United News of Bangladesh

Marking the National Mourning Day 2022, Gallery Cosmos is going to organize an exclusive group art, photography and sculpture exhibition on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman titled 'BRAVEHEART' at Cosmos Centre in the capital on Friday. Mofidul Hoque, founding trustee of the Liberation War Museum, will virtually inaugurate the exhibition as the chief guest, while eminent artists and freedom fighters Rafiqun Nabi, Biren Shome and internationally renowned artist Shahabuddin Ahmed will join the inauguration ceremony as the special guests. Supported by the Cosmos Foundation, the exhibition's inauguration ceremony will also be joined by Tehmina Enayet, Director of Gallery Cosmos and Masud Jamil Khan, Deputy Managing Director of Cosmos Group. Read: Curtain rises on Shilpo Bangla Art Exhibition UNB and Dhaka Courier will be its media and knowledge partners respectively. Prior to the inauguration of the exhibition, a vibrant team of 12 child artists and future master painters will participate in an exclusive group art camp at the exhibition venue and showcase their heartfelt tribute to the Father of the Nation. The exhibition will be showcasing artworks of several prominent artists including Shahabuddin Ahmed, Biren Shome, Alakesh Ghosh, Nasir Ali Mamun, Afrozaa Jamil Konka, Bashkor Rasha, Shahajahan Ahmed Bikash, Azmeer Hossain, Bishwajit Goswami, Abu Kalam Shamsuddin, Devdas Malakar, Dilip Karmakar, Sourav Chowdhury, Abdullah Al Bashir, Iqbal Bahar Chy, Maneek Bonik, Kamruzzoha, Azmol Hossain, Mohammed Fakhrul Islam Mazumder Shakil and Md Rafiqul Islam. Read “The Passion of Drawing-2” by Gallery Cosmos: A daylong tribute to drawing Visitors can explore the exhibition 'BRAVEHEART' at Gallery Cosmos in the Cosmos Centre, Malibagh in the capital till August 31.

Observing the 92nd birth anniversary of Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, cultural organisations arranged several events on Monday, shedding spotlight on her eventful life and contributions towards the nation. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs and several cultural organizations namely Bangla Academy, Bangladesh National Museum, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and others organized seminars and cultural programmes, marking the occasion. State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid paid tribute by placing wreaths at Bangamata's mausoleum at Banani Graveyard in the capital in the morning, on behalf of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. Bangla Academy organised a special seminar and book launching event in the afternoon at its AKSB auditorium. State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid joined the event as the chief guest, and the event was presided over by Bangla Academy President Selina Hossain. At the event, the academy’s newest publication titled ‘Bangajatimata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib: 92 tomo Jonmobarshikir Shroddha’ (Mother of the Nation Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib: Tribute to the 92nd Birth Anniversary) was launched by the chief guest. Read: Bangamata’s 92nd birth anniversary on Monday Poet Asad Mannan and Deputy Director of the Department of Culture in Bangla Academy poet Saymon Zakaria discussed on two other books written on the life and works of Bangamata titled ‘Chhotoder Bangamata’ (Bangamata for Children) and ‘Amar Renu’ (My Renu), written by Anwara Syed Haq. The state minister later spoke as the chief guest in the evening at the commemorative lecture titled 'Mijib theke Jatir Pita: Bangamatar Obodan’ (From Mujib to the Father of the Nation: Contribution of Bangamata), organized by Bangladesh National Museum at its Poet Sufia Kamal Auditorium of the Bangladesh National Museum in the capital. Chaired by the Chairman of the museum council Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique, the event was also joined by Cultural Affairs Secretary Md Abul Monsur as the special guest, while  Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum Curator Nazrul Islam Khan joined as the keynote speaker. Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) organized a commemorative cultural event titled ‘Shilper Aloy Shroddhanjali: Uthsarga Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib’ at its Music and Dance auditorium in the evening.  Eminent novelist and Bangla Academy President Selina Hossain joined the event as the main discussant, and the event was chaired by BSA Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky.  The event also featured cultural performances including poetry and dance recitals, instrumental tributes and musical; performances by several noted artists, pouring befitting tribute to the occasion.

