United News of Bangladesh

After sharing a couple of bombshell Facebook posts on the eve of the new year hinting that she was seeking separation from her husband and Dhallywood’s most successful actor in 2022 Shariful Razz, Pori Moni explained her marital issues via a Facebook post on Sunday. The actress revealed the reasons behind her decision, explaining that she suffered physical violence and calling the marriage a one-sided effort from her side throughout its entirety. “A person would never decide to have a child if they aren't committed to a relationship. I gave this relationship everything I had to make it work; however, I was taken for granted. Despite my best efforts, which were all on my end, I kept failing,” Pori Moni wrote. The actress also revealed that she was physically assaulted numerous times by Razz.   “When I looked at my son, Rajya, I completely forgot about everything, but then I remembered that if he observes a destructive relationship, he would never grow up in a balanced atmosphere,” she added, stating that her decision to separate will be beneficial to both Rajya and Razz. Read: Pori to Mim: 'Your intimacy with Razz troubles me' Pori Moni also stated that she would not state further against Razz and his family, considering that he is the father of her child. “However, if he or his family try to perform any harmful behaviour again, I will take harder actions,” she mentioned. Ending the post with a grievance regarding the entire situation, Pori Moni wrote: "What could be more heartbreaking to me than Rajya not having his parents together as he grows up?" On Saturday, Pori Moni announced that she will reveal everything in a press conference today, after posting images of a bloodied bedsheet and pillow. "Happy New Year! Press conference tomorrow, loading," she wrote in the post. Earlier on Dec 31st, she revealed that she is no longer with Razz, expressing that she freed herself from a toxic relationship. Pori Moni married Sariful Razz in October 2021. Last year on August 10th, Shaheem Muhammad Rajya was born to the couple.

