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Rapper Aly Hasan collaborates with Toffee for World Cup song
Aiming to add some extra flares in the ICC World Cup 2023 festivities, entertainment streaming site Toffee released a new rap music video on Thursday, in collaboration with popular rapper Aly Hasan.
The song, titled "Toffee-te Cricket Bishwo Cup Dekhbe Bangladesh" (Bangladesh will enjoy Cricket World Cup in Toffee) is now available to stream on the social media platforms of Toffee.
The music video of the song is directed by musician-creative director Arafat Mohsin Nidhi.
This World Cup, Toffee is offering cricket lovers across the country the opportunity to enjoy all the World Cup matches.
Muhammad Abul Khair Chowdhury, marketing deputy director, Toffee, Banglalink, said: "Toffee is known for its cutting-edge technology and seamless streaming capabilities. We are delighted to release the music video to showcase Toffee’s streaming superiority contextually and creatively. Moreover, we hope it will add to the craze of World Cup celebrations across the country."
Toffee offers a wide range of content, most importantly its seamless streaming of live TV channels, national-international TV dramas and web series, user-generated content and more.
The app is available on the Google Play Store for Android device users and on the App Store for iOS users.
Ganga-Jamuna Cultural Festival’s 12th edition to begin Friday
The 12th edition of the ‘Ganga-Jamuna Cultural Festival’ is all set to enthrall audiences from October 6 to October 17 at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) and Mahila Samiti in the capital.
Known as one of the major cultural festivals in the country, the 2023 edition of this festival will showcase the performances of 145 troupes from both Bangladesh and India, representing a wide range of creative disciplines including theatre, dance, recitation, music, and more.
This year, an estimated 4,000 performers are expected to attend, making it one of the largest cultural festivals in the subcontinent as well, the organisers of the festival told a press conference on Wednesday at BSA’s National Theatre Hall seminar room.
The festival will be inaugurated by eminent thespian and cultural personality Ramendu Majumdar at the National Theatre Hall of BSA on October 6, Friday. State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid will be present as the chief guest.
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The inauguration ceremony will be presided over by Sammilita Sangskritik Jote President Golam Kuddus. Former Cultural Affairs Minister and eminent actor Asaduzzaman Noor, prominent thespian Mamunur Rashid and BSA Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky will deliver speeches at the inauguration ceremony.
On the opening day, the drama troupe Theatre will showcase its popular play ‘Meraj Fokirer Ma’ at the National Theatre Hall after the inauguration ceremony, while Batighor will stage ‘Bhogoban Paliye Gechhe’ at the Experimental Theatre Hall; and Ekota Nattyagoshthi, Kishoreganj will showcase its play ‘1971’ at the Studio Theatre Hall.
Several renowned Indian theatre troupes, namely Onik, Ajker Projonmo, Gobordanga Noksha, Dolls Theatre and others will participate and showcase their theatrical and cultural performances in the festival.
Live cultural performances will be showcased every day from 4 pm to 6:30 pm at BSA’s Mukta Mancha, while the theatre productions will be presented every day at 7 pm at the three aforementioned BSA venues and Bangladesh Mohila Samity’s Neelima Ibrahim Auditorium.
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The festival is launching online tickets for the first time and tickets for stage dramas will be available online at www.bdeticket.com. Additionally, tickets can be purchased at the hall counters from 4 pm onwards, the organizers said at the press conference.
The festival will be concluded on October 17.
TikTok Shop Indonesia stops to comply with the country's ban of e-commerce on social media platforms
TikTok said it will halt its online retail operation in Indonesia on Wednesday to comply with the country’s decision to ban e-commerce transactions on social media platforms — a big blow to the video platform's fastest-growing market.
The Indonesian government announced the new regulation, which prohibits social media companies from facilitating sales of products on their platforms, on Sept. 28 in a bid to protect small businesses from e-commerce competition, accusing the popular apps and websites of predatory pricing.
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The Chinese-owned video sharing app said in a statement it will stop facilitating e-commerce sales in TikTok Shop Indonesia by 5 p.m. Wednesday.
“Our priority is to remain compliant with local laws and regulations,” said the statement released Tuesday on its website.
Indonesia’s Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan said the ban aims to “prevent the domination of the algorithm and prevent the use of personal data in business interests" and "create a fair, healthy and beneficial electronic commerce ecosystem,” according to a statement released by the Trade Ministry when the ban was announced. It said marketplaces and sellers can only offer or promote goods and services.
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A week before the ban was announced, Southeast Asia’s largest wholesale market, Tanah Abang, came under inspection. Sellers at the market in the capital, Jakarta, were experiencing a more than 50% loss of profits because they could not compete with imported products sold online at much lower prices, according to Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Teten Masduki.
He said TikTok was involved in predatory pricing that caused damages to local small- and medium-sized businesses, and that the new regulation “will justly regulate fair trade online and offline.”