Bangladeshi Artist Liakat Ali's eighth solo painting exhibition titled "Rhythmic Abstraction" was inaugurated at La Galerie of Alliance Francaise de Dhaka Friday. Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki attended the event as the chief guest.  Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Art Professor Mostafizul Haque, former chief whip of Jatiya Sangsad ASM Feroz, and International Crimes Tribunal-1 Prosecutor Md Sultan Mahmud also attended the event as special guests. Read: Curtain rises on Shilpo Bangla Art Exhibition The exhibition is displaying 30 paintings by the artist. Also, Liakat's artworks have been showcased in solo and group exhibitions in Japan, Canada, the UK, the US, and China.  He completed his BFA from the China National Fine Arts Academy, Hangzhou, in drawing and painting. "The mood of painting makes the image much more attractive and the music can give a new mood to the images, which can be a new style in the abstract images in the contemporary platform that looks like rhythmic abstraction," he said about the ongoing exhibition. Read BSA commemorates August 21 massacre with visual art show Liakat Ali's art exhibition Rhythmic Abstraction will be open to all till August 13, Monday to Saturday from 3pm to 9pm.

The curtain closed on the two-day Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) Film Fest 2022 in Dhaka Wednesday with the prize-giving ceremony. Two hundred and seventy-seven participants from 40 public and private universities joined the fest in five categories: short film, cosplay, script writing, poster design and quiz competition. Actors, actresses and the director of the much-talked-about movie "Hawa" attended the opening ceremony Tuesday. Read: 8th Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival begins BUP Vice-Chancellor Major General Md Mahbub-ul Alam joined the prize-giving ceremony as the chief guest. Actor Abul Hayat was present as the special guest. Director Giasuddin Selim was the judge at the film fest. Major General Mahbub-ul Alam said a film is not only a medium of entertainment but also a tool to educate people and stimulate patriotism among them. Read BUP Freshers’ Reception-2022 held on campus "A good, thoughtful movie can broaden the window of our mind. It can also inspire us to think critically about society and our surroundings," he said.

Envisioning a noteworthy publication dedicated to the rich culture of band music genre in Bangladesh, the first Bangladeshi band encyclopedia titled 'Banglar Rock Metal’ is set to be unveiled on Friday at Baatighar, Bishwo Shahitto Kendro in the capital. Authored by journalist Haque Faruk and writer Milu Aman, the book not only carries a chronological history of the gradual development of the Bangladeshi band scene but also the authentic profile of 180 bands with their discography. From their collective experiences of the authors as music journalists and writers in the past two decades combined with almost two years of relentless efforts, 'Banglar Rock Metal' is said to be the encyclopedia the band music enthusiasts needed, according to the book’s co-author Haque Faruk. Read:Wind of 'Hawa' blows full Sharing the journey with UNB, Haque said that he has spent hours at the archive section of different libraries apart from his regular professional responsibilities as a full-time journalist. “It has always been a dream project for us as band music enthusiasts, and we worked passionately hard to fine-tune this book from time to time.” Haque informed that to write this book, the duo not only depended on the existing-secondary documents but also recorded the history through the first-person narration of the living band members. "To ensure the accurate presentation of every band’s history, we have crosschecked the information with all the existing and even the former members of the bands who are still alive. We had to conquer the hurdles to find and contact some of the musicians from the past who had been almost forgotten from the band music scene and have been living in different parts of the world for decades now. Still, we managed to document them because of their cordial cooperation.” Read Music Alliance Bangladesh cancels 'National Music Festival and Conference' in Sylhet Published by Aajob Prokash along with a special poster, the book cover is designed by Niaz Ahmed Aungshu. Mustafiz Karigar made the cover typography, while the essential graphics are done by Kousik Zaman. Joy Shahriar, a renowned musician and founder of Aajob Prokash said, ‌"Preorders are open till launching but we have already started receiving overwhelming response from the band-music fans, and we hope the first-print copies of the book would stock out pretty soon, once the book is officially launched." 'Banglar Rock Metal' can be preordered via the Facebook page of Aajob Prokash at a discounted price. The printed price of this 450-page hardbound book, band encyclopedia, is Tk 1000 and available for preorder at Rokomari dot com. Read Bongo brings Bangla dubbed 'Kaalidas'