2022 was a year of revelation in more ways than one for the over-the-top (OTT) platforms of Bangladesh, a rising medium in the country following the footsteps of global ones such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, and Disney Hotstar. When it comes to the potential audience base in Bangladesh, OTT platforms are just getting started here. But with rising demand, driven by local content and live sports, the future looks promising. The pandemic was not over this year. But carrying the success of the pandemic-induced 2020-2021 forward, the local OTT platforms – namely Chorki, HoiChoi, Bioscope, and Binge – brought several contents to enthral the audience. On December 18, a record 15.5 million unique viewers watched the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 final between Argentina and France on Toffee, the only digital entertainment app which livestreamed the sports event in Bangladesh, said Banglalink which operates the platform. Read: The year in music: A melodious, rocking 2022 Also, Toffee hit a new milestone garnering around 1 billion views of "the greatest show on earth," it added. Football fans across the country turned to Toffee to enjoy every World Cup match, starting from November 18 to December 18. For the first time in Bangladesh, millions of viewers opted for a digital platform to watch the tournament, which was previously only broadcast on TV. Also, over the last two years, the rise of OTT platforms not only offered a breath of fresh air to audiences but also helped many popular actors and creators to rediscover and redefine their acting skills and explore the magic of creative independence. Read: Fuad enthrals Dhaka with popular tracks in night of nostalgia Seasoned and popular actors, including Intekhab Dinar, Afran Nisho, Chanchal Chowdhury, Mosharraf Karim, Apurba, Siam Ahmed, Ziaul Haque Polash, Pritom Ahmed, Mehazabien Chowdhury, Nazifa Tushi, Tasnia Farin and others were seen in different dramas and web series, and they received profound success and critical acclaim for their performances. Content makers and directors such as Nuhash Humayun, Shihab Shaheen, Tanim Nur, Syed Ahmed Shawki, Ashfaq Nipun, Raihan Rafi, Vicky Zahed, Amitabh Reza and others mesmerised the audiences throughout the year with content such as "Kaiser," "Pet Kata Shaw," "Karagar," "Syndicate," "Bodh," "Sabrina," "Punorjonmo" and others. "Shaaticup" from Chorki was a breakout content of the year, directed by Mohammad Touqir Islam which narrated a crime thriller featuring Rajshahi's local dialect and a cast of 137 actors for its eight episodes. Young filmmaker Nuhash Humayun, however, was the standout filmmaker on the web this year for glamorising the horror genre. His web series "Pett Kata Shaw" by Chorki starring Shohel Mondol, Shirin Akter Shila, Afzal Hossain, Chanchal Chowdhury, Pritom Hasan, Masuda Khan, Novera Rahman and more garnered massive appraisal from audiences and critics for being the modern revival of the mysterious and lurid plots of traditional Bengali folk tales, earning him an official selection for the upcoming 52nd edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Read More: 5 Best Movies of Vidya Balan Nuhash's other major project of 2022 representing the same genre, "Moshari," earned him two awards at two "Oscar-qualifying" film festivals (HollyShorts Film Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival). Earlier this year, he got signed with the Hollywood agencies Anonymous Content and Creative Artists Agency, and later he made the Halloween special dark-comedy "Foreigners Only" from the global OTT platform Hulu as its first Bangladeshi content maker. Also, the year 2022 has, perhaps, been the most eventful one for the big screen compared to recent years. In January, the seventeenth biennale edition of the Bangladesh Film Artistes' Association (BFAA) election was held, resulting in veteran silver screen actor Ilias Kanchan getting elected as the new president for 2022-2024. Read More: ‘I wasn’t necessarily acting’: Chanchal Chowdhury on ‘Karagar-2’ The talk of the town, however, was the post of the general secretary (GS) – for which, actor Zayed Khan was declared the winner over actress Nipun Akter in a close