son during a relationship with actor James Tupper, her co-star on the TV series “Men In Trees.”
Heche worked consistently in smaller films, on Broadway and on TV shows in the past two decades. She recently had recurring roles on the network series “Chicago P.D.” and “All Rise,” and in 2020 was a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars.”
Cultural bodies observing National Mourning Day
Marking the National Mourning Day 2022, the 47th death anniversary of the country's founding president Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members, cultural bodies in Bangladesh have organized a variety of events on Monday.
Organizations including Bangla Academy, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Bangladesh National Museum, Dhaka University and others are organising multiple events, paying rich tributes while observing the occasion.
As part of its events, BSA hosted a special art camp for children in five different areas in the city from 9 am to 12 pm.
This special art camp took place at BSA’s National Art Gallery plaza, the VIP lounge of Kamalapur Railway Station, Zahir Raihan Cultural Centre in Gendaria, Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed park in Gulshan 2 and BSA venue in Uttara sector number 7, roads number 1 and 27.
BSA will also arrange a special discussion and cultural event at the National Theatre Hall in the evening.
Bangla Academy will inaugurate a 10-day discussion on the significance of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s autobiography ‘The Unfinished Memoirs’ at its AKSB auditorium on Monday at 3 pm.
Read: Nation set to observe National Mourning Day Monday
Poet Nurul Huda, Director General of Bangla Academy will deliver his welcome speech at the event, which will be joined by the keynote speaker Jeremie Cordon, Professor of History at the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations in Paris, France.
Dhaka University Film Society (DUFS) will arrange a special film screening session at the TSC premise under their yearly event ‘Bangabandhu in Celluloid’ at 7 pm.
A joint collaboration with Bangladesh Film Archive (BFA), the event will screen two exclusive documentaries on Bangabandhu consisting of his interviews, and Sohel Mohammad Rana-directed animation film ‘Mujib Amar Pita.’
Besides, several other organisations are observing the day with various seminars, cultural events and other arrangements. Television channels and radio stations will broadcast special programmes on the life and works of Bangabandhu and his family.
Gallery Cosmos is also currently hosting a special exhibition on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman titled ‘BRAVEHEART’ at the Cosmos Centre in the capital, showcasing paintings, sculpture installations and exclusive photographs of the Father of the Nation.
Inaugurated last Friday, the exhibition will continue till August 31.
Legal notice served to singer Noble for derogatory remarks against Tagore
A legal notice has been served to singer Mainul Ahsan Noble for making offensive remarks against the writer of the Bangladeshi national anthem Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
The notice, filed by Advocate Mithun Biswas of Chattogram court, says a case will be filed against him under the Digital Security Act if he fails to make his unconditional apology before the nation over making the derogatory remarks on his Facebook posts within seven days.
Read: Tiktoker held under DSA for making ‘derogatory remarks’ on PM, police
"Noble from his verified Facebook page 'Noble Man' made two Facebook posts on August 10 and 11 defaming Tagore using hateful and baseless comments which hurt the sentiments of common people", the notice added. "Noble has been asked to remove the Facebook posts and issue an apology to the public within seven days owing to his disrespectful act against Rabindranath, '' said the notice.
Read Legal notice served on Dhaka University for barring married students from halls