There is a famous saying that Matches are made in Heaven. But what will happen if, between the couple, one strikes under a spell of romanticism where the other feels himself a victim of castaway? So why not enjoy the bittersweet scenario rather than drowning in loneliness and confusion? Arjun (Ashok Selvan), the story's protagonist, thought so. He is a confused carefree young man who has a close friendship with Anu (Ritika Singh) & Mani (Sha Ra). One Day in a friendly drinking session Anu out of the blue, asks for the hand of Arjun & that's the start of a rocky road of marriage. At first, Arjun feels nothing wrong with being hitched to Anu. But then suddenly realize that he has no romantic feelings for Anu by heart. Now how will he resolve the tangled relationship? When Arjun struggled with Anu, his childhood crush Meera entered their life.  He knew what would come in his bittersweet life of loveless marriage! If you want to know what happened, How God came to rescue Arjun, or for Anu, you have to watch the movie of the week, "Oh My Kadavule," dubbed in Bangla 'Oh My God! “On Bongo, July 29, 2022. Famous director Ashwath Marimuthu directed the film, and the story was written by him too. Ashwath said, "Half of life's troubles start with getting married. And the other Half is trouble after marriage. So, this time, our story is about the dilemma of an unclued young man getting accidentally married and looking for a second chance to back out of the mistakes. And his urge for a second chance in life is responded to by God Himself (God's role played by Vijay Sethupati). What will happen next? Watch Bongo to enjoy the hilarious, fun-packed romantic comedy with a pinch of fantasy 'Oh My Kadavule aka Oh My God." Read: Bongo brings Bangla dubbed 'Beauty and the Beast' The film was first released on the Day of Valentine's on February 14, 2020. Korean Web Series "Operation Proposal Loosely Inspires this Movie." The film was also selected for official screening at the International Indian Film Festival in Toronto, held in August 2020. The film won South Indian International Movie Awards-SIIMA (Tamil) for Best Actor Critics (Ashok Selvan) in 2021. Also got five nominations for SIIMA Awards 2021: Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Film, Best Cinematographer, Best Actress in a Supporting Role & Best Music Director. Bongo's Head of Licensing and Distribution, Karoline Hoeppner, said, "Bongo is pleased to publish South Indian romantic comedy with a fantastic vibe for our entertainment-seeking audience. We believe our audience will love it wholeheartedly. Now they can see numerous English & South blockbusters across genres of their choice. Bongo is thrilled to enrich its content library with more enjoyable international titles, and Bongo aims to cater to the most diverse content portfolio in the country. We cannot wait to release more global content in Bangla and see how our country's audience perceives the titles."

Will Smith has again apologized to Chris Rock for slapping him during the Oscar telecast in a new video, saying that his behavior was “unacceptable” and that he had reached out to the comedian to discuss the incident but was told Rock wasn’t ready. “There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment,” Smith said in the video posted online Friday. “I am deeply remorseful and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself.” Smith, seated in a white polo shirt and white ball cap, spoke directly to a camera, answering pre-selected questions about his behavior at the March 27 Academy Awards, when he slapped presenter Rock after the comedian made a comment about the hairstyle of Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith’s wife. Smith also apologized to Rock’s family and especially his mother, Rosalie, who was horrified to see her son hurt and told US Weekly that, “When he slapped Chris, he slapped all of us. He really slapped me.” Smith also apologized to Tony Rock, Chris’ younger brother. “I didn’t realize how many people got hurt in that moment,” Smith said. Smith also apologized to his family “for the heat that I brought on all of us” and his fellow Oscar nominees to have “stolen and tarnished your moment.” He said his wife did nothing to encourage his slap. “Jada had nothing to do with it,” he said. “I made a choice on my own.” Read: Will Smith resigns from film academy over Chris Rock slap Following the altercation, the motion picture academy banned Smith from attending the Oscars or any other academy event for 10 years. Smith apologized to Rock in a statement after the Oscars, saying he was “out of line and I was wrong.”   “I’m sorry really isn’t sufficient,” Smith said in the video.