Days after the ban was announced, TikTok Indonesia said it regretted the government’s decision — particularly the impact it would have on the millions of sellers who use TikTok Shop. But the company said it will respect the regulations and “will take a constructive path forward."
Southeast Asia, a region home to more than 675 million people, is one of TikTok’s biggest markets in terms of user numbers, generating more than 325 million visitors to the app every month.
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TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, is also facing scrutiny from some governments and regulators because of concerns that Beijing could use the app to harvest user data or advance its interests. Countries including the United States, Britain and New Zealand have banned the app on government phones, despite TikTok repeatedly denying that it has ever shared data with the Chinese government and would not do so if asked.
Rockstar James celebrates 59th birthday
The music industry and concert scene in Bangladesh are highly indebted to some of the legendary rock icons who performed their hearts out to enamour music lovers with their musical offerings. Among them, one special name is the National Award-winning rock icon Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, popularly known as "Nagar Baul James" and "Guru", who turned 59 on Monday.
To date, music lovers get amped and geared up for any new concert spectacles in the country or anywhere in the world if the concert has James headlining with his electrifying performances. His name not only sells tickets but always ensures that the concertgoers are guaranteed to have marquee memories.
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On the legendary rockstar’s 59th birthday, his friends in the industry and fans-admirers across the world showered him with tremendous respect and affection across the world and also on virtual platforms, sharing photographs and emotional posts on social media platforms regarding their celebrations and memories of attending his concerts.
"Nagar Baul," drummer and friend Ahasan Elahi Fanty, shared a couple of photos with James celebrating his birthday, wishing him prosperity with prayers. Many other prominent music artists and bands, including Shunno and others, have also wished the rockstar on his birthday.
Born in 1964 in Naogaon of Rajshahi, James was brought up in Chattogram due to his father Mojammel Haque's work who later became the Chairman of the Dhaka Education Board. His family did not approve of his wish to become a music artist; thus, he left home in 1976 and started living at Aziz Boarding in Pahartali.
Without the approval of his family, James started his profound journey in music in his youth during the late 1970's. He formed his band "Feelings" in 1977 as the vocal and lead guitarist and released the band's first album, "Station Road," in 1987. The band was later renamed "Nagar Baul", a moniker that James has also adopted as the music artist.
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Besides the other two companions, LRB and ARK, in the "Big Three of Bangladeshi Rock" in the 90's era in the Bangladeshi music industry, James garnered immense popularity among fans all over the world with his versatile style in psychedelic rock. He has also established his legacy as a solo artist and a successful playback singer in both Dhallywood and Bollywood.
In 2006, he debuted in Bollywood as a playback singer in Anurag Basu's film "Gangstar", and his journey in Bollywood was continued with three other films: 'Woh Lamhe' (2006), '"Life... in a Metro" (2007), and "Warning" (2013).
In his motherland, James received the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer twice for the films "Desha: The Leader" (2014) and "Swatta" (2017). As a solo artist, he has released a total of eight albums and many mixed albums with renowned artists from Bangladesh.
"Taray Taray Rotiye Debo" (penned by legendary poet Shamsur Rahman), "Maa", "Bangladesh", "Pagla Hawaa", "Dushtu Chheler Dol", "Guru Ghor Banaila Ki Diya", and "Mirabai" are some of James's iconic Bengali rock numbers that cemented his legacy as 'Guru' to his fans all over the world.
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Besides being the most iconic living legend in the country’s rock scene, James has also proved his versatility in other mediums as a photographer and media entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of the board of the renowned Bangladeshi production house, Red Dot Entertainment.
'An Evening with Geet and Ghazal': AFD enamours Dhaka music-lovers
French cultural institution Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) organised an exclusive musical event titled “An Evening with Geet and Ghazal” on Saturday night at its “La Galerie”.
Ghazal artists Manzurul Islam Khan and Somdutta Banerjee performed at the event.
Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzak attended the event as the chief guest, while additional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police AKM Hafiz Akhtar, and Chairman of Asian TV Limited and Director of FBCCI Alhaj Harun Ur Rashid were present as special guests.
Manzurul Islam Khan, a vocalist of the country’s mainstream music and semi-classical music, after completing his music education from Chhayanaut, obtained a higher degree in music from Mumbai University, India. He took training at different levels from the music gurus of both countries.
At present, Khan is working as a Coordinator at the classical music workshop of Alliance Française de Dhaka.
Somdutta Banerjee is a unique and popular artist of West Bengal and Indian Raagasrayi music. She obtained her higher degree from Calcutta University with training under eminent teachers of India.
The event was open to all.
Celebrity Cricket League postponed, cases filed against attackers
After the chaotic altercations happened at the Celebrity Cricket League on Friday night, organisers have postponed the league until further notice.
