United News of Bangladesh

Veteran actor Dharmendra, 89, was discharged from Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital on Wednesday and will continue his treatment at home, hospital officials confirmed. The actor had been admitted to the hospital on October 31 after complaining of breathlessness. Early Wednesday morning, an ambulance was seen leaving the hospital for his residence. Dr. Prof Pratit Samdani, who was treating Dharmendra, told NDTV, “Dharmendraji has been discharged from the hospital around 7:30 a.m. His treatment will continue at home as the family has decided to provide home care.” Dharmendra’s family also issued a statement confirming his discharge and requested privacy. “Mr. Dharmendra has been discharged and will continue his recovery at home. We kindly request the media and public to refrain from speculation and respect his and the family’s privacy. We appreciate everyone’s love, prayers, and good wishes for his continued recovery, health, and long life,” the statement read. The development came after several media portals on Tuesday erroneously reported the actor’s death. Dharmendra’s daughter, Esha Deol, dismissed the false reports, saying, “My father is stable and recovering. We request everyone to give our family privacy. Thank you for the prayers for papa’s speedy recovery.” Dharmendra’s second wife, Hema Malini, also condemned the misinformation, calling it “extremely disrespectful and irresponsible,” and urged the media to respect the family’s need for privacy. Sunny Deol’s team added that the senior actor is responding to treatment and the family is “hoping for a miracle.” Sources close to the family said Dharmendra had been on ventilator support since November 10 and was reportedly in critical condition. Several film stars, including Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Govinda, and Aamir Khan with his partner Gauri Spratt, visited him at the hospital in recent days. Dharmendra, one of Bollywood’s most celebrated matinee idols, is known for classics such as Sholay, Dharam Veer, Chupke Chupke, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, and Dream Girl. He was last seen in Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya alongside Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon, and will next appear in Ikkis, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson Agastya Nanda, scheduled for release on December 25.   With inputs from NDTV 

HBO is developing a television series based on the 2005 dystopian thriller V for Vendetta, with Pete Jackson set to write the adaptation, according to a report by Variety. The franchise originated as a comic serial written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd. It first appeared in the British anthology Warrior in 1982 before DC Comics took over its publication in 1988. Set in a dystopian Britain ruled by the fascist Norsefire party, V for Vendetta follows an anarchist known as V, who seeks to spark a revolution against the regime with the help of Evey Hammond, a young woman he rescues from the secret police. The story was previously adapted into a 2005 film directed by James McTeigue, starring Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Stephen Rea and others. The new HBO series will be executive produced by James Gunn and Peter Safran of DC Studios, along with Ben Stephenson of Poison Pen and Leanne Klein of Wall to Wall Media, part of Warner Bros Television Studios UK. Warner Bros Television will produce the project.   Source: NDTV

Author David Szalay, who holds Canadian, Hungarian, and British citizenship, has won the 2025 Booker Prize for fiction for his novel Flesh — an understated, powerful portrayal of one man’s journey from humble beginnings in Hungary to immense wealth in Britain. The 51-year-old writer triumphed over five other finalists, including frontrunners Andrew Miller of the U.K. and India’s Kiran Desai. The prestigious literary award comes with a £50,000 ($66,000) prize and typically leads to a surge in book sales and global recognition. Chosen from 153 entries, Flesh was the unanimous selection of the Booker judging panel, which included Irish novelist Roddy Doyle and actor Sarah Jessica Parker. Doyle described the book as “a story about living — and the strangeness of living.” Written in a minimalist style, Flesh follows István, a quiet, working-class man, through his youth in Hungary, immigration struggles in Britain, and eventual rise to London’s elite circles. Szalay said he began the novel after scrapping a different project he had spent four years on, wanting instead to create “something partly Hungarian, partly English,” centered on “life as a physical experience.” At the awards ceremony in London’s Old Billingsgate, Szalay thanked the judges for honoring what he called a “risky” book. Laughing, he recalled once asking his editor whether a novel titled Flesh could ever win the Booker. “You have your answer,” he said. Doyle, who chaired the judging panel, said the book shines a light on a character type rarely seen in fiction — a working-class man like those he himself once wrote about. “It makes you look again at men you might pass on the street and think you understand,” he said. Born in Montreal to a Hungarian father and Canadian mother, Szalay grew up in the U.K. and now lives in Vienna. He previously made the Booker shortlist in 2016 for All That Man Is, a collection exploring nine different men’s lives. Critics have both praised and challenged Flesh for its restraint — leaving key parts of István’s life, such as his time in prison and service in Iraq, off the page — and for its deliberately opaque protagonist, whose most frequent response is simply “Okay.” Szalay acknowledged this, saying, “He doesn’t explain himself. He isn’t articulate. I wasn’t sure how readers would react to that.” The judges, however, admired the subtlety. “We loved how much was revealed without being stated,” Doyle said. “If those gaps were filled, it would be less of a book.” Since its founding in 1969, the Booker Prize has become one of the most influential literary honors in the world, launching the careers of writers like Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, Arundhati Roy, Ian McEwan, and 2024 winner Samantha Harvey for Orbital. Szalay said he hasn’t yet planned how to spend the prize money beyond taking “a nice little holiday” and saving the rest. Harvey, who presented the award, offered one final piece of advice: “Buckle up — and get a good accountant.”

