Govt must address the plight of low-income workers, entrepreneurs

Reflecting upon the current situation in the country, actor and producer Iresh Zaker penned his feelings on Facebook.

The usual hustle and bustle of showbiz came to an abrupt halt with the ongoing quota reform protests, political instability, violent clashes, and a prolonged internet outage starting on July 18. This outage lasted for more than six days, bringing shooting schedules to a standstill and leaving online activities at a complete stop.

Due to the ongoing unrest over the quota reform movement, the country's cinemas are facing significant difficulties. Even five weeks into Eid, last week's audience interest in movies was noticeable. Weekend crowds were also evident. Those involved in the film industry were hopeful about the future. However, the sudden instability in the country has concerned cinema hall authorities. Although some single-screen cinemas have reopened today, the audience turnout is not the same as before. The multiplexes, however, remain uncertain about their reopening.

With social media activity at a standstill and the curfew ongoing, many are left wondering how celebrities are coping without the internet. Although broadband internet resumed on Tuesday night in a few regions, Facebook remains inaccessible, leaving many feeling disconnected. We reached out to some of our favourite celebrities to see how they are handling this digital hiatus.

The Raihan Rafi directorial was expected to run for the foreseeable future before the quota reform protests started. According to the producers, the film earned around Tk 25 crore, a rare feat for a Bangladeshi film. Even though some people did go see the film at the start of the movement, cinema halls had to close down after nationwide violence started, claiming the lives of many involved.

Nearly all multiplex and single-screen cinemas, including Star Cineplex and Lion Cinemas, have been closed for over a week due to the national crisis.

Around 33 production houses in Bangladesh produce dramas specifically for their YouTube channels, with clips often being shared on Facebook.

As quota reform protesters clashed violently with police and the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) during their "complete shutdown" movement, rapper and barrister Towfique Ahmed announced on Facebook that his law firm would provide assistance to the protesters.

Actor Ziaul Faruq Apurba posted yesterday and again today. In his latest post, he wrote, “Violence and bloodshed bring no solutions. Can’t we resolve this by listening to the students and engaging in dialogue? Do we lack voices to speak and ears to listen?”

The clashes resulted in over 300 injuries, including female students and BCL members, and as of July 18, seven fatalities have been reported nationwide.