Sharmin Joya

Today marks the birthday of celebrated filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki. In a candid conversation with The Daily Star, the internationally acclaimed filmmaker shares some of his special memories of his previous birthdays, and talks about his upcoming projects.

How was your experience of shooting for the film on Bangabandhu in Mumbai?

Yash Rohan and Prarthona Fardin Dighi are pairing up for the first time for a web project titled “Shesh Chithi”. The project, which will be directed by Sumon Dhar, is jointly written by Boby Rahman and Sumon Dhar.

The sixth episode of the podcast series of “Chobi Mela Shunno” was released online yesterday (February 15). Speakers of the session were filmmakers Shaheen Dill-Riaz and Nurul Alam Atique. It was hosted by Munim Wasif.

Social media plays an important role in our lives today, providing us with a forum to share our opinions, experiences and observations. However, it comes with its pros and cons.

ZEE5 Global released “WTFry”, their second web original from Bangladesh, on January 9.

Did you know before Arifin Shuvoo got selected for the role of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Shyam Benegal's forthcoming film “Bangabandhu”, Shuvoo played the role of the Father of the Nation on the stage in Sydney, Australia?

Eminent actor, director and producer Kohinoor Akhter Shuchanda was honoured with the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Film Awards for the fiscal year 2019-2020.

“The plot is layered with modern political and social contexts in very subtle ways,” shares the director. “Though it is about a family, it represents the image of the state at many levels.”

It has almost been four years since the theatrical release of internationally acclaimed filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's feature film “Shonibar Bikel” (Saturday Afternoon), has been denied by the Film Censor Board of Bangladesh.

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.

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.

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.

Nuhash Humayun is one of the most promising young filmmakers in the country, proving his pedigree with many web projects, short films, TVCs and music videos. He is also one of the directors of Bangladesh’s first anthology film “Iti Tomari Dhaka”, which was recently selected for an Oscar nomination in the International category.

Although noted actor Khairul Alam Sabuj started out his career on the stage, his popularity primarily grew through television.

Manoj Kumar Pramanik has been entertaining audiences for many years with his performances in television projects, films and web shows.

Celebrated director and screenwriter Dipankar Dipon moved to Dhaka from Rangpur after completing his higher secondary education to pursue his passion for filmmaking. He garnered many accolades for his debut feature film, Dhaka Attack (2017).

Known for his modern approach in presenting stories, celebrated director Redoan Rony started out on television, before making a mark in the world of cinema with films like Chorabali (2016).

Acclaimed director and screenwriter Shihab Shaheen has gained prominence in the television fraternity with productions like Romijer Ayna, X Factor and numerous other tele-fictions over the past eighteen years.

Celebrated director and screenwriter Ashfaque Nipun is known for dealing with contemporary and political issues in his stories.