contest. But Nipun refused the result and filed an appeal to the Election Appeal Board of the BFAA. After that, the board declared Nipun as the GS. Then Zayed filed a writ petition against the decision to the High Court of the Supreme Court. In March, the court cleared the way for Zayed to serve as the GS of the BFFA after striking down the decision of the Election Appeal Board of the association. Next Nipun filed a petition against the decision to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. Read More: Netflix New Release January 2023: 10 Most Hyped English Movies, Series In November, after months of back-and-forth between Nipun and Zayed, the Appellate Division finally cleared the way for Nipun to serve as the GS. Of all the films released this year, two Dhallywood films – "Hawa" and "Poran" – were the most notable and successful ones, breaking records everywhere. Raihan Rafi directed Poran starring Sariful Razz, Bidya Sinha Mim and Yash Rohan and inspired by the Rifat murder case in Barishal, competed against another much-talked-about film, Ananta Jalil starrer and produced "Din – The Day" on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha this year. Poran was acclaimed by both the audiences and the multiplex and single-screen owners while Ananta and director – Iranian filmmaker Morteza Atashzamzam threatened legal actions against each other following several suave exchanges of verbal blows between them surrounding the real budget and release of the movie. Read More: Top 10 Upcoming South Indian Films in January 2023 However, the biggest blockbuster over recent years was Mejbaur Rahman Sumon directed film "Hawa." The Chanchal Chowdhury-Nazifa Tushi-Shariful Razz starrer film garnered a massive audience response across the country and broke revenue records both at home and beyond while creating a great buzz on mainstream and social media with its catchy songs like "Shada Shada Kala Kala" and "Aat Ta Baje Deri Korish Na." The cinema industry also observed other major releases this year, including Siam Ahmed starrer "Shaan" and "Operation Sundarbans," Shakib Khan's "Golui" and "Bidrohi," Sariful Razz-Bidya Sinha Mim and Siam starrer "Damal," and Jaya Ahsan's "Beauty Circus." Mim, Nazifa Tushi and Puja Cherry were the breakout actresses in the industry this year. Shabnam Bubly, Apu Biswas, Pori Moni and Barsha remained embroiled in controversy for their comments and fights throughout 2022. Read More: 'Adventure of Sundarban': Trail of children's film starring Pori Moni, Siam released However, the entire film fraternity was seen unified in support of acclaimed filmmaker Mostafa Sarwar Farooki, and his battle against the Censor Board for the release of his much-anticipated film "Shonibar Bikel" (Saturday Afternoon).

Cox’s Bazar is now buzzing with tourists who have flocked to the beach town to witness 2022’s final sunset and welcome the New Year. Tourists and locals enjoyed the last sunset of 2022 on the beach and bid farewell to 2022. Masud Chowdhury and Samantha Rahman, a tourist couple from Narayanganj, said, “We welcome 2023 with a trip to Cox's Bazar to let go of disappointment, sadness, and pain." Apart from the beach, tourists flock to the city's Burmese market, Himachari, Inani, Patuatek, and other tourist attractions. Tourism businessmen, beach workers, and tourist police are busy hosting tourists. Abul Kashem Sikder, general secretary of the Cox's Bazar Hotel Motel Guest House Owners' Association, said that some 90% of rooms have already been reserved for the '31st Night' (New Year's Eve) celebration this year. Read more: Revellers gather in Cox's Bazar to usher in New Year Executive Magistrate Masum Billah, in charge of the tourism cell of the district administration, said that like every year, lakhs of tourists have gathered at Cox's Bazar beach to welcome the year 2023. Md. Zillur Rahman, Police Superintendent of Tourist Police, said that the tourist police have also taken several security measures to ensure the safety of tourists. “Additional police will be deployed in Himchari, Inani, and Patuartek zones when the St. Martin cruise starts on January 1,” he said. Read more: Cox's Bazar: Long weekend over Xmas a fillip for domestic tourism

