UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, announced the appointment of popular Bangladeshi musician and actor, Tahsan Khan, as their first Goodwill Ambassador in Bangladesh, today.

Ekushay Padak and National Award winning singer Shahnaz Rahmatullah charmed audiences with her magical voice for decades. She voiced numerous patriotic and modern songs alongside playback singing in her illustrious and successful career. Today marks the birthday of this legendary singer.

Chayanika Chowdhury’s debut directorial “Bishwoshundori” featured the duo of Siam Ahmed and Pori Moni for the first time. The film was released on December 11, 2020, in 25 theatres across the country.

The lyric video of Shunno’s new song, “Bibiya” releases today at 7 pm. Composed by the band, the song is written by Brishty Dessa. Shunno has teamed up with Brishty for many of their other songs like “Godhulir Opare”, “Sritir Chera Pata” and “Priyo Ma”.

Renowned Bangladeshi film director, Hashibur Reza Kallol is appointed as the Chairman of the Kolkata’s Tele Cine International Short Film Festival Jury Board. The director was also appointed to select the top ten best short films from Bangladesh for the festival.

As we approach the New Year, some prominent directors have shared their favourite works of 2020, from films, television, and OTT platforms. Among them web series “Taqdeer” and “August 14” are especially popular. On the other hand, from television, “Victim” was the top choice.

For most of 2020, the coronavirus outbreak halted the activities of art galleries and event spaces. Although galleries across the world quickly turned to digital avenues, the artist community in Bangladesh picked up pace slowly. After several months of inactivity, galleries in the country came out of hibernation, with stringent precautions. Aiming to adapt to the new normal, these spaces got ready to welcome visitors. Here are some key moments from the art scene in Bangladesh that made headlines this year.

The pandemic-riddled year was a challenging one for the entertainment industry. Since March, all activities had come to a halt, with television and web projects incurring huge losses.

The Covid-19 pandemic rendered the music industry into disarray for the first few months, one which it tried hard to fight back. Even though the year is musical activities were largely limited to online releases and ‘live’ concerts on social media, we did see a number of notable releases from artistes.

Single-screen theatres have seen a drastic decline in numbers over the last two decades, and the 70-odd in the country that were in operation,

For the first time, eminent music composer and noted lyricist Prince Mahmud has collaborated with popular singer Krishnokoli Islam.

The entertainment arena in Bangladesh lost several notable artistes throughout the year, creating a never-to-be-filled void. As we approach the New Year, The Daily Star takes a moment to mourn the stars we lost in 2020.

As a live art form, theatre was particularly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Walking through the empty spaces felt like walking through a time capsule—before mandatory face masks and instructions to stay six feet apart, these spaces were filled with lights, sounds, captivating scenes and applause of spectators. Despite the difficulties and uncertainties, theatre practitioners remained resilient and determined in their intentions.

Renowned dancer and actor Zeenat Barkatullah has been put on life support at a hospital in Dhaka.

Today (December 29) marks the 106th birth anniversary of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, the pioneer of the art education movement in Bangladesh.

Renowned actor Aupee Karim became mother to a baby girl at 11:30 am today, at a private hospital in the capital. Director Amitabh Reza Chowdhury confirmed the news to The Daily Star.

Oscar-winning composer A R Rahman's mother, Kareema Begum, died in Chennai today, sources close to the family said.

The title is bound to raise some eyebrows. For most of us, the average Bengali orchestra music is strictly “Western”, or represented by hallmarks of Beethoven or Mozart.

Today marks eminent poet, novelist and playwright Syed Shamsul Haq’s 85th birthday.

Eminent dancer Zeenat Barkatullah is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital in the capital, after falling critically ill. The news was posted by her daughter, renowned actor Bijori Barkatullah.