Maisha Islam Monamee

As we navigate through 2025, the startup ecosystem is experiencing a transformative era, with emerging technologies reshaping industries and daily life. Here are some of the most promising AI startups, from around the world, to watch out for in 2025.

In 2021, "Squid Game" captured global attention with its brutal social commentary, high-stakes survival games, and unforgettable characters. Its visceral critique of capitalism and human nature made it a cultural phenomenon. Three years later, "Squid Game” Season 2 stepped onto Netflix’s stage, aiming to expand the series’ universe while grappling with the inevitable pressure of living up to its groundbreaking predecessor. While the second season showcases moments of brilliance, it often stumbles under the weight of its ambitions, leaning heavily on familiar tropes and predictable narratives.

We rarely pause to consider the impact on the most vulnerable among us.

Two and a half decades ago, I saw Rancho as a hero, Farhan and Raju as the friends I wished I had, and Virus as the villain I loved to hate. Today, as a university student navigating the same labyrinth of dreams and expectations, I view the film differently.

Dhaka’s toxic air crisis requires urgent action to save lives and secure a healthier future.

In trying to modernise, however, the creators seem to have lost some of the emotional depth that made the show resonate in the beginning. Rishi and Dimple’s struggles with balancing ambition and love feel predictable and lack the emotional weight needed to truly resonate.

Spotify brilliantly turned our listening habits into social media gold. By wrapping our music data in bold colours, quirky headlines, and an irresistible share button, they transformed a personal experience into a public spectacle. Suddenly, our taste in music was not just our taste—it became content.

Violence against women in Bangladesh feels like an existential tragedy.

Two decades ago, when Bollywood was still discovering cinema's transformative power, a film that forever redefined love for a generation came along. The legendary Yash Chopra’s "Veer-Zaara", released in 2004, is not just a love story set against the backdrop of political and cultural divides; it is a timeless saga and a poetic rendering of yearning, sacrifice, and boundless commitment. Back in the day, this classic story of a love between an Indian man and a Pakistani woman defied the limitations of mere romance and became an emotion in itself. After all these years, "Veer-Zaara" remains iconic, a film cherished for its artistry, music, and the undying love that it portrays.

One of the most enduring examples is Audrey Hepburn's black dress in "Breakfast at Tiffany's". Designed by Hubert de Givenchy, the dress exemplified elegance, simplicity, and a touch of mystery. This little black dress became an essential wardrobe item, redefined as a fashion staple worldwide

Dissent in Bangladesh has been met with hostility, with individuals being labelled as traitors or enemies of the state for expressing opposing views.

Set in the fictional hill station of Devipur, the Shashanka Chaturvedi directorial “Do Patti” tells the story of twin sisters Saumya and Shailee (featuring Kriti Sanon), whose strained relationship is compounded by a shared connection to Dhruv Sood (played by Shaheer Sheikh), a wealthy businessman with a violent streak. Saumya, the more docile sister, becomes Dhruv’s wife and soon faces the horrors of domestic violence, while Shailee, the flamboyant and rebellious twin, harbours a deep jealousy toward her sister.

In Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan is primarily synonymous with the romance genre. For decades, the star has brought unforgettable love stories to the silver screen. But while he is most celebrated for his iconic, idealistic roles, SRK’s most compelling performances actually come from his portrayals of flawed lovers—characters who reflect the messier, more nuanced realities of love. These are not heroes with all the answers; they are sometimes selfish, reckless, insecure, and even destructive. It is this raw imperfection that makes SRK’s on-screen romances feel so achingly real.

The concept of curses that pass down through generations is also a recurring theme in South Asian folklore and has been adapted into film narratives that focus on familial guilt and karmic retribution. In traditional tales, families are often haunted by the misdeeds of their ancestors, and no amount of modern intervention can free them from their fates. 

The demand for consultancy-led, workforce-oriented training mirrors a bigger industry movement toward greater inclusion and sustainability. Factories that have adopted these training models talk of measurable improvements in productivity, product quality, and overall worker morale.

The exhibition grants viewers a glimpse into various social, political, and environmental issues, each photo offering a distinctive perspective. From capturing the journey of migrants to the devastating impacts of climate change, these images transcend mere events, evoking empathy through personal narratives.

In a world where the news feels like a doomsday clock’s countdown and our personal lives consist of work, bills, and endless scrolling of social media platforms, it is no wonder that people flock to OTT-based bling reality shows like moths to a Swarovski-encrusted flame. These glorified exercises in voyeuristic productions like “Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives”, “Selling Sunset”, or even “Bling Empire”, serve a very specific purpose: they remind us that no matter how bad things get in our mundane lives, we can always escape into the sparkly yet vapid vacuum of the ultra-rich behaving badly.

In celebration of World Mental Health Day, this two-week exhibition, running from October 19 to November 2 at the EMK Centre in Gulshan, brings together photography, digital art, and painting to highlight mental health awareness. 

Social media apologies by men do not change the fact that women continue to live in fear, constantly looking over their shoulders, wondering if they are next.

Showcasing the versatile Alia Bhatt at her most formidable, director Vasan Bala brings a thrilling sibling drama wrapped as a jailbreak story in "Jigra". Produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Viacom18, the film follows Satya (Alia Bhatt), a fiercely protective older sister determined to save her younger brother, Ankur (Vedang Raina), from death row.