United News of Bangladesh

Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, who criticised “The Kashmir Files” as a “propaganda” and “vulgar film” at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, today (November 29, 2022) received harsh criticism from the Israeli ambassador to India. In an “open letter” posted on Twitter the day after IFFI jury chair Lapid criticised the movie at the festival’s closing ceremony, Israeli envoy Naor Gilon also expressed his regrets to India, NDTV reports. The 1990 migration and murders of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir Valley is the subject of Vivek Agnihotri’s film “The Kashmir Files”. Since it was released in March, it has been engulfed in controversy. Read: ‘Wakanda Forever’ review: A king-less kingdom mourns, rebuilds The Israeli ambassador tweeted this morning: “An open letter to #NadavLapid following his criticism of #KashmirFiles. It’s not in Hebrew because I wanted our Indian brothers and sisters to be able to understand. It is also relatively long so I’ll give you the bottom line first. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED. Here’s why:” Ambassador Gilon claimed that filmmaker Lapid had exploited the judges’ panel invitation from the film festival in India’s Goa in the “worst way”. He wrote: “In Indian culture they say that a guest is like God. You have abused in the worst way the Indian invitation to chair the panel of judges at @IFFIGoa as well as the trust, respect and warm hospitality they have bestowed on you.” Read: Iranian who inspired ‘The Terminal’ dies of ‘heart attack’ at Paris airport “I unequivocally condemn such statements. There is no justification. It does show the sensitivity of the Kashmir issue here,” the Israeli ambassador’s tweet read. “From your interview to Ynet the connection you make between your criticism of #KashmirFiles and your dislike to what is happening in Israeli politics was quite evident.” He further tweeted: “As a human being I feel ashamed and want to apologize to our hosts for the bad manner in which we repaid them for their generosity and friendship.” Gilon claimed in tweets directed to Lapid that the relations between Israel and India are very strong and will endure the “damages” caused by the latter’s comments. Read More: In Kashmir, ‘conscious music’ tests India’s limits on speech Israeli filmmaker and IFFI jury head Lapid yesterday (November 28, 2022) remarked that “The Kashmir Files” movie “disturbed and shocked” the festival jury members. He said, “That felt to us like a propaganda, vulgar movie, inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival.” 

Sushmita Sen is one of the most cherished beauty queens in the Indian subcontinent. Winning the Miss India crown led her to the Miss Universe pageant. Then in 1994, at the age of 18, Sushmita became the first Indian to become Miss Universe. Since then, movie lovers started getting to know about her artistry in the cinematic universe. This crash of millions of fans is going to reach 47 on November 19, 2022. On this occasion, let’s take a trip to the archives and enjoy the 5 most noteworthy performances of Sushmita Sen in Bollywood movies. 5 Best Films of Sushmita Sen Aankhen (2002) IMDb: 7.4 Directed by Vipul Amritlal Shah, this heist thriller film is basically a remake of his own Gujarati play Andhalo Pato or Blindman's Buff. Here Sushmita shares the screen with Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal, Aditya Pancholi, and Paresh Rawal. In the story, a short-tempered man is unexpectedly fired from the position of bank manager. He decides to rob a bank to take revenge. Interestingly, he arranged for three blind men to be trained to do this risky job. The responsibility of this mentoring falls on the shoulders of a school teacher named Neha Srivastava. Read More: Bollywood diva Nora Fatehi finally arrives in Dhaka Sushmita Sen has played the role of Neha with extraordinary skill. In the film, she paired up with Arjun Rampal, who was one of the three blinds. Sen earned much appreciation for her performance in the character. The movie had a stellar opening at the Indian box office. With a gross figure of Rs 471.9 million, this hit movie became the second-highest-grossing Bollywood movie of 2002. Even it got a nomination for Best Film at the 9th Annual Screen Awards. Main Hoon Naa (2004) IMDb: 7 This masala film directed by Farah Khan made a huge contribution to Sushmita Sen's career. Her co-artists here were Shah Rukh Khan, Sunil Shetty, Amrita Rao, and Zayed Khan. Read More: 9 Top New Shows on Netflix in November 2022 Major Ram Sharma disguises himself as a university student on a mission to save the general's