The music industry in Bangladesh observed a comparatively successful year, in comparison to the pandemic-induced 2020 and 2021. Returning to the full normalcy from the virtual events, this year was warmly greeted with several in-person concerts and programmes from the very beginning. The Listeners were enamoured with the maiden edition of Coke Studio Bangla at the beginning of this year, produced and curated by the majestic singer-composer-music producer Shayan Chowdhury Arnob.  Coke Studio Bangla Season One featured a total of nine exclusive fusion tracks and two promotional songs, hosted a historic concert and showcased a handful of breakout stars including Animes Roy, Rituraj Baidya, Sanzida Mahmood Nandita, Ripon Kumar (Boga Taleb), Kaniz Khandaker Mitu, Makhon Mia, Rap group Jalali Set and Indian-Bengali music stars including Madhubanti Bagchi, Sunidhi Nayak and Soumyadeep Murshidabadi.  The nine songs - based on the emotions of celebration, devotion, love, craze, reminiscence, compassion, wedding, the fascination of romance and aspiration for freedom, also featured prominent and popular Bangladeshi singers including Pantha Kanai, Momotaz Begom, Mizan Rahman, Nigar Sumi, Tahsan Khan, Bappa Mazumder, Samina Chowdhury, Dilshad Nahar Kona, and the maestro himself, Arnob. The season was captivating and successful according to the audiences, and everyone is looking forward to the upcoming Season Two in 2023. 

Dhallywood star Pori Moni hinted at separation from her husband, actor Sariful Razz, on her social media account shortly after midnight. The post began with a New Year's greeting of “Happy 31st, everyone!” which afterwards hinted at a troubled marriage. “Today I said adieu to Razz from my life and also freed myself from this toxic relationship. Nothing is more important than living a healthy life,” wrote Pori. Also Read: Rape, murder attempts case: Pori Moni gives statement Within minutes, the post went viral, with many celebrities and netizens urging Pori Moni to remain calm and take her time before making a final decision. The actors first met while working on the movie "Gunin." Seven days after that, they tied the knot on October 17 last year.  

The 108th birth anniversary of the master painter and pioneering art educator Zainul Abedin, widely revered as the 'Shilpacharya' (great master of fine arts), is being observed on Thursday . Zainul Abedin, who was born on December 29, 1914, in Kishoreganj, was a key figure in the formation of the Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Art (FFA) and the Folk Art Museum in Sonargaon, Narayanganj. The 108th birth anniversary of Shilpacharya is being celebrated with a variety of celebrations, most notably the traditional ‘Zainul Utsab’ and ‘Zainul Mela’ by Dhaka University's Faculty of Fine Art. Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni joined the inauguration ceremony of the three-day festivities as the chief guest, while DU Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Akhtaruzzaman inaugurated the festival. The prestigious ‘Zainul Award 2022’ was also handed over to three art luminaries - former DU FFA Dean Professor Emdadul Haque Mohammad Matlub Ali, eminent artist Shahid Kabir and Indian contemporary art historian, art critic, and curator Raman Shiv Kumar. Read: 106th birth anniversary of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin today Earlier, the Faculty of Fine Art and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) Department of Fine Arts placed floral wreaths on the grave of the Shilpacharya in the morning. Zainul Abedin earned global respect for his 1943 illustrations of the Bengal famine. He visited Palestinian camps in Syria and Jordan in 1970 and made 60–70 paintings of the refugees there, adding just another example of his caliber as a modern, international artist. During his childhood, he discovered his love of art while a young child frolicking by the Brahmaputra River.  His motherland, Bangladesh (then East Pakistan), welcomed him back after he graduated from the Government Art School in Kolkata in 1932. However, shortly after the Indian subcontinent was divided in 1947, he permanently departed Kolkata and came back to his own motherland in Bangladesh. The Dhaka Art Institute was subsequently founded with active help from Zainul Abedin, who was appointed as the institute's principal in 1949. The institute was later developed into Dhaka University's Faculty of Fine Art. He retired from the Dhaka Art Institute in 1967 and was conferred the honorary title of Shilpacharya (great master of fine arts) by the institute. Prior taking the mantle of Shilpacharya, Zainul Abedin received two years of training from Slade School of Fine Art in London and developed a new style of art called the 'Bengali style' featuring folk art forms with their geometric shapes including the usage of semi-abstract representation and primary colours. Read: Tribute to Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin on his 107th birth anniversary However, he lacked the sense of perspective, realising the limitations of folk art, and went back to nature, rural life and the daily struggles of people to make art that would be realistic but modern in appearance, thus being the pioneer of modern artistic style in the subcontinent. Known for the simple yet majestic projection of natural and social hazards, Zainul painted the 1970 Bhola cyclone that devastated then East Pakistan, portraying the effect of the cyclone through his painting ‘Monpura’. As a fond lover of folk arts, Zainul formed Charu O Karu Shilpi Sangram Parishad and also collected a large number of traditional crafts, ceramic works, nakshi kanthas in his lifetime which he preserved through founding the Folk Art Museum at Sonargaon, Narayanganj in 1975.  He also founded the Zainul Abedin Sangrahashala, a gallery of his own works at the Shaheeb Quarter Park on the bank of his nostalgia-infused Brahmaputra River in Mymensingh in the same year. In 1973, Zainul received  honorary D.Litt from Delhi University. He was declared National Professor of Bangladesh in 1975. NASA honoured the iconic artist by naming a crater on the planet Mercury after the painter, called the 'Abedin Crater' in 2009. The revered artist passed away in Dhaka on May 28, 1976 after losing his battle with lung cancer. He was buried beside the Dhaka University Central Mosque.

