Singer-songwriter Ahmed Hasan Sunny, who gained popularity with songs such as “Shohorer Duita Gaan”, “Manush Keno Erokom” and “Amra Hoyto”, has made his debut as a filmmaker. Yesterday (January 16), Sunny released his first feature film, “Ekhane Rajnoitik Alap Joruri” (Political discussion is necessary), in cinemas.

Nepali actor Pramod Agrahari is set to make his debut in Bangladeshi cinema with the upcoming film “Haangor”, directed by Tanmoy Surjo. The film, inspired by the lives of people living along the coast, is planned for release during Eid al-Fitr.

Veteran actor Faruk Ahmed is set to make his debut as a theatre director with “Rangmahal”, marking a new chapter in his more than four-decade-long association with Dhaka Theatre.

Actor Richi Solaiman, long celebrated for her work on television, is set to make her silver-screen debut after nearly three decades in the industry. She will star opposite Imtiaz Barshon in “Robi in Dhaka”, a film that explores the frustrations of Gen Z and their search for emotional recovery.

Director Anonno Proteek Chowdhury makes a striking debut with “Noya Note” (New Money) — a socially charged drama about dignity and about deception. Writing both the story and screenplay himself, Anonno crafts a narrative that is deeply rooted in Bangladeshi society but broad in its human appeal.

Long after I was done reading The Illuminated (HarperCollins India, 2021), by Anindita Ghose, I kept thinking about Girl in White Cotton (2020) by Avni Doshi. If one had to choose any recent novel that captured the crevices of a vacillating mother-daughter relationship accurately, it would be these two.

Being accused of copying Humayun made me want to create something of my own, something that wouldn’t be considered mainstream, but nor would it be too out of the box. I wanted to reflect on realism.

The comic book giant Marvel has added a Native American and a Korean-American teenager to its list of superheroes.