Culture & Entertainment

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Two-day event titled ‘Zahir Raihan Festival’ will be held on today and tomorrow at the auditorium of Music, Recitation and Dance Centre of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the capital. Mahanagar Sangsad of Bangladesh Udichi Shilpi Gosthi is organizing the festival, where seven films in different formats and lengths will be screened to mark his birth anniversary.  Zahir Raihan (19 August 1935 – 30 January 1972) was a Bangladeshi novelist, writer and filmmaker. He is best known for his documentary ‘Stop Genocide’, made during the Liberation War of Bangladesh. His contribution to Bangladesh’s film and literature ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Indian police have arrested four people on suspicion of leaking an unaired episode of HBO’s hit series “Game of Thrones”, police in the city of Mumbai said on Tuesday. The wildly popular fantasy drama is already the most pirated show on television and has been bedeviled by repeated leaks of episodes before they air. According to police, three of the accused work for Prime Focus Technologies, a Mumbai-based company that processes the series for Indian streaming website Hotstar. The fourth is a former employee. The leaking of the episode on 4 August, titled “The Spoils ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: A stuntwoman was killed Monday on the set of ‘Deadpool 2’ in Vancouver while filming a motorcycle stunt for the much-anticipated sequel to Marvel Comic’s anti-superhero blockbuster, reported news agency. “Vancouver Police can confirm that a female stunt driver has died on the set of Deadpool during a stunt on a motorcycle,” police said in a statement. Actress Zazie Beetz, who is best known for her role in the FX television network series Atlanta, was reportedly spotted driving the motorcycle, or one like it, during filming. Beetz has been cast in the film as Domino, ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Madhubala’s wax figure inspired by her legendary character “Anarkali” from the film “Mughal-e-Azam” was unveiled by Madame Tussauds, Delhi on Thursday. Madhur Brij, sister of the late Bollywood actress, was present to be part of the launch. The figure has been created beautifully by the artists of Madame Tussauds. In the words of Petra, the studio specialist, it involved tremendous research which included meeting the family members and studying the photos and videos available of the celebrity. There were many artists who worked for over six months to create the figure of the actress with ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: US country music legendary singer Glen Campbell has died Tuesday at 81 after struggling with Alzheimer’s disease for years. Campbell died Tuesday around 10:00 a.m. local time in a Nashville facility for Alzheimer’s patients, reported news agency. Campbell was born on April 22, 1936 in Billstown, Arkansas, the United States. He was one of the most famous rock and country music singers in the 1960s and 1970s in the country, best known for songs such as ‘Rhinestone Cowboy,’ ‘Gentle on My Mind,’ ‘Wichita Lineman,’ and ‘Country Boy’ among others, and also known for hosting a ...

MNA National Desk: Fans and followers of actor Salman Shah formed a human chain in front of a lower court in Dhaka, demanding punishment of the killers of their hero. Fans of the actor led by Sheikh Mohammad Shahriar Jamal formed the human chain in the premises of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge court on Tuesday. Earlier, one of the accused in Salman Shah’s death case, Rabeya Sultana Rubi said that the actor did not kill himself; rather he was murdered in a planned way. Rubi recently posted a video on social media from the US. She claimed that Salman Shah ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: IGCC is going to organize an evening of Rabindra Sangeet by Laisa Ahmed Lisa at Kabi Sufia Kamal Auditorium, Bangladesh National Museum, Shahbagh in the city. The musical soiree will be held on August 9 at 6.30 pm. Apart from being a singer, Laisa Ahmed Lisa also has a PhD degree in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from the University of Dhaka. She is Professor and Chairman, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jagannath University, Dhaka. Earlier, two-day Tagore festival ended at the Shawkat Osman Memorial Auditorium of Central Public Library on August 5. Bangladesh Rabindra ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Actress and model Kushum Sikder has received mixed reactions from her fans and followers for acting in her newly released music video ‘Nesha’. The actress is seen in a steamy avatar in the music video. The video is receiving negative reaction from the viewers with many of them saying Kushum was not expected in such an intimate scene. Kushum Sikder penned the lyrics and sang while Hridoy Khan contributed to the composition and tune. Khaled Hossain Shujon worked as a co-model under the direction of Shubhro Khan and Sraboni. However, she debuted in the 2010 ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Priyanka Chopra says she cannot wait to begin work as executive producer of a comedy series about Bollywood’s dancing diva Madhuri Dixit’s life for US network ABC. The 34-year-old actress, who has made her presence felt in Hollywood, took to Instagram to share her excitement about the project. “One of the favourite parts of my job is to be able to tell stories across genres, languages and to a varied audience. Today I’m happy to share with you another step I’ve taken on that creative journey, in my role as a producer. This particular story ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Model and actress Risila Binte Wazer reportedly committed suicide at her residence in Badda area of Dhaka today. Her body was found hanging from the ceiling of a room in their residence in Shajahadpur area around 1:30pm. Risila was pronounced dead after she was taken to United Hospital in Gulshan around 2:00pm, said Dr Shagufa Anwar, communication and business development director of the hospital. “She committed suicide while she was talking to her husband through a WhatsApp video call,” said Abu Bakkar Siddique, officer-in-charge of Badda Police Station. The couple had a four-year-old daughter together. ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Aamir Khan on Monday shared the first poster of the upcoming film Secret Superstar on social media. Aamir tweeted the poster, which shows a young school-going girl with two braids and a heavy school bag walking down the bridge with her back to the camera. The foreground has musical notes floating in the air with the backdrop of trees. The creative also read that the trailer of the film, which is a musical drama. Its trailer will be out on Wednesday. Secret Superstar, which features Zaira Wasim, Meher Vij and Aamir in lead roles. It ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and film actress Joya Ahsan have been awarded ‘Sera Bangali’ this year. Kolkata’s leading Bangla daily Anandabazar Patrika hosts the award every year recognizing the contributions of Bangali persons for outstanding contributions to different fields of sports and other sectors. Anandabazar Patrika at a five-star hotel in Kolkata yesterday selected Mashrafe and Joya on sports and film categories respectively. Mashrafe became the third Bangladesh cricketer after Habibul Bashar and Shakib Al Hasan to win the best Bangali award. However, Mashrafe received the award in a gala ceremony at Kolkata ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Bollywood actor Inder Kumar, who worked in films like “Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge” and “Wanted”, died on early Friday. He was 45. Inder breathed his last at his residence in Four Bungalows. The actor’s cremation will take place on Friday at a crematorium in Yaari road at 4 p.m. Inder is survived by daughter Khushi, whom he had with Sonal, and his second wife Pallavi. He was from Kolkata, but was born in Jaipur and has worked in (around) 20 films. Inder worked in films like “Masoom”, “Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi”, “Tirchhi Topiwale”, “Kunwara”, “Baaghi” and ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Shakib Khan and Mahfuz Ahmed jointly won the Best Actor award for their performances in ‘Aro Bhalobashbo Tomai’ and ‘Zero Degree’ respectively while Joya Ahsan won the Best Actress award for her performance in ‘Zero Degree’. They received the crest from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at National Film Award-2015 ceremony, held at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on Monday. Shakib Khan received the national film award for the third time. Shabana and playback singer Ferdausi Rahman were given the lifetime achievement awards at the function. Reazul Rezu’s ‘Bapjaner Bioscope’ and Morshedul Islam’s ‘Anil Bagchir Ekdin’ won ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Actor John Heard, best known for playing the father in the hit 90s-era ‘Home Alone’ films, has died. He was 72. The actor was found dead in a Palo Alto, California hotel where he was recuperating following back surgery. The veteran actor rose to fame after playing Peter McCallister—the father of mischievous Kevin, played by Macaulay Culkin—in the family comedy ‘Home Alone’ and its sequel ‘Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.’ Born in Washington DC on March 7, 1945, Heard worked in theater prior to transitioning to the silver screen. Though most people knew ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Sunny Leone and husband Daniel Weber are proud parents to a baby girl. She has been named Nisha Kaur Weber. According to reports, the couple has adopted the girl from Latur. Actress Sherlyn Chopra first confirmed the news as she took to social media to congratulate the ‘ Mastizaade’ star and wrote, ‘So #happy for @sunnyleone and #danielweber who have welcomed into their lives a little #angel , #nishakaurwebermore #love n #power to this #adorable #family #parenthood #motherhood #love #bliss’. To which, Sunny replied, ‘Thank you so much! So sweet of you!’ The actress’ upcoming ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Prominent singer-songwriter and composer Tahsan Rahman Khan and his actress wife Rafiath Rashid Mithila announced their divorce on Thursday. In a joint statement published on the singer’s Facebook page, they wrote, “It is with heavy hearts that we would like to jointly announce that we are getting divorced.” “After several months of trying to reconcile our differences, we have decided that we would rather go separate ways than be in a relationship out of social pressure. We realize that this probably comes as a shock to a lot of you and we wholeheartedly apologize about ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Central Leaders of Bangabandhu Shishu Kishor Mela will visit 3 districts of North Bengal – Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat and Kurigram on 21 & 22 July. The team will be led by the Chief Advisor of the organization and Prime Minister’s Information Advisor, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury. Mir Mosharref Hossain, the Chief Sponsor of the organization will accompany him along with other central leaders. They will participate in the reception and prize giving ceremony of the national prize winners of the three districts. The leaders and workers of BSK Mela and other affiliate organizations along with district Awami ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Veteran