Most 90’s children would fondly remember the character of Baker Bhai from Kothao Keu Nei (1992). The man who played an integral role in bringing this legendary character to our TV screens, Mohammad Barkatullah, is no more among us.

Sharmila Banerjee first came across Amala Shankar when her family visited Kolkata in 1969. Her cousin Bhaswati Ghosh, a student of Uday Shankar India Culture Centre at the time, took her to the academy, where she discovered the magic of dance as a means of communication.

Copyright protection and the proper disbursement of royalties have been issues that artistes in all fields of entertainment have wanted to resolve for decades. In recent years, due to relentless campaigns from various musical and film organisations, the process of obtaining copyright was imminently becoming normalised by artistes.

The song, Jitbo Mora (We Shall Win), presented by UNDP, hopes to inspire the masses to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prominent sculptor and artist Sameena M Karim's fourth solo online art exhibition has started in Artitude, the foremost online art gallery based in Bangladesh.

The online art exhibition, Bekar Idea, featuring 43 artworks by 23 young and emerging artists is currently underway. It is organised by King Kortobbyo, in collaboration with EMK Center. Established in 2018, the main purpose of the King Kortobbyo is to create works of art on contemporary issues. People can check out the exhibition from King Kortobbyo’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

Abdus Sattar, a renowned name in the film industry of Bangladesh, passed away at the age of 72 on August 4. In 2012, he suffered from a severe brain stroke and later, became paralyzed. He has been combatting several major health problems for a long time. He breathed his last on his way to Green Life Medical College & Hospital.

To combat various professional problems plaguing music composers and directors, Music Composers’ Association of Bangladesh officially announced its proceedings yesterday at a press conference. Renowned composer Sheikh Sadi Khan will act as the convener of the association, whereas Naquib Khan, Anisur Rahman Tonu, Farid Ahmed, Foad Naser Babu, Shawquat Ali Emon, Bappa Mazumder, Partha Mazumder, Partha Barua, S I Tutul and Ripon Khan are the members of the committee. Senior music directors Ali Hossain, Alam Khan and Mohammad Shahenwaz, among other noted musicians, are advisors to the association.

Anirban Bhattacharya starrer film Detective will witness a direct-to-digital release on Hoichoi on August 14. Originally slated for a full-fledged theatrical release, the SVF produced film will now be exclusively available on the platform from its release date. Directed by Joydeep Mukherjee, the film is based on a story by Rabindranath Tagore. “We are excited that the film is getting a digital release, and it will become the first Bengali feature to get a World Premiere on Hoichoi", said Mahendra Soni, Co-Founder and Director, SVF. The film also features Ishaa Saha, Shaheb Bhattacharjee and Trina Saha.

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While July 30 marks International Day of Friendship, many parts of the world, including Bangladesh, celebrate this day on the first Sunday of August, which falls on August 2 this year.

Throughout the years, major films have hit cinema theatres around the time of Eid-Ul-Azha, one of the biggest festivals of the country. Sadly, 2020 has no good news for moviegoers. Even though several directors and producers resumed and completed shooting for their films and went into post-production after reeling under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, cinema theatre owners have not received any official permission from the government to restart their businesses yet. With theatres shut, the future of the film industry remains uncertain.

Hundreds of new television programmes come out during the Eid holidays every year. Sadly, several television projects were disrupted this year because of the ongoing pandemic. Despite such hindrances, top television channels of the country have included some exceptional programmes in their Eid-Ul-Azha schedules, as TV shoots were permitted to resume, with strict conditions. The Daily Star brings you a compilation of some of the finest television shows that will be aired in the country throughout the festive season.

Today marks the 67th birthday of Parvin Akhter Poppy, popularly known by her stage name, Babita. She has worked with renowned directors Zahi Raihan and Satyajit Ray. Babita was the golden star of cinema from the 70s. She has acted in more than 350 films in her career.

Having started his musical career with the inaugural and only Bangladeshi Idol, Amid Hossain Chowdhury has come a long way, giving voice to several songs, jingles and projects throughout the decade. However, the talented singer had a stop-and-start approach to his music due to his career in the corporate sector. “It was indeed difficult to handle my passion and profession together, but I always found a way,” says Amid, who is the son of noted Rabindra Sangeet exponent Fahim Hossain Chowdhury.

Rock band The Roads recently released two new tracks, Mone pore and Ekdin. Established in 2011, the founding members of the band are Zaki Mahmud and Aapel Mahmud. The track Mone pore is a ballad, while Ekdin is an experimental rock number. The songs are about lost love.

Today marks the birthday of two maestros in the world of music, Kamal Dasgupta and Feroza Begum.

Acclaimed film director and Bangladesh Film Directors’ Association member Aftab Khan Tulu passed away today at 66 in Dhaka’s Labaid Hospital, due to complications from COVID-19. Mushfiqur Rahman Gulzar, President of Bangladesh Film Directors’ Association and Bodiul Alam Khokhon, General Secretary of the association, informed The Daily Star about the director’s demise.

Drive-in movie theatres have been around for a long time, and they are particularly popular in Australia. In a first of its kind initiative, Bangla Drive-in Movies (BDM) is set to host a special screening of Poramon 2, directed by Raihan Rafi, on August 8, in Fairfield Showground, Sydney, at 6 pm. The announcement was made at a recent virtual press conference.

The Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) 2021 will be held from January 16 to 24. The physical locations of the festival include Bangladesh National Museum, Central Public Library, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Alliance Francaise de Dhaka and Star Cineplex. The event will also feature online film screenings. Those interested to watch the films online will have to register in advance. The organisers plan to wait till the end of this year, to confirm whether the COVID-19 crisis will push them to go for a hybrid festival (both physical and online).