 Popular actor-singer Chanchal Chowdhury lost his father Radha Govinda Chowdhury on Tuesday night at a city hospital. He was 90. The acclaimed actor’s father breathed his last at 7:50 pm at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Green Life hospital in the capital.Actress and Chanchal Chowdhury’s friend Shahnaz Khushi confirmed this on her Facebook profile on Tuesday night. Read more: Eminent film actor Wasim passes away His last rites will take place at the hometown of Chanchal Chowdhury in Kamarhat of Sujanagar upazila, Pabna on Wednesday.Radha Govinda Chowdhury was admitted to the hospital due to old-age complications. He was taken to the ICU after his health deteriorated. Mentioning his father’s illness, Chanchal Chowdhury wrote on his Facebook profile on December 25: “For 13 days now, my father has been in the ICU on life support. We are just counting the days now.”

Reuniting with his beloved fans after 2019, popular Bangladeshi-American producer, composer, and singer-songwriter Fuad Almuqtadir grooved the Dhaka audience with ‘Fuad Live’ on Sunday night at the capital’s International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) Expo Zone. Organised by SkyTracker Limited, the concert featured a star-studded line-up including Bassbaba Sumon, Pantho Kanai, Anila, Elita, Rafa, Zohad, Fairuz, Tashfee, Xefer, Tasnim Anika, Hasib, Riasat, Pavel, Ashreen, Aly Hasan, Zaki Adnan, Black Jang, Shafayat, Scionara and more. The concert featured several performances of Fuad and friends, and began with Hasib’s performance of ‘Dak Diyachen’ which throttled the ‘Fuad Intro’ part of the concert. The segment then featured Fairuz performing 'Tumi Hina', followed by a couple of tracks by Tashfee. Popular singer Xefer then rocked the audience with Fuad’s popular song 'Besto Shohore'. Read: 32 bands to take the stage of Dhaka Rock Fest 3.0 on December 27,28 Reuniting with Fuad after a long time, Elita performed her popular tracks 'Kothay' and ‘Urey Jete Chai’. Pantha Kanai then grooved the audiences with a crazy performance of ‘Nouka’ and ‘Chumki’, which was followed by rap performances of Back Jang and the viral ‘Bebshar Poristhiti’ famed singer Aly Hasan’s group with their popular tracks. Fairuz then took the stage, concluding the ‘Fuad Intro’ part. The next part, the ‘Rafa intro’ began with AvoidRafa, Cryptic Fate and former Aurthohin member Rafa’s majestic performances including the song ‘Anmone 2’ which was originally mastered by Fuad. This was followed by ‘Manbo Na’ by Ashreen and Zaki Adnan, followed by two rocking tracks by Nemesis frontman Zohad and Arekta Rock Band’s Riasat. The ‘Bassbaba Sumon intro’ then began as the concluding part of the event. The night's biggest attraction was from this intro and the segment where Bassbaba Sumon, Fuad and Anila Naz Choudhury performed together on stage for the first time in 14 years since 2008, after their critically acclaimed 2007 album ‘Ekhon Ami’. “The last time I performed on stage with Fuad was for the Joy Bangla concert (2020). On that particular day, I came to the venue by ambulance and wondered if I would ever be able to walk into the stage or perform again. Fast forward to 2022, and here I am once again performing with Anila, and Fuad and with a much better physical condition - and I believe it is a miracle because of your prayers and wishes,” said an emotional Sumon, thanking the audience. Read: Mehreen honoured with BCRA ‘Best Pop Singer’ Award Anila began the intro with her popular song ‘Ke Bashi Bajay Re’ from Fuad's 2007 album ‘Bonno’, the biggest hit of his career. The soulful tribute to the Happy Akhand-Lucky Akhand track was then followed by the mesmerizing performance of Sumon and Anila, who performed their superhit song ‘Gaibo Na’ after 14 years on stage. Tasnim Anika then grooved the night with two of Fuad’s most popular and electrifying tracks, ‘Tumi Ki Shara Debe’ and ‘Rupban’. Tashfee then performed ‘Bhromor’, followed by Hasib’s rendition of another popular Fuad remake ‘Nitol Paaye’ and the concert ended with the official song for the ICC World Twenty20 World Cup 2014 song ‘Char Chhokka Hoi Hoi’ by Johan. Fuad’s first full-length album was the self-released ‘Maya’ in 1998, followed by his next album, Re/Evolution, released in 2003 featuring dancehall, R&B, hip hop, and pop styles and artists from 6 different countries across 3 different continents, establishing him as one of Bangladesh’s most promising producers along with Habib Wahid and Arnob, his contemporaries in the industry. Fuad Live was presented by its telecom partner Banglalink, beverage partner Nescafe, payment partner bKash, community partner Bangladesh Band Music Forum Community and PR partner MediaQuest Bangladesh.

Thirty-two bands are set to light up the stage of the Dhaka Rock Fest 3.0, one of the most anticipated band music festivals in the capital, on December 27 and 28 at the International Convention City Bashundhara Expo Zone. The third edition of this musical rendezvous, organised by SkyTracker and presented by telecom operator Banglalink, will feature different bands including Warfaze, Aurthohin, Meghdol, Artcell, Nemesis, AvoidRafa, and Cryptic Fate. "Rock music is incredibly popular among the youth in Bangladesh and we want to entertain the concert-loving young crowd. So, we organise this concert regularly," SkyTracker Director Sazid Islam said Saturday. Qazi Urfi Ahmad, brand and communication director of Banglalink Digital Communication said: "We have been regularly organising and sponsoring various programmes considering the needs of the youth of our country, such as the Dhaka Rock Fest." The gates of this year's Banglalink Dhaka Rock Fest 3.0 will open at 10am on both days. The first day of the concert will feature Apekkhik, Arekta Rock Band, Artcell, Bangla Five, Bangu Bibi, Brahmaputra, Cryptic Fate, Fantasy Realm, Karnival, Nemesis, Owned, Power Surge, Sonar Bangla Circus, Torture Goregrinder, Trainwreck, and Unmaad. The second day of the concert will feature Aftermath, Arbovirus, Aurthohin, AvoidRafa, Bay of Bengal, Calypso, Conclusion, Dads in the Park, Mechanix, Meghdol, Severe Dementia, Shepherds, Shuvo Jatra, Sin, Subconscious and Warfaze. Concertgoers can buy tickets for Dhaka Rock Fest 3.0 from the event's ticketing partner Get Set Rock's website. Tickets for a single day will cost Tk500 and combo tickets for both days will cost Tk900.  Digital entertainment app Toffee is the streaming partner of the event.  

Singer Mehreen has been honoured with the Bangladesh Cultural Reporters Association (BCRA) Best Pop Singer Award 2022 for her outstanding contribution throughout her illustrious career in the music industry. The award was handed over at the 27th anniversary of BCRA held at the International Mother Language Institute in the capital recently. Read: Pooja to receive Vietnam President’s “Friendship Medal” Wednesday Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud attended the programme as the chief guest and handed over the award to the singer. President of Nagorik Dhaka’s President M Nayeem Hossain was also present there.