daughter from a dangerous rogue soldier. During the mission, he falls in love with a newcomer chemistry teacher at the university. And this chemistry teacher was none other than Sushmita. Her sensational approach to this role in the film packed with comedy, romance, and action is still etched in the hearts of fans. May Hoon Na received an amazing response at the Bollywood box office. The film achieved the 2nd position among the highest-grossing Indian films in 2004 by earning Rs 84 crore. This Chandni Chopra character was one of Sushmita's popular roles, which earned her many accolades. These include nominations for Readers' Choice Star - Actress of the Year at the Stardust Awards and Best Supporting Actress at the Zee Cine Awards. Samay: When Time Strikes (2003) IMDb: 7 Directed by Robby Grewal, this thriller movie is basically the Bollywood version of the famous Hollywood film Se7en. Read More: Top 10 South Indian Films Coming in November 2022 In this movie, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Malvika Chauhan is constantly struggling to solve various murders in the city. Sushmita Sen plays the lead role i.e. ACP Malvika Chauhan in the high-tension movie. She was accompanied by Jackie Shroff, Sushant Singh, and Barkha Singh.

An Iranian man who lived for 18 years in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport and whose saga loosely inspired the Steven Spielberg film “The Terminal” died Saturday in the airport that he long called home, officials said. Mehran Karimi Nasseri died after a heart attack in the airport’s Terminal 2F around midday, according an official with the Paris airport authority. Police and a medical team treated him but were not able to save him, the official said. The official was not authorized to be publicly named. Nasseri lived in the airport’s Terminal 1 from 1988 until 2006, first in legal limbo because he lacked residency papers and later by apparent choice. Read more: ‘Wakanda Forever’ review: A king-less kingdom mourns, rebuilds Year in and year out, he slept on a red plastic bench, making friends with airport workers, showering in staff facilities, writing in his diary, reading magazines and surveying passing travelers. Staff nicknamed him Lord Alfred, and he became a mini-celebrity among passengers. “Eventually, I will leave the airport,” he told The Associated Press in 1999, smoking a pipe on his bench, looking frail with long thin hair, sunken eyes and hollow cheeks. “But I am still waiting for a passport or transit visa.” Nasseri was born in 1945 in Soleiman, a part of Iran then under British jurisdiction, to an Iranian father and a British mother. He left Iran to study in England in 1974. When he returned, he said, he was imprisoned for protesting against the shah and expelled without a passport. He applied for political asylum in several countries in Europe. The UNHCR in Belgium gave him refugee credentials, but he said his briefcase containing the refugee certificate was stolen in a Paris train station. French police later arrested him, but couldn't deport him anywhere because he had no official documents. He ended up at Charles de Gaulle in August 1988 and stayed. Further bureaucratic bungling and increasingly strict European immigration laws kept him in a legal no-man's land for years. When he finally received refugee papers, he described his surprise, and his insecurity, about leaving the airport. He reportedly refused to sign them, and ended up staying there several more years until he was hospitalized in 2006, and later lived in a Paris shelter. Those who befriended him in the airport said the years of living in the windowless space took a toll on his mental state. The airport doctor in the 1990s worried about his physical and mental health, and described him as “fossilized here.” A ticket agent friend compared him to a prisoner incapable of “living on the outside." Read more: Harry Potter star Robbie Coltrane dies aged 72 In the weeks before his death, Nasseri had been again living at Charles de Gaulle, the airport official said. Nasseri's mind-boggling tale loosely inspired 2004's “The Terminal” starring Tom Hanks, as well as a French film, “Lost in Transit,” and an opera called “Flight.” In “The Terminal,” Hanks plays Viktor Navorski, a man who arrives at JFK airport in New York from the fictional Eastern European country of Krakozhia and discovers that an overnight political revolution has invalidated all his traveling papers. Viktor is dumped into the airport’s international lounge and told he must stay there until his status is sorted out, which drags on as unrest in Krakozhia continues. No information was immediately available about survivors.

