The news of celebrated actor-director Aly Zaker’s death was received with shock and sadness with the entertainment industry and the general people alike expressing grief at the passing away of the Ekushey Padak recipient on Friday.

Aly Zaker, a member of the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, passed away this morning at 6:40 after a four-year battle with cancer at the age of 76. He was diagnosed with Covid-19 two days ago and was undergoing treatment at the city’s United Hospital.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led the tributes, saying the contribution of Aly Zaker in the Liberation War, the country's arts and cultural arena will be remembered forever.

Renowned actress Suborna Mustafa wrote on her official Facebook profile: “There are no words to express my thoughts or feelings. Aly Zaker, our dear Chotlu Bhai has made his eternal journey.”

“Sara Bhabi, Iresh and Sriya may you find the strength to deal with this pain. Love you Chotlu Bhai. Goodbye till we meet again,” she said.

Born on November 6, 1944, in Chattogram, Zaker is a freedom fighter and an artiste of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra during the Liberation War of 1971. After independence, he started his journey as an actor and became one of the most successful on stage, television and silver screen through playing a wide variety of roles.

Actress Nusrat Imrose Tisha said Aly Zaker was one of the kindest persons she had known. “A lighthouse for many of us. May Allah grant him eternal peace,” she wrote.

Popular actor Chanchal Chowdhury paid tribute to the departed soul. So did actress Sabila Nur. “Rest in peace Aly Zaker,” she wrote.

Aly Zaker directed 15 plays and acted in 31 for his troupe till 2019, including Kopenik-er Captain, Galileo, Nurul Diner Sarajibon, Macbeth, Achalayatan, Dewan Gazir Kissa and more, to name a few. His performances in the role of Nurul Din, Galileo and Dewan Gazi earned him acclaim from critics and fans. He has also achieved prominence in television dramas including Aaj Rabibar, Bohubrihee and more.

Actor Arifin Shuvoo said the creation of the legendary thespian will live forever.

Film actor Omar Sani also mourned the demise of the Ekushey Padak recipient.

“Eminent actor and progressive cultural movement leader Aly Zaker uncle is no more. He left this world forever this morning. May his soul rest in peace,” he wrote on Facebook.

His Namaz-e-Janaza will be held at the Banani graveyard mosque after Asr prayers.

The artist received Ekushey Padak, the country’s second-highest civilian award in 1999. He has also received Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Award, Bangabandhu Award, Munier Chowdhury Award, Naren Biswas Award and many other accolades throughout his career.

Aly Zaker is survived by his family members including wife Sara Zaker, son Iresh Zaker and daughter Shriya Sharbojoya.

Read Also: Ekushey Padak recipient actor, director Aly Zaker passes away

“No New ‘Movies’ Till Influenza Ends” blared a New York Times headline on Oct. 10, 1918, while the deadly second wave of the Spanish Flu was unfolding.

A century later, during another pandemic, movies — quotes no longer necessary — are again facing a critical juncture. But it’s not because new films haven’t been coming out. By streaming service, video-on-demand, virtual theater or actual theater, a steady diet of films have been released under COVID-19 every week. The Times has reviewed more than 460 new movies since mid-March.

Yet until recently — with only a few exceptions — those haven’t been the big-budget spectacles Hollywood runs on. Eight months into the pandemic, that’s changing. Last month, the Walt Disney Co. experimented with the $200 million “Mulan” as a premium buy on its fast-growing streaming service, Disney+ — where the Pixar film “Soul” will also go on Dec. 25. WarnerMedia last week announced that “Wonder Woman 1984” — a movie that might have made $1 billion at the box office in a normal summer — will land in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously next month.

Much remains uncertain about how the movie business will survive the pandemic. But it’s increasingly clear that Hollywood won’t be the same afterward. Just as the Spanish Flu, which weeded out smaller companies and contributed to the formation of the studio system, COVID-19 is remaking Hollywood, accelerating a digital makeover and potentially reordering an industry that was already in flux.