They also informed the media that cases have been filed against the assaulters on Friday night’s game at the Mirpur Shaheed Suhrawardy Indoor Stadium in the capital.
The brawl took place during a friendly group match between two teams headed by filmmakers Mostafa Kamal Raz and Dipankar Dipon, resulting in several players being injured, and six of them were taken to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation in the capital.
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On Saturday night, the organisers arranged a press conference at the venue where the league was supposed to be concluded on the same day, instead, they had to clarify the foreseeable future surrounding the teams and the league itself.
The two team captains were present at the press conference, along with producer Arshad Adnan, who said neither Raz nor Dipon were behind the incident, but the organisers have evaluated the available video footage from multiple sources and filed cases against them.
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However, the name of the police station and the alleged assaulters were not revealed at the press conference.
“The regrettable situation that occurred yesterday (September 29) is quite distressing. Everyone saw that we did not initiate the fight; it began when four or five individuals suddenly assaulted us. They were dressed in supporter t-shirts, and the assaulters even threatened one of our players, actor Manoj Pramanik,” said Dipankar Dipon.
“My assistant was brutally attacked by being thrown to the ground. We were stunned, wondering: who are they and where did they come from? After the incident, we demanded from the authorities that we would not leave the field if the situation failed to get resolved. They asked us for one day, and credit goes to them for taking action in the meantime,” he added.
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Meanwhile, producer Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Raj has apologised for his team’s behaviour. "I'm sorry," he said. “I am ashamed of this unexpected incident. Legal action has also been taken against those involved in my party. Since we belong to the same family, we are the ones who solved the matter.”
Mostafa Kamal Raj's team won the toss and elected to bat on Friday. They scored 119 runs in the stipulated six overs. Dipankar Dipan's team was scoring runs at a proportional rate when they came out to bat for a big score. But in the end, they lost by 7 runs. The team scored 112 runs in the stipulated 6 overs. The fight broke out after the match.
On the other hand, Mostafa Kamal Raz apologised for the behaviour of his team. At the press conference, he said, "I wholeheartedly apologise and am ashamed of this unexpected incident. Legal action has also been taken against the assaulters who were on my team. As we are members of the same family, our showbiz industry, we resolved the matter internally among ourselves.”
The organisers, however, did not clarify whether the league will resume shortly or will restart entirely. They did not provide a tentative timeline as well, but informed that it would be announced soon.
Star-studded Celebrity Cricket League turns nightmarish amid chaotic fights
Aiming to encourage the Bangladesh National Cricket Team in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup, the star-studded 'Celebrity Cricket League' featuring the country's showbiz stars, turned into horrific chaos on Friday night at the Mirpur Shaheed Suhrawardy Indoor Stadium when an unpleasant incident took place.
The aforementioned incident took place during a friendly group match between filmmakers Mostafa Kamal Raz and Dipankar Dipon.
In the match, Raj's team won the toss, decided to bat first and scored 119 runs in the allotted six overs. Dipankar Dipon's team then collected 112 runs in the allotted 6 overs and lost the match by 7 runs.
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However, tensions on the turf intensified during the match and despite efforts to restore normalcy, the situation deteriorated further after the game ended late Friday night, with some players from both sides involved in furious altercations with each other, notably Dhallywood actor Sariful Razz.
Video footage has been surfacing online showing the altercations, and the brawl resulted in several players being injured and taken to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation in the capital.
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Actor Shimul from Dipankar Dipon’s team said that many outsiders played in the match and attacked with ‘an attempt to murder’ while actress Raj Ripa said that Mostafa Kamal Raz and actor Sariful Razz physically assaulted her during the post-match, blaming the organizers for the management failure.
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Dipankar Dipon said that an official statement will be announced soon after the management evaluates the entire situation.
The three-day Celebrity Cricket League was launched on September 28 with 8 teams, each containing 16 members from the country’s showbiz industry. It was set to be concluded today.
Are Pori Moni and Razz divorced?
After many dramatic ups and downs, popular film actor couple Pori Moni and Shariful Razz are apparently divorced, according to their family sources.
Pori Moni posted a status on her verified Facebook page that raised rumours of divorce on social media.
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“Tomorrow (September 17) is a very important day in my life! A... (signature emoji)... Trust in Allah,” the actress wrote.
However, there have been no direct comment from either Pori Moni or Razz on the subject so far.
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Razz and Pori got married on October 17, 2021. The star couple then completed the formalities in January 2022.
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Curtain rises on European Film Festival 2023
Showcasing the brilliance of young European and Bangladeshi filmmakers, the five-day European Film Festival started at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy's National Theater Hall auditorium in Dhaka on Sunday evening.
With the tagline “A Celebration of European and Bangladeshi Young Cinema,” the festival is being organized by the European Union in Bangladesh with the Daily Prothom Alo as the prime associate.
