United News of Bangladesh

Popular small-screen actress Mehazabien Chowdhury will make her silver screen debut on December 20 with the Shankha Dasgupta film 'Priyo Maloti'. While the actress and the entire team are now busy promoting the movie, they created a sudden controversy by placing a poster over graffiti at the Student-Teacher Center (TSC) of Dhaka University (DU) of Sohagi Jahan Tonu on Wednesday. One of the most talked-about rape incidents in the country, Sohagi Jahan Tonu, the victim, was a student of Cumilla Victoria College and a member of Victoria College Theatre who was gang-raped and found dead at Cumilla Moynamati Cantonment in March 2016. Farooki's film ‘840’ set to hit theatres on Dec 13 As the poster placement stirred huge criticism on social media from the netizens, Mehazabien finally went to TSC on Wednesday evening and tore up the poster which she previously placed over Sohagi Jahan Tonu's graffiti. Earlier on the day, the actress went to TSC to promote the movie and put up the posters of 'Priyo Maloti' on various walls with her own hands. The controversy sparked after a video went viral on social media in which Mehazabien was seen putting up posters over the graffiti of  Tonu and also some of the other July movement graffiti on the walls. The actress came under fire over the matter and some of the netizens raised the question of how a star like her could promote her movie by putting the posters on the graffiti of Tonu or July movement. Rifat Rashid, one of the coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement They demanded Mehazabien apologise to the netizens in a Facebook status. "Mehazabien doesn't know my martyred sister Tonu? How dare you put your poster over the graffiti? We will not tear this poster in TSC, Mehazabien Chowdhury. You will come and tear this poster yourself,” Rifat wrote in the Facebook post. Mehazabien set to debut on silver screen with ‘Priyo Maloti’ Shortly after that, Mehazabien appeared at TSC and removed the poster of her debut film 'Priyo Maloti' with her own hands. She also apologised in a post from her verified Facebook ID on Wednesday night. In that post, Mehazabien wrote, “Our team went to TSC today (December 18) for the promotion of the film 'Priyo Maloti'. Many joined us in promoting the film, and due to the heavy rush, the campaign had to end quickly. A poster was placed over the graffiti of the late Sohagi Jahan Tonu by mistake and unintentional misplacement. We all know Tonu's tragedy and the fight for justice for her murder is still going on.'' She added, “What happened regarding the postering was a completely unintentional mistake. We immediately removed the posters and observed a minute's silence. We hope you will forgive our unintentional mismanagement.: However, many netizens are calling out the incident as a negative promotional and marketing strategy, and labelling the incident as a fabricated and intentional one. ‘Priyo Maloti’ stars Mehazabien Chowdhury in the title role, Maloti Rani Das, as a lower-middle-class woman depicting social struggles. The film marks her first-ever appearance on the big screen after a 15-year career primarily on television and other digital platforms. Set to hit cinemas on December 20, ‘Priyo Maloti’ received a ‘U’ rating (appropriate for audiences of all ages) from the Certification Board, and it has already earned international recognition from different festivals across the world. The film, produced by Frame Per Second in collaboration with the streaming platform Chorki, also marks its writer-director Shankha Dasgupta’s debut in feature film direction.

Actress and model Mehazabien Chowdhury will make her big-screen debut in the movie Priyo Maloti, which is set for an upcoming release. Frame Per Second and the OTT platform Chorki jointly produced the movie. Chorki announced the theatrical release on its verified Facebook page on Thursday, confirming that Priyo Maloti will soon hit cinema halls. The announcement came in April this year. January 2025 Netflix English Originals Lineup Shankha Dasgupta directed Priyo Maloti, wrote the story, and penned the screenplay. Mehazabien stars in the title role. Reflecting on her upcoming theatrical debut, Mehazabien shared her emotional thoughts on the start of her career. “From the beginning, the audience supported me. From my early days until now, they have accepted and loved almost all of my stories and characters. I have come this far thanks to their love, and I believe the audience will come to the theatres to watch my debut and enjoy it,” Mehazabien said. The film has already been screened at the Cairo International Film Festival and the International Film Festival of India. Selected for two prestigious festivals, Priyo Maloti received praise from international viewers who easily connected with the story’s domestic context. Taylor Swift 'Eras' tie-in book is a smash, selling more than 800,000 copies in first week Shankha, an acclaimed television director, makes his debut as a filmmaker with Priyo Maloti. Speaking about the film, he said, “The story of Priyo Maloti depicts a lost life that everyone can relate to. The world is changing; reforms are taking place everywhere, and my films reflect this call for reform. I hope the audience will reflect on the movie and appreciate what we have created.” Redoan Rony,Chorki CEO said, “Theatre needs a variety of stories. Realistic, story-driven movies should accompany blockbuster films, and Priyo Maloti represents our daily lives. It tells a story about what happens in our world.” “Everyone’s favourite actress, Mehazabien, is coming to the big screen, and we can see the audience’s excitement for the film. We will announce the release date soon,” he added. Mehazabien plays a lower-middle-class, resilient woman in Priyo Maloti, sharing the screen with Nader Chowdhury, Azad Abul Kalam, Shahjahan Samrat, Rizvi Riju, and others. The film was shot in various locations, including Dhaka and Barishal, between September and October last year.

An Eid special tele-fiction titled "Ghotona Shotto", starring popular actors Mehazabien Chowdhury and Afran Nisho, has sparked huge criticism for insensitively addressing children with special needs. Directed by Rubel Hasan and released under the banner of Central Music and Video (CMV), the tele-fiction was enlisted as part of private television station Channel i’s Eid-Ul-Azha special programmes, and it was uploaded on CMV’s YouTube channel. Read: Bongo introduces seven original telefilm adaptations Based on books this Eid The tele-fiction tales the story of a couple, acted by Afran Nisho as a driver and Mehazabien Chowdhury as a housemaid, who mischievously deceive their service-takers. Later in the tele-fiction showcases that the couple was bestowed with a child with special needs, wondering if their child’s condition is a result of their misdeeds. After the telecast of the tele-fiction, Amrin Zaman, a mother, first addressed the issue on Sunday at a Facebook live video. A large number of audiences have since expressed their disgust on social media over the portrayed message, raising questions about the sensitivity of the makers towards the topic of children with special needs. Read: Humayun Ahmed: The Creator of Versatile Fictional Characters Members of several Facebook-based platforms including Autism Bangladesh, a public group to raise awareness and advocate for the persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndromes, Intellectual and Neurological Disabilities on behalf of the children and persons with special needs, have also expressed massive dissatisfaction and anger over the tele-fiction and its associates, with some even considering to file a case against the casts, crews and makers. Amid the controversy, the fiction was then immediately taken down from CMV's YouTube channel. The cast and crew have also publicly apologised across social media through a joint statement, published on both the actor’s and the director’s official Facebook profiles. Read Greatest Animated Films Ever: The Animation movies that will never lose charm “On behalf of the director, artistes and entire cast and crew, we feel deeply sorry and have complete realization as well as full support for those who have reached out to us regarding our drama production “Ghotona Shotto”. We have taken down the content the moment we received the first message. The much-needed correction is being made to the content,” the joint statement said on Sunday. It added, “We would like to send our love, support and apologies to every parent and child with special needs and promise to make content in future that spreads the right message and directs the audience towards the right path.” Read Best Action Movies Ever Made in Film Industries Worldwide