“I don’t think the genie will ever be back in the bottle,” says veteran producer Peter Guber, president of Mandalay Entertainment and former chief of Sony Pictures. “It will be a new studio system. Instead of MGM and Fox, they’re going to be Disney and Disney+, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, HBO Max and Peacock.”

Many of the pivots in 2020 can be chalked up to the unusual circumstances. But several studios are making more long-term realignments around streaming. WarnerMedia, the AT&T conglomerate that owns Warner Bros. (founded in 1923), is now run by Jason Kilar, best known as the former chief executive of Hulu. Last month, Disney chief executive Bob Chapek, the Robert Iger heir, announced a reorganization to emphasize streaming and “accelerate our direct-to-consumer business.”

Universal Pictures, owned by Comcast, has pushed aggressively into video-on-demand. Its first major foray, “Trolls,” kicked up a feud with theater owners. But as the pandemic wore on, Universal hatched unprecedented deals with AMC and Cinemark, the largest and third-largest chains, respectively, to dramatically shorten the traditional theatrical window (usually about three months) to just 17 days. After that time, Universal can move releases that don’t reach certain box-office thresholds to digital rental.

While the nation’s second largest theater chain, Regal Cinemas, has resisted such deals, there’s widespread acknowledgement that the days of 90-day theatrical runs are over. It’s something the studios have long sought for the potential benefit of covering both platforms with one marketing campaign. Many see the pandemic as accelerating a decades-long trend.

“Windows are clearly changing,” says Chris Aronson, distribution chief for Paramount Pictures. “All this stuff that’s going on now in the business was going to happen, the evolution is just happening faster than it would have. What would have taken three to five years is going to be done in a year, maybe a year and a half.”

That condensed period of rapid change is happening at the same time as a land rush for streaming market share, as Disney+, HBO Max, Apple and Peacock wrestle for a piece of the home viewing audience dominated by Netflix and Amazon. With theme parks struggling and worldwide box office down tens of billions, streaming is a bright spot for media companies, and the pandemic may offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lure subscribers. “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Soul” are essentially very expensive advertisements for those streaming services.

Each studio, depending on their corporate ownership and streaming positioning, is taking a different approach. Paramount, like Sony Pictures, doesn’t have a streaming service to offload films to. Both have held back their tentpole releases while selling more midsized films to streamers. For Paramount, “A Quiet Place: Part II,” “Top Gun Maverick” and “Mission: Impossible 7” are waiting for 2021 while “The Trial of the Chicago 7” fetched a reported $56 million from Netflix and Eddie Murphy’s “Coming to America 2” went to Amazon Prime Video for a reported $125 million.

HBO Max has had a bumpier rollout than Disney+, so “Wonder Woman 1984” is an especially critical gambit for WarnerMedia following the audacious release of “Tenet.” As the first tentpole to test theaters reopened with safety protocols and reduced capacities, it has made about $350 million worldwide -- a lot considering everything but far less than originally hoped for. Credit Suisse analyst Douglas Mitchelson called the “Wonder Woman” plans — which include rolling theatrical runs in China, Europe and elsewhere — “a grand experiment that could have-lasting implications if successful.”

Director Patty Jenkins acknowledged the simultaneous release was a kind of sacrifice, not just to HBO Max but to families stuck at home. “At some point you have to choose to share any love and joy you have to give, over everything else,” Jenkins wrote on Twitter.

It can be easy to cheer such moves, even if their financial performance remain cloudy (no studio has been transparent about its viewership numbers or digital grosses) and their long-term viability uncertain. Can you replicate $1 billion in box office in new subscriptions? And for how long will the one-time bounce of a new movie (unlike a series staggered over weeks or months) drive subscribers once streaming services are closer to tapping as many homes as they can?

“The whole thing is more complicated than people want it to be,” says Ira Deutchman, the veteran independent film producer and Columbia University professor. “The way movies are made and distributed, certainly at the studio level, has been really in need of change and hopefully this will bring it on. But when people hear that, it’s like: The pandemic is the straw that broke the camel’s back and now theatrical is dead. I personally feel that’s garbage.”

