Sadi Mohammad Shahnewaz

There was a time when it was a big deal for Bangladeshi celebrities when they got to attend the Grammys – also known as the biggest musical award show on earth. Now, the mother-daughter duo of Prof. Dr Nashid Kamal and Armeen Musa have created history by being included in the nominations for the 65th Grammy Awards, through their inclusion in the album ‘Shuruaat’. The album by Berklee Indian Ensemble also includes South Asian Maestros like Shankar Mahadevan and Ustad Zakir Hossain.

The atmosphere was entirely different at the Expo Zone of ICCB, as people of all ages thronged to the venue. ‘Of all ages’ might be a cliché now, but it holds true in the case of this year’s November Rain concert, but I’ll get to that in a bit.

Before ‘Damal’, Raihan Rafi’s football saga based on the legendary Shadhin Bangla football team even released, it was the indomitable soundtrack that attracted the attention of fans.

Pritom Hasan and Shahtaj Monira Hashem are the talk of the town right now, as they tied the knot in a radiant destination wedding outside Dhaka. The musician turned actor and actress kept their relationship a secret for over five years, announcing it to the world only on the day of their wedding. The Daily Star caught up with the actor to talk about his new innings in life.

It was filled to the brim with celebrities at the capital’s Bashundhara Kings field yesterday. With all the makings of a blockbuster football match, with “Team Durjoy vs Team Munna” battling each other in red and green attires.

In June of 2018, The Daily Star sat down with the legendary Ayub Bachchu for what would be one of his last full-length interviews. 

The former Miss Universe Bangladesh is no stranger to representing Bangladesh on the international stage, and this time, she won the Model Star Award in South Korea’s Asia Model Festival, which she also judged.

Former Miss Universe Bangladesh Shirin Akter Shela is moving forward in strides, in her representation of Bangladesh in international platforms.

It was stars galore at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre as celebrities, influencers and artistes alike were keen on witnessing a unique celebration -- Blender’s Choice - The Daily Star OTT & Digital Content Awards 2021.

Recently, the trailer for Raihan Rafi’s “Damal” was released, much to the delight of cinema-goers who have been enjoying a steady stream of quality projects.

The idea of ‘supergroups’ are not necessarily new – who can forget the energetic, ethereal performance by Azam Khan, Ayub Bachchu, Hasan and Partha Barua in Prothom Alo’s award function in 1999? Throughout the years, many famous musicians have teamed up to form short-lived projects, many of which have remained ingrained in listeners’ memories.

It has been 24 years since Fuad Almuqtadir’s first album, “Maya”, released. Since then, the musician, composer and sound engineer has been synonymous with hit music. After 7 years, Fuad has announced that he is ready to return to making new music full-time, in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star.

An eccentric genius by the name of Hashim Mahmud has been in the limelight for the last few days, for all the right reasons. “Hawa” – the film which has already blended a mysterious, alluring narrative with one of the most tasteful, engaging promotional campaigns in recent memory, has struck gold with “Shada Shada Kala Kala”, a masterclass in rustic songmaking.

The craze for upcoming film “Hawa” does not seem to go away, as the film’s team performed for a jam-packed audience at Jahangirnagar University yesterday.

Made at a cost of BDT 100 crore, Ananta Jalil starrer “Din: The Day” is a long-awaited return for the actor to the industry. This kind of budget is unforeseen in Bangladesh’s film industry.

This Eid-Ul-Adha, Raihan Rafi directorial “Poran” is up against the BDT 100 crore mammoth production, Ananta Jalil’s “Din: The Day”. While both films have gathered considerable hype ahead of release, the difference in budget and halls released in means that “Poran” will only have to do a fraction of the business to be deemed “successful”.

“All these years, the love that I have received from fans and fellow artistes is unparalleled. I feel proud and emotional when my co-actors call me Maa,” Sharmili Ahmed had said in her last interview with The Daily Star in May.

No one in showbiz can hold their place forever – especially if you’re a leading lady. The showbiz industry can be ruthless to both veterans and newcomers, with the latter coming up from time to time, vying for their own space in the world of glam and glitz.

Let us address the elephant in the room first: Coke Studio Bangla is obviously an elaborate advert for Coca Cola. It does not take a genius to come to that conclusion, the enormous Coca Cola logo on top of the stage at Army Stadium yesterday should be enough of a ‘hint’. That being said, what the platform has done to re-ignite interest in our local scene is admirable, only exemplified by thousands of people showing up in droves in Bangladesh Army Stadium yesterday, despite an entire day of incessant rain.

Both of the songs were conceptualized and executed by Team Pritom – a robust group of talented artistes that now act as the think-tank for Pritom Hasan’s unorthodox ideas. “A lot of questions will be answered in the last chapter,” says the singer.