Five winners of Star Cineplex's "Awesome Autumn" campaign, selected through a raffle draw, have received air tickets and movie vouchers. They watched movies at Star Cineplex from October 1-31. First prize winner Nasreen Akhtar got Dhaka-Maldives-Dhaka air tickets for two; second prize winner Sirajul Islam Rana received Dhaka-Cox's Bazar-Dhaka air tickets for as many people.  Private carrier US Bangla Airlines provided the tickets. However, Star Cineplex will not arrange accommodation for the winners. The other winners received movie vouchers from Star Cineplex. The third prize winner got six movie vouchers, the fourth prize winner won four and the fifth prize winner received two movie vouchers. Mesbah Uddin Ahmed, Senior Manager (Media and Marketing) of Star Cineplex said: "The prizes were handed over to the winners at Star Cineplex Bashundhara City Shopping Mall branch in Panthapath in the capital on November 9." Star Cineplex started its journey in 2004 at Bashundhara City Shopping Mall in the capital's Panthapath. Now it has branches at Shimanto Shimanto Shambhar in Dhanmondi, Sony Square in Mirpur, SKS Tower in Mohakhali, and Bangabandhu Military Museum in Bijoy Sarani in the capital. Two more branches are under construction outside Dhaka in Chittogram and Bogura. Read more: Saman Ali finally watches 'Poran' at Star Cineplex wearing lungi

Popular filmmaker Raihan Rafi’s latest film ‘Damal,’ inspired by the true story of the Shadhin Bangla Football Team from the 1971 Liberation War era, is set to hit US theatres on November 18. The film will be released in 15 cities across the US including New York’s Jamaica Multiplex; North Hollywood and San Francisco in California; Dallas and Houston in Texas; Baltimore; Chicago; Orlando; Miami, Detroit, Reno and Portland.  On December 2, the film will be screened in 50 halls of Regal Cinema Hall, Harkins Theatres and Cinemark Theatres, said Raj Hamid, CEO of Bioscope Films. Read: Jealous of my success, a party is spreading rumours about me: Mim  Advance ticket sales have already begun, he added.  He further said, “We promoted the film 'Damal' while Rafi's Poran was running in the US. This film will create a stir in the United States, he hopes.”  ‘Damal’ was released across Bangladesh on October 28.  Produced by Impress Telefilm Ltd the film stars Siam Ahmed, Sariful Raaz, Bidya Sinha Mim, Sumit Sen Gupta, Shahnaz Sumi, Intekhab Dinar, and others.

Made in the wake of tragedy, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” reverberates with the agony of loss, piercing the usually less consequential superhero realm. Like someone going through the stages of grief, Ryan Coogler’s movie is at turns mournful and rootless, full of rage and blessed with clarity. In the fantastical Marvel Cinematic Universe where mortality is almost always a plaything, wrestling with the genuine article, in the death of T’Challa star Chadwick Boseman, makes for an unusually uncertain, soul-searching kind of blockbuster-scale entertainment. It’s a fine line, of course, between paying tribute and trading on it. I did cringe a little when the Marvel logo unspooled with images of Boseman within the letters: Eulogy as branding. That “Black Panther,” a cultural phenomenon and a box-office smash, would get a sequel, at all, was momentarily in doubt after Boseman’s unexpected death from colon cancer in 2020. Radically reworked by Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole, “Wakanda Forever” pushed ahead in hopes of honoring both Boseman and the rich Afrocentric world of the landmark original. In its admirably muddled way, it succeeds in both. Part of the profound appeal of Coogler’s first “Black Panther” resided in its deft channeling of the real world into mythology. It fed centuries of colonialism and exploitation into a big-screen spectacle of identity and resistance. In an invented African nation, Coogler conjured both a fanciful could-have-been history and emotional right-now reality.