British author Andrew Miller and Indian novelist Kiran Desai are the bookmakers’ favorites to win this year’s prestigious Booker Prize for fiction, with the award ceremony scheduled in London on Monday. Both writers are among six finalists vying for the coveted literary prize, which carries a £50,000 ($66,000) reward and often gives a significant boost to book sales and author recognition. This year’s winner was chosen from 153 submitted novels by a judging panel that includes Irish writer Roddy Doyle and actress Sarah Jessica Parker. Bookmaker William Hill has listed Miller, 64, as the front-runner with 15-8 odds for his novel The Land in Winter, a story of love and secrets between two couples in rural England during the harsh winter of 1962-63. Miller was previously a Booker finalist in 2001 for Oxygen. Desai, 54, follows closely with 2-1 odds for The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, her first novel in nearly two decades. The nearly 700-page book follows two young Indians navigating life in the United States around the turn of the millennium. Desai won the Booker Prize in 2006 for The Inheritance of Loss, and a second win would make her the fifth author to claim the award twice, joining J.M. Coetzee, Peter Carey, Margaret Atwood, and Hilary Mantel. Other contenders include Hungarian-British author David Szalay’s Flesh, Susan Choi’s family saga Flashlight, Katie Kitamura’s exploration of acting and identity in Audition, and Ben Markovits’ midlife-crisis road trip novel The Rest of Our Lives. Roddy Doyle, a Booker laureate himself in 1993 for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, praised all six books for addressing major social themes, including migration and class, in a “brilliantly human” way. Founded in 1969, the Booker Prize has a long history of transforming writers’ careers, with past winners including Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan, Arundhati Roy, and Samantha Harvey, who won the 2024 prize for Orbital. Originally limited to authors from the U.K., Ireland, and the Commonwealth, the prize opened to U.S. writers in 2014. This year’s shortlist includes three American authors—Choi, Kitamura, and Markovits—and Desai, who has long resided in New York.   Source: AP

Emraan Hashmi and Yami Gautam’s courtroom drama Haq is showing steady progress at the box office, inching closer to the Rs 10 crore milestone after its third day in theatres. Directed by Suparn S Varma, the film opened in cinemas on November 7. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Haq earned Rs 3.75 crore on its third day (November 9), bringing its total domestic collection to Rs 8.85 crore. The movie recorded an overall Hindi occupancy rate of 23.60 percent on its first Sunday, with the highest turnout during evening shows at 35.98 percent. Afternoon shows followed with 24.56 percent, while night and morning screenings saw 24.30 and 9.54 percent occupancy, respectively. After collecting Rs 1.75 crore on its opening day and Rs 3.35 crore on the second day, Haq continues to perform well in major cities and is expected to cross the Rs 10 crore mark soon. Inspired by the landmark Shah Bano case of 1985, the film portrays the story of a 62-year-old Muslim woman, Shah Bano Begum, who sought alimony from her former husband, lawyer Mohd Ahmed Khan, after their divorce. Katrina Kaif, newborn son stable after delivery Emraan Hashmi plays Khan, while Yami Gautam takes on the role of Shah Bano. The case led to a historic Supreme Court verdict granting her maintenance under Section 125, later overturned by the Rajiv Gandhi government — a move that triggered nationwide debates on secularism, women’s rights, and the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Produced by Junglee Pictures, Insomnia Films, and Baweja Studios, Haq also stars Vartika Singh, Danish Husain, Sheeba Chadha, and Aseem Hattangady in key roles. Source: NDTV 

Malayalam superstar Mohanlal’s much-anticipated magnum opus Vrusshabha is set to release in theatres worldwide on December 25 this year, the makers announced on Friday. Originally slated for release on October 16, the film was first postponed to November 6 and has now been rescheduled for Christmas Day. Sharing the update on X (formerly Twitter), Mohanlal posted a video teaser offering a glimpse of an action sequence from the film. “Some stories are more than cinema, they're legacies. This Christmas, witness that legacy roar to life in Vrusshabha — a film that celebrates emotion, grandeur, and destiny. Releasing worldwide on December 25, 2025,” he wrote. The teaser featured the tagline: “A king’s arrival is royal. The preparations must be grand. Prepare for the king Vrusshabha.” Earlier, the film’s first-look poster — unveiled on Mohanlal’s birthday — had generated huge excitement among fans. The actor appeared as a fierce warrior king clad in golden-brown dragon-scale armor, with long hair, a thick beard, and a striking white tilak, exuding strength and regality. “This one is special — dedicating it to all my fans. The wait ends. The storm awakens. With pride and power, I unveil the first look of Vrusshabha — a tale that will ignite your soul and echo through time,” Mohanlal had said when releasing the poster. Written and directed by Nanda Kishore, Vrusshabha is presented by Connekkt Media in association with Balaji Telefilms. The epic drama has been shot simultaneously in Malayalam and Telugu and will release in five languages — Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, and Kannada. The film is jointly produced by Shobha Kapoor, Ektaa R Kapoor, CK Padma Kumar, Varun Mathur, Saurabh Mishra, Abhishek S Vyas, Vishal Gurnani, and Juhi Parekh Mehta.   With inputs from NDTV

