Culture & Entertainment

MNA Entertainment Desk: Filmmaker Saidul Anam Tutul breathed his last in a city hospital on Tuesday. The 68-year-old, who had long been suffering from heart related complications, died at Labaid Hospital’s Coronary Care Unit, reported news agency. Tutul, a freedom fighter, is survived by his wife and two daughters. He won the national film award in the ‘best editor’ category for ‘Surja Dighal Bari’ in 1979. He also edited films such as ‘Ghuddi’, ‘Dahan’, ‘Dipu Number 2’, and ‘Dukhai’ and directed ‘Adhier’ in 2003. Born and brought up in Dhaka, Tutul was also the first general secretary and lifetime member ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Catriona Gray from the Philippines was crowned Miss Universe on Monday, the fourth time the Southeast Asian country has won the international beauty pageant. Gray, a 24-year-old Filipino-Australian model, won the title in the Thai capital Bangkok where the pageant included for the first time a transgender contestant. “My heart is filled with so much gratitude. There were moments of doubt where I felt overwhelmed and I felt the pressure,” said Gray, who wore a red and orange dress that was inspired by Mount Mayon, a volcano that erupted this year. Gray was asked during the contest ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Spanish prosecutors filed charges against Colombian singer Shakira on Friday, accusing her of failing to pay 14.5 million euros in tax ($16.3 million) in the country where her Spanish footballer partner plays. The charges were filed in the Catalonia region, where the singer is a regular presence at matches of her partner Gerard Pique’s team, Barcelona. She was accused of failing to pay tax on income earned from 2012-2014, when the prosecutors say she lived there. Representatives of Shakira said in a statement that the singer did not live in Spain until 2015, and has met all ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday expressed profound shock at the death of Ekushey Padak and National Film Award winning actor-filmmaker Amjad Hossain. In a condolence message, she said the death of Amjad Hossain is an irreparable loss for the film industry and cultural arena of the country. Amjad Hossain will be remembered for ever due to his works, she said. Amjad Hossain passed away on Friday in Bangkok while undergoing treatment at Bumrungrad Hospital since November 27. He was 76. Amjad was born on August 14, 1942 in Jamalpur. In 1961, he debuted as an actor ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Actor Arjun Rampal will headline upcoming Zee5 web series “The Final Call,” the video-on-demand service owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises announced in a press release on Wednesday. The series is an adaptation of Priya Kumar’s novel “I Will Go With You: The Flight of a Lifetime.” The 2016 novel examines a group of flight passengers whose captain has decided to commit suicide on duty, endangering all 300 on board. Details of the director and the rest of the cast are yet to be announced. The originality of the story fascinated the them; Zee5’s programming head Aparna Acharekar ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Radio Shadhin 92.4FM concluded their 16-day long campaign, titled “Rise up for Women Conference 2018,” on a grand scale yesterday (Monday) at Hotel Galesia and Resort Limited in Banani, featuring an open discussion between the members of the audience and the famous screen pair Aly and Sara Zaker. The event, which lasted from 10am to 5pm, consisted of a day-long session of a painting competition for children, speeches by women entrepreneurs, musical performances, and ended with an open discussion, between the participants and the organizers, and a prize giving ceremony. The open discussion was moderated by a ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: To celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka a mega art exhibition has been arranged. December 29 marks the birth anniversary of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, founder of the Dacca Art College (at present the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka). In this regard the exhibition is also part of Zainul Utshob 2018. The exhibition features artworks from veterans of the faculty, who were or still are faculty members at the art hub. It was inaugurated on December 10 on the fine arts premises at Shahbagh in the capital. On the ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Grammy Award-winning singer Beyonce arrived in the city of lakes on Sunday to perform at a pre-wedding celebration for Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal. Beyonce sported a white printed ensemble and a pair of shades as she stepped out of the Maharana Pratap Airport. A red lip colour brightened up her look as she let her curly tresses loose. The “Crazy in love” singer will perform on Sunday night for a star-studded audience, which includes US former First Lady Hillary Clinton and a slew of Bollywood celebrities including newlywed Priyanka Chopra and her American singer husband Nick ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Vanessa Ponce de Leon of Mexico crowned as Miss World 2018 by outgoing queen Manushi Chhillar in the coastal city of Sanya, China. She is the first Mexican queen to have won the title. Nicolene Limsnukan of Thailand was named first runner-up, reported news agency. The 26-year-old smiled away with moist eyes as she folded her hands in gratitude to gesture the traditional Indian ‘Namaste’ greeting when Manushi placed the elaborate crown on her head. Having pursued a degree in International Business, Vanessa is currently on the board of directors of a rehab centre for girls and ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Indian singer Mika Singh who