After a Facebook post by Dhallywood star Pori Moni – tagging her husband Sariful Razz, popular actress Bidya Sinha Mim and film director Raihan Rafi – went viral and created uproar in Bangladeshi media, Mim has provided a statement. In a Facebook post from her verified profile, Mim asked all “not to be misled by baseless rumours”. In her post made earlier, Pori Moni asked Mim to be “satisfied with her own husband.” Read more: After string of blockbusters, Mim envisions another ‘sold out’ experience with ‘Damal’ Mim, in her post, asked fans and journalists not to be misguided by “false accusations”. “I am constantly trying to win the hearts of all, including fans and well-wishers, through my accomplishments and values instilled in me by my father and honesty taught by my mother. I have never been associated with anything in my professional life that may make my path questionable,” she wrote. Mim also wrote she is having the best time of her life after two of her films “Poran” and “Damal” have been hugely successful. Read more: Mim, Razz want to watch ‘Poran’ with elderly person denied entry to Cineplex for ‘lungi’ “At this particular time, a party – jealous of my success – is trying to hinder my journey by spreading rumours about me,” the actress wrote. “I have no words to criticise those who are spreading these baseless accusations against me without any evidence.” She also warned of legal action against those who are circulating these rumours against her. Read More: Pori to Mim: 'Your intimacy with Razz troubles me' Mim and Razz have earned nationwide accolades from movie fans for their performances in the films “Poran” and “Damal”.

"Birkonna Pritilata," a government grant recipient movie based on the life of revolutionary Pritilata Waddedar, is set to hit the theatres on November 18. Popular actress Nusrat Imrose Tisha played the role of Pritilata, one of the leaders and the first female martyr of the anti-British movement, in this film, based on the novel "Bhalobasha Pritilata" by novelist Selina Hossain. Team Birkonna Pritilata held a special campaign event at Eden College in Dhaka Sunday in memory of the revolutionary as she was a student of the historic educational institution. Read: ‘Deshantor’ narrates our best effort showcasing partition, patriotism: Ashutosh Sujan Actors of the movie, Tisha and Manoj Pramanik, joined the event alongside its director Pradip Ghosh and music director Bappa Mazumder. Veteran journalist Abed Khan joined the event as the chief guest. Advocate Rana Dasgupta, a family member of the revolutionary, and educationist AN Rasheda were also present. Tisha said: "This is my first visit to the stunning and historic Eden College. Also, this is the first time I have appeared in front of such a large crowd after the Covid-19 pandemic. I hope everyone watches Birkonna Pritilata, which is a story of inspiration for all women."

Ashutosh Sujan, a well-known media figure who is most recognized for his work in television dramas and commercials, is set to enthrall moviegoers with his directorial debut in the government-granted movie "Deshantor," scheduled to hit theatres on November 11. The movie, based on the same-titled novel by Ekushey Padak-winning poet-novelist and his father-in-law Nirmalendu Goon, sheds light on the partition period in the Indian subcontinent starring an ensemble cast including Ahmed Rubel, Moushumi, Mamunur Rashid, Shubhashis Bhowmik, Momena Chowdhury,  Yash Rohan, Rodela Tapur and others. In an interview with UNB, director Ashutosh said that ‘Deshantor’ portrays a different storyline regarding partition and patriotism, and offers a unique approach to storytelling based on the same topic. Read: After string of blockbusters, Mim envisions another ‘sold out’ experience with ‘Damal’ “Typically in the periodic films, what we see is the tale of a community fleeing a nation that has experienced significant violence of any historic riot or similar circumstances. ‘Deshantor’ is offering a different approach to that notion. In this film, we narrated a story of staying in the motherland, out of sheer patriotism and love.” "Making a film based on a novel in our country is quite a challenge," Ashutosh Sujan told UNB. “During the process, we experienced a lot of ups and downs; however, we made sure to provide the best of our combined efforts. I hope our audience will also understand our efforts while watching the film in theatres.” Produced by Bay of Bengal films, ‘Deshantor’ is distributed by Jaaz Multimedia. The trailer of the film was released on Jaaz’s official YouTube channel and Facebook page on October 31, garnering critical acclaim from audiences for its interesting plot and excellent colour grading. Read: Top 10 South Indian Films Coming in November 2022 A song, titled “Amar Shwapner Haatey Haatkora” was released on November 3 on the aforementioned channel and page. The song is composed by Emon Chowdhury and sung by Ashutosh Sujan and Obonti Dev Shiti.  Popular filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, also a close acquaintance and maestro of Sujan in Farooki’s production house Chabial, praised the song on his Facebook. Reminiscing the song, Farooki wrote: “Sujan sang this song for countless days in our Chabial house. A lot of our beautiful memories are intertwined with this track.” Prior to the movie's November 11 release, a press conference will be organized on November 9. More information on the film will be revealed at the press conference, Ashutosh informed.