actor Abdur Ratin breathed his last on Tuesday at about 2:30am at a city hospital. Ratin was admitted to a city hospital after being affected by Chikungunya. Later, his physical condition deteriorated and he had been suffering brain haemorrhage since 6 July. Abdur Ratin made his debut in Bangladesh film industry with ‘Notun Prabhat’ (1970). Ratin acted noted movies include ‘Lalu Sardar’, ‘Debdas’, ‘Shuktara’, ‘Jabab Chai’, ‘Swarthopor’, and ‘Chorer Bou’. Besides acted mainly in negative roles in movies, Ratin acted in more than one hundred theatre plays and teledramas. His notable television dramas include ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Martin Landau, 89, a character actor who starred in the 1960s television show “Mission: Impossible” and won an Oscar for playing Bela Lugosi in the movie “Ed Wood,” died Saturday, his publicist Dick Guttman said Sunday night. Landau died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles following “unexpected complications during a short hospitalization,” Guttman said in a statement. Landau was born June 28, 1928, in Brooklyn and worked as a cartoonist for the New York Daily News before becoming an actor, according to the Internet Movie Database. Landau’s career spanned the decades. In 1957 he ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Bollywood stars lit up an American stadium Saturday with a dazzling celebration of dance, music and fashion at the International Indian Film Academy awards just outside New York. Held each year in a different city overseas, IIFA is India’s biggest media event and one of the world’s most-watched annual entertainment shows, with an audience of nearly 800 million people. Thousands of delighted fans, dressed to the nines in evening gowns, cocktail dresses, saris and jewel-encrusted shalwar kameez, shrieked with delight as the awards got underway at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, a ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: The government on Sunday decided to suspend production of films jointly with the producers of other countries until a policy is framed in this regard, said a press release. The decision was taken at a meeting between the information ministry and the representatives from the film industry at the ministry in the capital. Information minister Hasanul Haq Inu attended the meeting, chaired by information secretary Martuza Ahmed. The meeting made a total of three decisions. The two other decisions are:  quickly formulating a complete and befitting policy for joint-venture films and purchasing 50 HD projectors ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Shunno, an alternative pop rock band, is going to launch its new album ‘Lottery’ on Saturday. The launching ceremony of ‘Lottery’, the fifth album of the popular band music, will be held at Dhaka’s International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB),said a press release. The band currently comprises vocalist Imrul Kabir Emil, bassist Andrew Michael Gomes, lead guitarist Ishmamul Farhad and drummer Rafatul Bari Labib. The official online partner of its inaugural concert is daraz.com.bd. The very next day, ‘Music Week’ campaign will be hosted at daraz.com.bd. In this campaign, customers can buy various kinds of amazing ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: US actor Adrien Brody will receive the prestigious Leopard Club Award when the Locarno Film Festival kicks off in Switzerland next month, organisers said Tuesday. The 44-year-old, best known for his haunting role in the 2002 Oscar-winning Holocaust film “The Pianist”, will receive the award on August 4 at the festival on the picturesque shores of Lake Maggiore. The prize is awarded to actors “whose work has left a mark on the collective imagination” and has previously gone to stars including Faye Dunaway, Mia Farrow and Andy Garcia. “Brody gained a lasting place in the ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Akshay Kumar, who has created waves with the trailer of his upcoming film Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, took to Twitter to share the first look of his next Olympics-based film ‘Gold’. The national award-winning actor who has taken off to London captioned the monochrome first look as, “Set out on a brand new journey, aiming for nothing less than #GOLD! Day 1 of Gold, need your love and best wishes as always :).” In the photograph shared, a waistcoat-clad Akshay can be seen sporting a mustache, carrying a sling bag and striking an intense pose ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: The sequel to actor Tom Cruises 1986 action drama film ‘Top Gun’ has been slated for a release on July 12, 2019. The sequel will release almost 33 years after the release of the original film, reported news agency. Filmmaker Joseph Kosinski, who earlier directed Cruise in the 2013 film ‘Oblivion’, has been roped in to helm ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. The film will be set in a world of drone technology and fifth generation fighters along with exploring the end of the era of dogfighting. Cruise earlier said that the title for the second film ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Veteran film and television actor Nazmul Huda Bachchu has passed away at the age of 78. He breathed his last on early Wednesday at Square Hospitals in Dhaka while undergoing treatment. He was admitted to the hospital due to low pressure and fever. After the namaj-e-janaja at Azad Mosque in Gulshan, Bacchu will be buried at Banani Graveyard on Wednesday, said the family. Born in in 1938 in Dhaka, Bacchu was honored with National Film Awards for his contribution in acting. Some of Bacchu starring films are—Oggatonama (2016), Runway (2010), Chandra Grahan (2008), Daktar Bari ...