The 23rd edition of the Young Artists’ Fine Arts Exhibition, one of the flagship art events of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), began on Wednesday at the National Art Gallery of BSA in the capital. The month-long biennale exhibition, organised by BSA’s fine arts department, is showcasing 422 artworks by 356 artists this year. This year’s edition received a total of 2,034 artworks under 11 categories - paintings, sculptures, print and video illustrations, craft-works, pottery crafts, architectural and oriental arts, performance art, photography and new media arts, from a total of 1,019 artists between the age of 21 and 35. Planning Minister MA Mannan inaugurated the exhibition on Wednesday while State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid, art critic Professor Nazrul Islam and art maestro Dr Farida Zaman joined as special guests and handed over the best artists’ awards to the recipients. BSA's Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky presided over the ceremony, while BSA Director of Fine Arts Syeda Mahbuba Karim and BSA Secretary Md Asaduzzaman also spoke at the event. The participating artists who were nominated as winners of 12 awards in 11 categories and one overall grand award winner in the exhibition, received their respective awards, certificates and prize money cheques at the ceremony. Read: Curtain rises on Shilpo Bangla Art Exhibition Artists Sajia Rahman Sondha received the title award as the best artist of all mediums in the exhibition, while artists Sujon Mahabub (performance art), Samia Ahmed (installation art), Halima Akter (ceramic), Md Fayez Alam Hasan (painting), Sushmita Mukherjee Misty (sculpture), Rumana Rahman (printmaking), Showrab Gosh (oriental art), Mahatab Rashid (graphics design), Rajan Nandi (crafts), Jewel Chakma (new media art), and Shahedul Islam Sadik (photography) won awards in respective categories. A unique and specially curated subject-based art installation is being displayed at the 3rd gallery of the National Art Gallery by 10 educational institutions of the country including Dhaka University, Chittagong University, Rajshahi University, Khulna University, National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam University and more, which is planned and researched by BSA Director General Lucky. The primary selection committee comprised Professor Pranab Mitra Chowdhury, artist Kamal Pasha Chowdhury, Professor Dr Nihar Ronjon Singha, artist Shayla Sharmin, photographer Ashfaque Ahmed and artist Zihan Karim. The jury board for selecting the best artworks featured Professor Abul Barq Alvi, Dr Farida Zaman, artist Siddhartha Talukder, artist Lala Rukh Selim, artist Ziaul Karim and eminent photographer Nasir Ali Mamun. Since 1975, the biennale exhibition has earned recognition from art-lovers around the whole nation as a festivity and celebration of modern artworks and crafts by artists from all over the country. The exhibition will continue till August 25, every day from 11 pm to 8 pm and 3 pm on 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 number galleries and the sculpture arena at the National Art Gallery.

The Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Wednesday quizzed Ashraful Hossen Alom, best known as Hero Alom, about his controversial video content shared on social media. He was asked questions at the DB office in the capital's Minto Road in the morning as there were many "cyber allegations" against him, DMP Media and Public Relations wing Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Faruque Hossain said. Recently, Hero Alom shared "offensive, defamatory, illegal videos" and other content on his official Facebook and YouTube channels. He also appeared in police uniform in videos without permission. These created a cascade of negative reactions from commoners, Faruque said. Alom told the detectives that he creates and shares viral content on the internet, mainly to earn money. More views and revenue matter most to him. Read: Accept Hero Alam’s nomination, HC orders EC Asked about the obscene songs he created about several political leaders and models such as Palalo Palalo Murad Hasan, Rater Rani Piyasa, Mou and Pori Moni, Alom could not give a "proper answer." Detectives let him go after he admitted his mistakes and assured DB that he will not repeat such activities, Faruque said.

Bollywood's highest-paid actress Katrina Kaif and her actor-husband Vicky Kaushal have received death threats on Instagram, prompting the celebrity couple to seek police protection. "Based on a complaint from the two actors, an FIR has been registered at Santacruz police station in the western Indian city of Mumbai. We have also initiated a probe," a police officer told the local media. Katrina and Vicky Kaushal tied the knot in December last year. And Katrina had shared the first pictures of her and Vicky as newlyweds on Instagram only. "Only love and gratitude in our hearts for everything that brought us to this moment. Seeking all your love and blessings as we begin this new journey together,” Katrina wrote, sharing the photos. Read:It's official. Katrina Kaif & Vicky Kaushal are now husband and wife Basically a model, the Hong Kong-born actress began her Bollywood career with 'Boom', an action film, in 2003 that flopped. Two years later, she earned commercial success -- thanks to the romantic comedy 'Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya'. What followed was a series of hits -- 'Namastey London' in 2007, 'New York' in 2009, 'Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani' in 2009, 'Raajneeti' in 2010, 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' in 2011, 'Ek Tha Tiger' in 2012, 'Dhoom 3' in 2013 and 'Bang Bang!' in 2014. Katrina's other highest-grossing Bollywood films are 'Tiger Zinda Hai' in 2017 and 'Bharat' in 2019, co-starring Salman Khan. Her last action flick was 'Sooryavanshi', co-starring Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgan. Born to action director Sham Kaushal and his wife Veena, Vicky ventured into Bollywood as an assistant to filmmaker Anurag Kashyap in the crime drama 'Gangs of Wasseypur' in 2012.  His first leading role was in the independent drama 'Masaan' in 2015, but Vicky shot to limelight in 2018 with supporting roles in 'Raazi' and 'Sanju', two hits. A year later, his lead role as a military officer in critically acclaimed action film 'Uri: The Surgical Strike', got him the National Film Award for Best Actor.