The South Indian film industries are undeniably part of the big movie carnivals in Asia. Their diverse storylines, powerful acting, and talented cinematography of Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam, and Kannada films enthrall millions of film enthusiasts around the world. Let’s take a look at the 10 most anticipated South Indian films in November 2022. 10 Best Upcoming South Indian Films in November 2022 Agent Kannayiram / Tamil Comedy / November 25, 2022 Manoj Veedha directed this thriller-based comedy movie. Produced by Labyrinth Films, the film is remade from the Telugu film Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya released in 2019. The story of the cinema revolves around a rural detective, whose humorous methods of investigation take a serious turn at one point. Read More: Pakistan’s ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ hits Rs 100 crore mark in 10 days The cast of the film includes Shruti Hariharan, Munishakanta, Radin Kingsley, Rhea Suman, and Santhanam. Theni Ishwar and Saravanan Ramasamy duo pull the cinematography ropes. While Yuvan Shankar Raja was the music director of the film, Ajay handled the editing work. Itlu Maredumilli Prajaneekam / Telugu Drama / November 11, 2022 The natives of a jungle never vote in their life. There are thousands of problems in their area, but the government is reluctant to help them. So they decided to raise a movement against the government. Rajesh Danda, head of Hussey Movies and Zee Studio, has turned this amazing dramatic story into a film. The script owner and the director was AR Mohan.  Read More: Makers, lead performer of 'Hawa' served legal notice for 'breaching tobacco control law' The film stars Allari Naresh and Anandi. Sricharan Pakala was in charge of arranging the music. On the other hand, Ram Reddy and Chhota K Prasad handled the cinematography and editing aspects respectively. Yashoda / Telugu Scifi / November 11, 2022 Hari-Harish was responsible for the entire job of writing and directing this action thriller. This sci-fi thriller is actually the story of a young girl becoming a surrogate mother. She decided to bring the injustices done to surrogate mothers to justice. Samantha, Unni Mukundan, Varalakshmi Sarathkumar, and Murali Sharma joined the cast of the film. Read More: After string of blockbusters, Mim envisions another ‘sold out’ experience with ‘Damal’ Mani Sharma was on the film score, while Marthand K Venkatesh and M Sukumar looked after the film editing and cinematography respectively. Coffee with Kadhal / Tamil Family Drama / November 4, 2022 The title means Coffee with Love. Directed by Sundar C, this comedy movie is basically a family drama of 3 brothers with completely different characters. The story of the movie revolves around the complexities of their romantic life. Jay, Srikanth, and Jeeva played the roles of the 3 brothers. Malvika Sharma, Amrita Iyer, Raiza Wilson, Aishwarya Dutta, Samyukta Shanmuganathan, and Dhivyadarsini joined them in the casting of the film. Khushboo, AC Shanmugam Abani, and ACS Arun Kumar produced the film under the banner of Cinemax and Benz Media. Read More: 'Din: The Day' row: Ananta sends legal notice to Morteza Nitham Oru Vaanam / Tamil Romance / November 4, 2022 The title means A Sky of Eternity. RA Karthik entered the world of film direction with this film. He wrote the film himself. Here a shy and quiet young travel agent goes through a tough time. Suddenly he gets involved in some incomplete true incidents. To get out of it, he must find the puppeteers of the stories. Ashak Selvan played the lead role in the film. Ritu Verma, Sibathamika Rajashekar, and Aparna Balamurali star alongside him. Vidhu Ayana tackled the