On Sunday evening, the inaugural ceremony began with an intriguing discussion session, conducted by Charles Whiteley, Ambassador of the European Union (EU) in Dhaka.
Prothom Alo executive editor and poet Sajjad Sharif, renowned filmmaker Amitabh Reza Chowdhury, and former Dhaka University Visual Anthropology Club president and film activist Simin Ibnat Dharitree participated in the discussion, titled 'Youth in Cinema'.
“This festival is taking place during such an exciting time for our film industry, and our young filmmakers are searching for new languages, presenting unknown experiences of the society. They are looking forward to changing the obstacles in our cinema, in which festivals like this can guide and help them,” Sajjad Sharif said at the panel discussion.
Filmmaker Amitabh Reza Chowdhury said, “Whenever I ask people from our new generation, most of them say that they want to leave the country. We need to ensure an environment where they can thrive with their talents. If our cinema cannot tell our stories or cannot resonate with our lives and our own context, this problem will remain with us and we need the support of global film instructors-associates to guide our new generation filmmakers.”
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Simon Ibnat Dharitree said that the influence of cinema is very strong in the life of the youth and movies can be useful in the field of intellectual practice and social awareness apart from entertaining audiences.
The film screening of the festival began with the screening of the Dutch film ‘Mally Can Fly’, after the inaugural panel discussion.
After that, Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman expressed his gratitude to the European Union Embassy in Bangladesh for organizing this film festival and thanked the associate organizers including Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, Alliance Française de Dhaka and British Council Bangladesh.
Earlier, the festival authority organized a 'Masterclass' with young filmmakers to enrich the cultural diversity of Europe and Bangladesh through creative work. Last Friday and Saturday, director Syeda Nigar Banu, cinematographer Apu Rozario, and filmmakers Amitabh Reza Chowdhury and Piplu R Khan conducted the masterclasses at the British Council in Dhaka.
At the festival's inauguration ceremony on Sunday, these instructors were honoured by the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Dhaka Charles Whiteley and Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman.
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A short film competition was organized as part of the festival, and the filmmakers were honoured in three categories. Young director Mostofa Monowar received the Best Story award for his film ‘Passenger’ while Akib Mahmud won the Best Director award for the film ‘Ashlesha’.
The festival crowned Mehedi Hasan Joseph's short film ‘Poster’ as the Best Film, and the inauguration ceremony concluded with the screening of the film.
EU Ambassador to Dhaka Charles Whiteley, Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman and Chorki CEO Redoan Rony handed over the prizes to the winners.
The film screenings will be held at several venues across the country till September 23, including the Alliance Française de Dhaka, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Modern Language Institute of Modern Language in Dhaka University, the Dutch Club, Khulna University, Barendra University in Rajshahi and Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University in Mymensingh.
Ambassador Whiteley thanked all the partners and the panellists who have made the festival a reality with brilliant films from the Europe and Bangladesh.
He also congratulated the winners of the short film competition.
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Comedian Russell Brand denies allegations of sexual assault published by three UK news organizations
Three British news organizations reported Saturday that comedian and social influencer Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse based on allegations from four women who knew him over a seven-year period at the height of his fame.
Brand denied the allegations and said that all of his relationships have been consensual.
The Sunday Times, The Times of London and Channel 4's "Dispatches" said that one woman alleged she had been raped, while three others accused him of sexual assault. One of the women also said he had been physically and emotionally abusive.
The women said that they only felt ready to tell their stories after being approached by reporters, with some citing Brand's newfound prominence as an online wellness influencer as a factor in their decision to speak.
Before the stories were published, Brand posted a video online denying the allegations, which had been outlined in two "extremely disturbing letters" from a "mainstream media" television company and a newspaper. He didn't identify the news organizations by name.
"Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute," he said. "These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies and, as I have written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous."
"Now during that time of promiscuity the relationships I had were absolutely, always consensual," he added. "I was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent, and I am being transparent about it now as well."
Brand also suggested that the reports were part of a coordinated attack designed to discredit him because of his views. Brand has been criticized for expressing skepticism about COVID-19 vaccines and interviewing contentious podcasters like Joe Rogan.
"To see that transparency metastasized into something criminal, that I absolutely deny, makes me question is there another agenda at play," Brand said.
Brand rose to fame as a stand-up comic in Britain in the early 2000s, which led to starring roles on Channel 4 and later BBC Radio, where he capitalized on a reputation for outrageous behavior and risque banter.
He later made the jump to Hollywood, appearing in films such as "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" in 2008 and the remake of "Arthur" in 2011. Brand was married to U.S. pop star Katy Perry from 2010-2012.
In recent years, he transformed himself into a political commentator and influencer posting YouTube videos on subjects such as personal freedom and the COVID-19 pandemic.