was arrested in Dubai for allegedly harassing a Brazilian teenage model was released last night. He was taken to Abu Dhabi after his arrest. Navdeep Singh Suri, Indian Ambassador to UAE, said that the singer was released at 11.30pm on Thursday night. He was scheduled to be presented in court at 4pm on Friday, reported news agency. The singer, known for the hit song Subha hone na de, was arrested for allegedly harassing a Brazilian teenage model. He last appeared at Masala Awards ceremony held at Fort Island, Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Priyanka Chopra, star of Indian film and US television, and Jonas Brothers singer Nick Jonas celebrated their wedding at a glitzy reception in New Delhi on Tuesday, joined by celebrities ranging from India’s prime minister to Hollywood stars. The event at a New Delhi hotel followed the couple’s three-day long wedding celebration at a heritage Indian palace atop a hill in the western city of Jodhpur, which included cricket matches and Bollywood songs. The guest list on Tuesday’s reception included Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who posed for pictures standing next to Chopra, who wore a sequined ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: An openly gay Scottish artist who celebrated queer lives in a short film shot on an iPhone won Britain’s prestigious Turner Prize Tuesday. This year’s four finalists for one of the world’s most coveted visual arts awards featured works packed with political punch. Scotland’s Charlotte Prodger came out on top at a glitzy reception at London’s Tate Museum for a 33-minute visual compilation called BRIDGIT. The jury said Prodger’s work “meanders through disparate associations ranging from JD Sports and standing stones to 1970s lesbian separatism and Jimi Hendrix’s sound records”. The 44-year-old Glasgow-based artist — dressed in ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Academy Award-winning director Quentin Tarantino has married his fiancée, Israeli singer and model Daniela Pick, reported news agency. The couple got married last Wednesday in a Jewish traditional ceremony at their home in Beverly Hills, California in the US. During the ceremony, Pick wore a white dress with a sweetheart neckline, a tiara and a white veil, and Tarantino wore a black suit. After their wedding, the couple posed in front of a dramatic wall of white flowers for photos. They first met in 2009, when Tarantino was visiting Israel to promote his film “Inglorious Basterds.” They ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Jannatul Ferdous Oishi, has been included in the list of best beauties for the 68th edition of the ‘Miss World’ competition, reported news agency. Hailing from Pirojpur district, Jannatul Ferdous Oishi has moved into the top 20 list from different countries of the world. Recently proclaimed Miss Bangladesh, Oishi is representing Bangladesh in the competition being held in Sanya city of China. This eighteen-year-old contestant passed her higher secondary examination this year with Science as her major. She won the title of Miss World Bangladesh 2018 over 30,000 contestants from Bangladesh. Last year’s Miss World Bangladesh, Jessia ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra and American singer Nick Jonas are now husband and wife as they had their Catholic wedding at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur. The groom’s father, Paul Kevin Jonas Sr officiated Saturday’s Christian ceremony, where the couple exchanged wedding bands by famed jeweller Chopard. On Sunday, the bride and groom will continue their epic wedding weekend with a Hindu ceremony, reported news agency. Priyanka, 36, was a glowing bride in a custom made Ralph Lauren wedding gown, and Jonas, too, wore Ralph Lauren. In fact, so did both families, all of the bridesmaids, ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Divorcing Hollywood power couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached a final agreement over the custody of their six children, Jolie’s lawyer said on Friday, after more than two years of often bitter negotiations. “A custody arrangement was agreed to weeks ago, and has been signed by both parties and the judge,” Jolie’s lawyer Samantha Bley DeJean said in a statement to Reuters. “The agreement, which is based on the recommendations of the child custody evaluator, eliminates the need for a trial. The filing and details of the agreement are confidential to protect the best interests ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’ pre-wedding ceremonies began as soon as the couple announced their engagement on August 18 this year, reported news agency. On Wednesday, a puja was arranged at Priyanka’s Mumbai home to kick-start the pre-wedding ceremonies. The couple attended a puja where Nick’s brother Joe Jonas and his actor fiance Sophie Turner dazzled in traditional Indian attire. Priyanka wore an embroidered pastel blue kameez, while Nick complemented her in an equally pale pink kurta. The two families will soon leave for Jodhpur, where the couple will tie the knot on December 2. Priyanka recently ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Arjun Kapoor and Malaika Arora are busy painting the town red with their romantic outings. The new ‘it’ couple of Bollywood, Arjun and Malaika have grabbed eyeballs with their romance. From dinner dates to airport spottings to vacations, Malaika and Arjun are all over the place. So how could Karan Johar refrain from addressing the elephant in the room. Arjun, who has remained tight-lipped about his personal life, finally opened up on KJo’s chat show about his relationship status and revealed that he is not single, reported news agency. Though, the actor was careful enough to not ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Ahead of