cinematography, while Gopi Sundar handled the music composition part. Read More: Bongo brings Bangla dubbed 'Kaalidas' Banaras/ Kannada / November 4, 2022 This romantic film can be the best choice for travel lovers, as it features the beautiful cities of Benaras and Kashi. Zayed Khan entered the world of acting through this film written and directed by Jayathirth. Sonal Mantiro played the lead role with him. Tilakraj Ballal was the overall producer of the movie. B Ajneesh Loknath and Advaita Gurumurthy single-handedly took the overall responsibility of music composition and cinematography respectively. Raana / Kannada Thriller / November 11, 2022 An aspiring police officer is blamed for a mysterious murder. There is no other way open to him except to find the real killer. This is the story of the movie Raana, directed by Nanda Kishore. Shreyas Manju will be seen in the title role here. He will be accompanied by Reeshma Nanaiah and Ragini Dwivedi. Read More: Bongo brings South Indian film 'NGK' Chandan Shetty composed the songs for the movie. KM Prakash did the film editing, while Shekhar Chandra worked on the cinematography. Gujjal Purushotham was in charge of the production of the film, presented by Gujjal Talkies. Padmini / Malayalam / November 16, 2022 India's greatest painter in the 1960s was T.K. Padmini. The biopic depicts Padmini's journey from a simple village girl to an artist. This journey was full of struggle to break free from the constraints of the conservative society of that time. Gopalan T.K. Produced this biographical film. Sushmesh Chandroth made his film directorial debut with this film. He also composed the film himself. Anumol played the role of Padmini. Irshad, Sanju Shivaram, Priyanandan, and Shaju Sridhar were her co-stars. Read More: KGF Chapter 2: Expensive Kannada film made record for fastest grossing Srivalsan J Menon composed the music for the film. Manesh Madhavan and Ajithkumar completed the cinematography and film editing respectively. Trishna / Malayalam / November 19, 2022 80s superhit movie Trishna was scripted by MT Vasudevan Nair. Directed by V Sasi, this movie had Mammootty as the main protagonist. Almost 4 decades later, Sasi and Nair brought the film back to the audience with the same title but in a completely new form. This time superstar Prithviraj is in the film as the hero. Nayanthara, the busiest actress of the time, will join him in movie casting. Madhupal will direct the drama movie. Read More: Top 10 Best South Indian Thriller Movies for Weekend Movie Mania Mukundan Unni Associates / Malayalam / November 11, 2022 Mukundan Unni accepts only accident cases as it has a higher chance of winning. Although this plagues him at work, he strives to make up for his imperfections and become a successful lawyer. Subimal Gopalakrishnan and Abhinaba Sundar Nayak wrote the screenplay based on this story. Nayak also directed and edited the movie. Nidhin Raj Arol contributed to the film editing with him. The movie will feature Vineeth Srinivasan and Suraj Venjarmudu in lead roles. Biswajith Odukkathil was employed as the cinematographer, while Raj Kumar P and Vinod Ravindran handled the sound designer and art department respectively. CB Mathew Alex has overseen the overall music arrangements, while Manu Manjith and Elisha Abraham have penned the lyrics. Read More: It's a 'Dream Run' to Florida film fest! Bottom Line Movie lovers can enrich their watchlist with these 10 most awaited South Indian cinemas in November 2022. Like any other South Indian Film the above-mentioned Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada films will make the audience think, laugh, cry, and sometimes even terrify them. After all, the viewers are expected to have a great time.