Sharmin Joya

Earning her name by portraying Kolpona in the web project “Ei Muhurte”, Tanjim Saiara Totini continues to captivate the audience with her smile on every appearance. The “Shuhashini” of the industry is currently dominating the small screen having worked on several commendable projects during Valentine’s Day.

Idhika began her career through television, and is the actress still willing to work there? She answered, “Not so soon, because television projects are lengthy and need a long commitment, so we cannot focus on anything else. For now, I am giving all my time to films since they have always been my dream. I want to live these moments fully.”

Nawshaba's journey has not been devoid of challenges. Despite her talent and dedication, she has often found herself being overlooked by the media and industry insiders. “How many times do I have to prove myself?" she mused, highlighting the uphill battle faced by many artistes striving to carve out their niche in the industry. 

Shammi Islam Nila will fly to India on February 18, where she will have multiple grooming, camping and other sessions with the final participants from across the world, before standing on the global gala event of Miss World 2023.

An interesting detail about this artiste that might escape notice is his involvement in the 2021 web-series “Contract”, as an actor, which was directed by Tanin Noor. "I took on the character of Lady Gias, a transgender individual associated with an underworld gang."

Looking forward to Valentine’s Day (February 14), Parsa Evana is going to work on two projects, “Love Buzz” and “Dukkhito”, both directed by Kajal Arefin Ome. The actress recently shed a significant amount of weight and shared her journey with The Daily Star alongside her upcoming projects and more.

“I feel uncomfortable about people making such trolls about skin colour, even though, only a few people do it. A person, an actress, should be judged by nothing but her work. Criticise my work, and I'll accept it. I'll work harder on myself. But you only define yourself when you criticise someone for skin colour. I am and will keep working for the audience and their love.”

Moreover, he hoped that the pending cases would be closed soon, and he looks forward to leading a new life, the journey of which, had already begun two years ago, assured the actor. He also claimed that he is not associated with criminal activities anymore. “I want to turn my life around. Who becomes a criminal of his own volition? This role has given me a second life.”

Marking her debut on the silver screen with Gias Uddin Selim’s “Paap Punno”, Shahnaz Sumi has continued to prove herself with projects like “Damal”, “Buker Moddhye Agun”, and “Mobaroknama”. The dancer-turned-actress dropped by The Daily Star for an exclusive photoshoot and some chit-chat.

Two bright stars of the entertainment industry, Nazia Haque Orsha and Mostafizur Noor Imran, shared their wedding vows during the last quarter of 2023. However, they announced the news to the world just recently. The newly-wedded couple shared their love story with The Daily Star.

With the ongoing promotion of his upcoming film, “Kajol Rekha”, directed by Gias Uddin Selim, actor Sariful Razz is notably absent from any promotional campaigns. The film is expected to be released in February, while Razz is currently shooting in Kolkata for another project, “Kobi”, directed by Hashibur Reza Kallol. In this film, he is co-starring with Idhika Paul, a renowned actress from Kolkata known for her role in “Priyotoma”.

After five years, the 12th Parliamentary Election is taking place in Bangladesh today. The entire country is talking about the implications of this momentous event today. In films, telefictions, and web projects, we see political personalities portrayed by several artistes. We reached out to five celebrities who have donned such roles on-screen and asked if they were genuine politicians then what would be their foremost focus in implementing the changes.

Amongst them, one is titled “Gayeeya”, which will star Prarthona Fardin Dighi under the direction of Gias Uddin Selim. This short film marks their first collaboration together. Khairul Basar will be seen opposite Dhighi in this film, while her father Shahrukh Fardin Subrata will also play a pivotal role in this production.

Kicking off 2024, a new series titled “Sinpaat” by the director was announced on the OTT platform Chorki, making it the first OTT content to be released on a local platform this year. The Daily Star catches up with the director to learn more about the series. 

As we step into 2024, the film industry endeavours to maintain the momentum witnessed in the preceding year. Some have wrapped up shoots and are in the post-production stage, others are poised for theatrical premieres, and some are in the pre-production stages.

A plethora of OTT content was released in 2023, captivating audiences and fueling discussions throughout the year. Let's take a glance at the top 5 favourite OTT contents from around the globe, as selected by Bangladeshi renowned directors.

In her career, she has worked on projects such as “Ladies and Gentlemen”, “Boli”, “Kaiser”, “Dui Diner Duniya”, “Over Trump”, “Myself Allen Swapan”, “Virus”, “Something Like an Autobiography”, and upcoming work is “Kachher manush Durey Thuiya”, amongst others.

The actor performed on stage in plays like Jean-Paul Sartre's “Deowal” and Momtaz Uddin's “Bornochora”. In the 1997-98 season, when Tarek and Russell moved to Dhaka, Rubel joined Tirjak. There, he acted in various plays such as Bertolt Brecht's “Samadhan” and Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet”. He also wrote plays for Tirjak, titled “Lojja” and “Shotyandho”.

The actress, who won the Best Actress award at Festival de Saint -Jean-de-Luz, in France in 2019 for Rubaiyat Hossain’s ‘Shimu’, was announced the Best Actress in the National Film Award (2022) for her portrayal of her namesake this year. She will be taking home the award jointly with Jaya Ahsan ('Beauty Circus').

OTT has elevated the film industry as well: Afran Nisho