their wedding, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas arrived at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in the early hours of Sunday. The couple, who was surrounded by a tight security looked all happy and elated as they were seen greeting fans and media with a big smile. The much-in-love couple walked holding hands and waved at the paparazzi. Recently, Priyanka and Nick celebrated Thanksgiving with their family. Fans of the duo have been in awe of them owing to their cute PDA and lovely pictures on social media. According to various reports, the two will be ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Special attention as well as adequate measures have been taken for the security of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan as a regional outfit, Kalinga Sena, has issued threats to throw ink on him. The Kalinga Sena, a fringe outfit in Odisha, has threatened to throw ink on the actor’s face for distorting history in his film Ashoka that was released 17 years ago, reports news agency. It also threatened to show him black flags on his arrival during the inauguration of the Men’s Hockey World cup scheduled to be held at Kalinga Stadium in the city on ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West on Wednesday donated $500,000 to firefighters and victims of a massive Southern California wildfire that came close to destroying the celebrity couple’s own multimillion-dollar mansion. Kardashian, appearing on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” said she and West hired private firefighters to protect their home and others in their neighborhood in rural Calabasas, north of Los Angeles. Kardashian, West and their three children were among thousands of people forced to evacuate their homes during the 93,000-acre (37,635-hectare) Woolsey fire two weeks ago that spread into coastal Malibu, destroying 1,500 buildings and killing three people. ...

MNA National Desk: Kishore Bangla, country’s prominent monthly magazine for teens and children celebrated on the occasion of their executive editor Ahmed Riaz’s receipt of Unicef’s 14th ‘Meena Media Award’. It was given on November 20 at a hotel in the capital. Renowned children’s writer Ahmed Riaz won this prestigious award in the creative story category. It was his fourth time winning of this award. His nomination was for his small story titles ‘Aha’. He got the ‘Meena Media Award’ for the fourth consecutive time. Like every year, UNICEF has given this award to children and adults in various categories ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Bollywood actress Preity Zinta apologised on Tuesday over comments she made about India’s #MeToo movement that sparked a furor on social media. Zinta was accused of belittling victims after saying she wished she had faced sexual harassment. “My reason for saying ‘I wish something like this would have happened to me’ in the film industry with a smile was because I would have reacted and slapped the person,” she said. Zinta said she was a “huge supporter of the movement” and claimed that her comments, given in an interview with entertainment site Bollywood Hungama, were taken out ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Pop singer Justin Bieber has confirmed his marriage to model Hailey Baldwin, posting the ultimate status update on social media two months after it was reported the couple had obtained a marriage license. “My wife is awesome,” Bieber wrote on his Instagram account, next to a picture of himself and Baldwin walking and holding hands. The Canadian singer is one of the world’s biggest-selling musical acts. Since releasing his last studio album in 2015, he has been featured on hits by other artists, including Major Lazer’s “Cold Water” and a remix of Luis Fonsi’s global sensation “Despacito,” ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Andy Serkis’s upcoming Netflix film “Mowgli,” starring Rohan Chand, Christian Bale, Freida Pinto and Cate Blanchett, will have its world premiere in Mumbai on November 25, reported news agency. Serkis, along with the film’s stars Chand, Bale, Pinto and his son Louis Ashbourne Serkis will walk the red carpet at the movie’s premiere in Mumbai. An adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book,” the film stars Chand as Mowgli, the feral child raised by wolves in a jungle in central India. The cast includes Serkis as Baloo the bear, Benedict Cumberbatch as the tiger Shere Khan, Blanchett ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh have got married as per South Indian traditions in Lake Como, Italy in the presence of their families and close friends on November 14. A second ceremony as per Sindhi traditions is scheduled for November 15. Before the wedding, several details about the pre-wedding functions were shared by sources on social media. From Ranveer’s dramatic entry to Tune Mari Entriyaan to Harshdeep Kaur’s performance, sources spilled the beans on the highly-anticipated #DeepVeerKiShaadi. Deepika and Ranveer will host two receptions – first, on December 21 in Deepika’s hometown Bengaluru, and second, ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: ‘Hasina, A Daughter’s Tale’, a 70-minute docu-fiction on the eldest child of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, will be released in movie houses across the country on November 16. The premier of the movie will be held at Star Cineplex on November 15. Initially, the movie will be screened at Star Cineplex, Blockbusters Cinemas, Modhumita Cinema Hall in Dhaka and Silver Screen in Chattogram. Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Nasrul Hamid Bipu of Center for Research and Information (CRI) produced the docu-fiction directed by Piplu Khan of Apple Box Films, while music by Debojyoti Mishra. Edited by Navnita Sen, ...