Deutchman considers the idea that people, after a year of quarantines and lockdowns, won’t want to leave their living room “ludicrous.” But he does imagine continued mergers and acquisitions, and “a new equilibrium” for distributors and theater owners.

So what could that mean on the other side of COVID, if moviegoers are once again comfortable sitting in packed theaters on opening weekend? It will almost certainly mean the months-long runs of films like “Titanic” or “Get Out” are a thing of the past. It could mean variable pricing on different nights. It could mean an even greater division between the franchise films of the multiplex and the boutique art house, with everything in between going straight to streaming.

But after decades of slow but steady decline in attendance, most think movie theaters will have to innovate in a way other than raising ticket prices.

“The outlook is pretty dire in terms of being a major theatrical exhibitor,” says Jeff Bock, senior box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. He imagines shortened windows will mean few films — even the Marvel releases — ascending to $1 billion in worldwide box office. He can see some studios, like Disney, operating their own theaters as “mini-theme parks” with merchandising stuffing the lobbies.

In the meantime, theaters are hoping for much-needed relief from Congress. With the virus surging, about 40% of U.S. theaters are open; in New York and Los Angeles, they’ve stayed shut since March. Chains have taken on loans to stay afloat and avert bankruptcy. Cineworld, owner of Regal Cinemas (currently entirely closed) on Monday announced a deal for a $450 million rescue loan.

It will be a very different holiday season — usually the most lucrative corridor in theaters — for the movie business. How different 2021 and beyond will be remains to be seen. Some things, though, may never change.

“If you’re going to be in this business, no matter what you do or where it plays, whether it’s streaming or in cinemas, you’re going to make hits and you’re going to make flops,” says Guber. “The idea is to make more hits than flops.”

Ekushey Padak recipient Aly Zaker, a member of the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, passed away on Friday morning at the age of 76.

"My father, Aly Zaker, passed away this morning at 6:40 after a four year long battle with cancer. Innalillahi Wa Innailahi Rajiun. We are ever grateful for your love and prayers," his son and actor Iresh Zaker wrote in a Facebook post.

Aly Zaker had been suffering from cancer for the last four years. Iresh said his father was diagnosed with COVID-19 two days ago.

Zaker, the chairman of Asiatic 3sixty, died at the United Hospital where he was undergoing treatment for coronavirus.

His Namaz-e-Janaza will be held at the Banani graveyard mosque after Asr prayers.

Born on November 6, 1944, in Chattogram, Zaker is a freedom fighter and an artiste of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra during the Liberation War of 1971. After independence, he started his journey as an actor and became one of the most successful on stage, television and silver screen through playing a wide variety of roles.

Tributes poured in for the freedom fighter and eminent cultural personality.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in a message, expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of Ekushey Padak recipient.

She said the contribution of Aly Zaker in the great Liberation War, the country's arts and cultural arena will be remembered forever. The Prime Minister prayed for the departed soul and expressed sympathy to the bereaved family.

Zaker’s career as a thespian began with theatre troupe ‘Aranyak Natyadal’ in 1972. He performed in Munier Chowdhury’s play ‘Kabar’ in the same year. Later, he joined Nagorik Natya Sampradaya the same year and remained with the troupe until his death.

He directed 15 plays and acted in 31 for his troupe till 2019, including Kopenik-er Captain, Galileo, Nurul Diner Sarajibon, Macbeth, Achalayatan, Dewan Gazir Kissa and more, to name a few. His performances in the role of Nurul Din, Galileo and Dewan Gazi earned him acclaim from critics and fans. He has also achieved prominence in television dramas including Aaj Rabibar, Bohubrihee and more.

The artist received Ekushey Padak, the country’s second-highest civilian award in 1999. He has also received Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Award, Bangabandhu Award, Munier Chowdhury Award, Naren Biswas Award and many other accolades throughout his career.

Aly Zaker is survived by his family members including wife Sara Zaker, son Iresh Zaker and daughter Shriya Sharbojoya.

Read Also: PM mourns death of Ekushey Padak recipient Aly Zaker

Not only the sports world, many celebrities across the globe, including in Bangladesh, are struggling to reconcile with the sudden loss of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona.