Rapper Kendrick Lamar leads the nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards with nine nods for his latest album GNX, organizers announced Friday. His album is part of a strong showing for hip-hop at this year’s Grammys, alongside Chromakopia by Tyler, the Creator and Let God Sort Em Out by Clipse, Pusha T and Malice. Other top nominees include Lady Gaga, producer Jack Antonoff and singer Sabrina Carpenter. The 2026 Grammy Awards will be held on February 1 in Los Angeles. In the album of the year category, nominees include Debí Tirar Más Fotos by Bad Bunny, Swag by Justin Bieber, Man’s Best Friend by Sabrina Carpenter, Mayhem by Lady Gaga, Mutt by Leon Thomas, and Chromakopia by Tyler, the Creator. Lamar’s collaboration “luther” with SZA earned a nomination for record of the year, while Billie Eilish, Rosé, and Bruno Mars were also among the contenders in key categories. The nominations reflect a diverse mix of pop, hip-hop, and Latin music stars, marking another competitive year for the Grammy stage.   Source: NDTV

Bollywood stars Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal welcomed their first child, a baby boy, on Friday morning, the couple announced in a joint post on social media. “Our bundle of joy has arrived. With immense love and gratitude, we welcome our baby boy. 7th November 2025 – Katrina and Vicky,” the post read. A source from HN Reliance Hospital, where the actress gave birth, confirmed that both mother and baby are in good health, though no discharge date has been set. “Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal were blessed with a baby boy at HN Reliance Hospital this morning. Both mother and child are doing well,” the hospital source said. According to the same source, the baby was born at 8:23 a.m., and both mother and newborn remain stable under observation. The couple had first announced their pregnancy in September through a heartwarming Polaroid shared on social media, showing Vicky holding Katrina’s baby bump. “On our way to start the best chapter of our lives with hearts full of joy and gratitude,” they had written. The birth announcement sparked an outpouring of love from the film fraternity. Priyanka Chopra Jonas commented, “So happy! Congratulations.” Kareena Kapoor Khan wrote, “Kat, welcome to the boy mamma club! So happy for you and Vicky.” Parineeti Chopra added, “Congrats, new mamma and papa!” while Sonam Kapoor Ahuja said, “Amazing, both of you. All my love.” Actress Rakul Preet Singh also congratulated the couple, writing, “Omggggg congratulations, you two! So happy!” Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal tied the knot in 2021 in an intimate ceremony attended by close family and friends. Source; NDTV

Stranger Things stars Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour drew major attention as they laughed and hugged on the red carpet during the Stranger Things 5 premiere in Los Angeles, even as reports surfaced alleging Brown had filed a harassment complaint against Harbour. Netflix shared a clip of the two actors, both dressed in black, exchanging smiles and laughter while posing for photos. The caption read, “David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown arrive together for one last Stranger Things premiere.” The Daily Mail earlier reported that Brown had lodged a complaint accusing Harbour of harassment and bullying before filming began for the final season. The report claimed that the complaint included extensive documentation and prompted an internal investigation lasting several months. Neither Brown nor Harbour has publicly commented on the allegations. Netflix also declined to issue a statement but sources told the outlet the company remains focused on the show’s upcoming release. “It will be a theatrical event. Nothing is going to overshadow this—not even the leading man’s private life,” a Netflix source was quoted as saying. Brown and Harbour have worked together since 2015, when she was just 11 years old. Reflecting on their bond, Harbour once said, “Millie and I have always had a special relationship because I knew her when she was so young.” Brown has described their dynamic as deeply emotional, saying in a 2018 interview, “We go through so many emotions; we get angry, we reconcile—we’re like father and daughter. It’s raw and real.”   Source: NDTV

Hollywood actor Brad Pitt has filed a new lawsuit against his ex-wife Angelina Jolie over the sale of their shared French winery, Château Miraval. According to People magazine, Pitt’s legal team recently submitted fresh documents in court, presenting communications between Jolie’s representatives regarding her 2021 sale of her stake in the winery, which the former couple co-owned. The filings included an email from November 2023 in which Jolie’s lawyers responded to Pitt’s claims for $35 million in damages. They argued that Pitt “created his own burdens” by initiating the lawsuit and must now bear the cost of producing documents that may or may not support his damage claims. Jolie’s team also alleged that Pitt was seeking ongoing compensation for harm to Miraval’s business operations and continued to withhold documents explaining the need for a four-year non-disclosure agreement covering alleged personal misconduct. Pitt first sued Jolie in 2022, claiming she violated their agreement by selling her share without his consent. The legal battle has since dragged on, with both sides accusing each other of withholding information. The next court hearing is scheduled for December 17. Pitt and Jolie, who share six children — Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne, and Knox — separated in 2016 after 12 years together. They finalized their divorce in December 2024.   Source: NDTV