From India's Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan to the iconic British rock band Queen to Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki and Dhallywood heartthrob Shakib Khan, the tributes to the football great keep getting more heart-wrenching.

In his condolence message, internationally award-winning Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki wrote on Facebook: “With him, a big part of my childhood is gone! I was never a fan of Argentina! I was actually in the opposite camp to be precise. Our job was to spread hatred when it came to any Argentine player. But secretly we had this uncontrollable crush on him! Secretly we knew there was no one like him.”

“He was the Porsche among a legion of low tech mass cars. He could change the course of a game single-handedly. He was magical, crazy, angry, and divine! And last but not the least, he was the REBEL! Goodbye, Maradona! It was hard not to love you! #maradona #diegomaradona,” he added.

Dhallywood superstar-cum-producer Shakib Khan also mourned the football legend's untimely death on social media: “May his soul Rest In Peace. One of the greatest footballers ever I saw. He was the Best of the Best. #DiegoAmandoMaradona #Legend.”

Actor Arifin Shuvoo, who made his debut on silver screen with the 2010 Bangladeshi sports drama film based on football titled 'Jaago: Dare To Dream', shared his curt condolence message: "Goodbye Magician. RIP."

Khijir Hayat Khan, the writer and director of that film, shared an image of the famous jersey number 10 that Maradona wore in his football career, saying: "RIP DIEGO ......You refined LEGENDS".

Siam Ahmed, another heartthrob who has recently been signed for the Swadhin Bangla Football Team-inspired movie 'Damaal', also echoed similar sentiments. "Rest in peace..... Legend," he wrote on social media, tagging an image of Maradona holding the 1986 World Cup.

Popular actress Jaya Ahsan bid farewell to the iconic soccer-star, with a one liner: "Goodbye, the prince of football."

Through a long yet profound eulogy, popular actor-singer Chanchal Chowdhury shared his fond childhood memories. "Maradona is a name that has been synonymous with the golden memories of our childhood when I was in school. He is no more. The nostalgia is taking me back to those days, when I used to have notebooks printed with his image on the cover. It is impossible to make everyone understand what exactly I am going through right now."

"There was only one television set in the chairman's house of our village. We used to stay awake the whole night during the world cup season and watch the matches on that battery-run black and white television. Uncountable and unforgettable memories. Good bye, Maradona. May his soul rest in peace," the actor wrote on his Facebook.

Also can watch:ম্যারাডোনা - Maradona- ফুটবল কিংবদন্তি ডিয়াগো ম্যারাডোনা অধ্যায়ের সমাপ্তি-Maradona Died

TV personalities also expressed shock at Maradona's sudden death.

"2020 would be the year where we lost most of our Gems. Diego Maradona had been the one & only Football Rockstar this world has ever seen. What a talented player he was, what a lifestyle he had and how successfully he put his country ‘Argentina’ on the World's Map!" was renowned TV director Ashfaque Nipun's message on social media.

Actor and popular food-vlogger Adnan Faruque Hillol wrote from his YouTube channel's official Facebook page: "The flamboyant 'mad' footballer has left us. I still remember my crazy experience as a fan during the year of 1990, when I bought the Argentine jersey number 10 that Maradona made famous - while driving my father crazy in search of that in the market. Rest in Peace Legend."

Sharmin Sultana Sumi, the vocalist of popular Bangladeshi band Chirkut, wrote on Facebook: "Departure of the magician of football. Rest in peace, the man who made our childhood colourful."

Also read: In Photos: Maradona a genius on the field, a character off

With police brutality continuing to devastate Black families and the coronavirus ravishing Black America disproportionately, the world was driven to the significance of this year’s Juneteenth more than ever before.

And Beyoncé knew she wanted to release a song on that momentous day — so she dropped “Black Parade,” an anthemic jam where she proudly sings about her heritage, hometown and returning to her African roots.

Months later, the song — and others focused on protesting, police brutality and the overall Black experience — are taking center stage at the 2021 Grammy Awards.

Beyoncé’s “Black Parade” scored nominations for two of the top awards: song of the year and record of the year. The track will also compete for best R&B song and best R&B performance.

“There could have been a different approach as far as releasing the record and capitalizing off of timings of other things, but we really wanted to get it out during a time where we could all remember the feeling and the energy,” Derek Dixie, a longtime collaborator of Beyoncé’s who co-wrote the song with the pop star, said in an interview with The Associated Press.

“It’s not always about the money and about catching streaming numbers and things like that. Sometimes it’s just about what it is — which was making our people proud.”

“Black Parade” helped Beyoncé land nine nominations, making her the overall top Grammy contender. Dixie earned three Grammy nominations for co-writing and co-producing the song.

For song of the year, “Black Parade” will compete with H.E.R.’s “I Can’t Breathe,” the R&B singer’s track about police brutality.

Lil Baby’s “The Bigger Picture,” a protest song he created in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, scored nominations for best rap song and best rap performance. Proceeds from the song will support the Black Lives Matter movement, Breonna Taylor’s attorney, the Bail Project and the National Association of Black Journalists.

Anderson .Paak also released a song on Juneteenth — the holiday that commemorates when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free — and it’s competing for two awards. “Lockdown” is nominated for best rap performance and best music video..

Country singer Mickey Guyton wrote the track “Black Like Me” a year ago but released it this year because she felt it was extremely relevant. Now, it’s nominated for best country solo performance, giving the performer her first-ever Grammy nomination.

“It’s been so hard in the country music community and trying to get country music to even support my music and for me to get a Grammy (nomination), it just goes to show that writing your truth is just the way to go,” Guyton told the AP on Tuesday. “And not only writing your truth, but really bringing your brothers and sisters up with you.”

But Guyton admits that everyone’s response to her song wasn’t warm. It features the lyrics, “If you think we live in the land of the free/You should try to be Black like me.”

“I released it and I did get people that were very angry. There were even radio stations that people were like, ‘Get this (expletive) off of my radio station,’” she said. “I would get people writing me messages like, ‘Well, if you don’t like it here then leave.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, it’s just as much my country as it is yours.’”

Guyton added that some “radio stations were scared to play (‘Black Like Me’) because they were (angering) their listeners because their listeners didn’t want to hear that.”

“But I wasn’t writing that song for them, I was writing that song got the people that understand this exact walk that I’m walking,” she continued. “It’s for them.”

Apart from “Black Parade,” Beyoncé also earned nominations for her film honoring Black art and Black history, “Black Is King,” as well as her ode to dark- and brown-skinned women, “Brown Skin Girl.”

Dixie, who has worked as Beyoncé’s music director and has produced, engineered and arranged songs for the singer, said he’s grateful he’s working with an artist who boldly speaks about Black pride in her music.

“It’s just good to see that she’s willing to put that type of energy out and not necessarily be thinking about: ‘What’s going to guarantee me a No. 1? What’s going to guarantee me this?’ It’s a part of our conversation, it’s a part of the process, but when it’s necessary to put that art out there, to put that energy out there, she’s usually ... leading the pack in that regard,” Dixie said. “So I’m grateful to be associated with her on that path.”

Guyton added that it’s comforting to see some many Black musicians reflect the current times in their music, and she’s grateful to the Grammys for acknowledging those kinds of songs.

“It’s so important because so often Black people, and Black women especially, are getting overlooked and constantly get overlooked and you’re constantly just trying to get people to remember that you’re there,” she said. “It feels like we’re seen and I don’t think we’ve always felt seen.”

“I use this scenario of going into any grocery store — if you go to any grocery store ... and you look for hair products for someone who is ethnic and ... you see an entire aisle full of every and any hair product you can possibly think for someone that is not Black. But whenever it comes to finding hair products for a Black person, we’re designated a shelf. And today, it doesn’t feel like we’re designated a shelf.”

The 2021 Grammy Awards will air live on Jan. 31.

Also read: A Grammys ‘Savage’: Beyoncé leads with 9 nominations