Sadi Mohammad Shahnewaz | The Daily Star
Skip to main content
Home
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Can a non‑partisan, politically neutral police force be established?: Mahfuz Anam
How S Alam seized control of SIBL with the help of intelligence agency
Uncertainty grows over 2026 FIFA World Cup telecast in Bangladesh
বাংলা

Main navigation

  • News
    • Politics
    • Governance
    • Crime and Justice
    • Accidents and Fires
    • Technology
    • Education
    • Healthcare
    • Environment
    • World
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Views
    • Interviews
    • Tribute
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Agriculture
    • Industry
    • Startups
    • Global Economy
  • Sports
    • Cricket
    • Football
    • Tennis
    • More Sports
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Relationships
    • Health and Wellness
    • Food and Recipe
    • Travel and Leisure
  • Culture
    • Entertainment
    • Books and Literature
    • Heritage
    • TV & Film
    • Music
    • Theatre & Arts
  • Slow Reads
    • In Focus
    • Geopolitical Insights
    • Big Picture
    • Unheard Voices
  • Youth
    • Academics
    • Career and Skills
    • Campus Life
    • Off Campus
    • Pop Culture
  • Ds+
    • Business +
    • Investigative Stories
    • Roundtables
    • Supplements
    • Law & Our Rights
    • My Dhaka
  • বাংলা
  • E-paper
  • Today’s News
Thursday, May 21, 2026
  • E-paper
  • Today’s News
  • News
    • Politics
    • Governance
    • Crime and Justice
    • Accidents and Fires
    • Technology
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Healthcare
    • World
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Views
    • Interviews
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Agriculture
    • Industry
    • Startups
    • Global Economy
  • Sports
    • Cricket
    • Football
    • More Sports
    • Tennis
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Relationships
    • Heath and Wellness
    • Food and Recipe
    • Travelogue
  • Culture
    • Entertainment
    • Books and Literature
    • Heritage
    • Tv & Film
    • Music
    • Theatre & Arts
  • Slow Reads
    • In Focus
    • Geopolitical Insights
    • Big Picture
    • Unheard Voices
  • Youth
    • Academics
    • Career and Skills
    • Campus Life
    • Off Campus
    • Pop Culture
  • Ds+
    • Business +
    • Investigative Stories
    • Roundtables
    • Supplements
    • Law & Our Rights
    • My Dhaka

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Comment policy
  • Apps
  • Archive
  • Advertisement
  • Conference Hall
© 2026 thedailystar.net | Powered by: RSI Lab

Copyright: Any unauthorized use or reproduction of The Daily Star content for commercial purposes
is strictly prohibited and constitutes copyright infringement liable to legal action.

Sadi Mohammad Shahnewaz

Editor, Arts & Entertainment and Star Showbiz, The Daily Star.

Elephants in the Fog

Dhaka at the Palais / Addressing the ‘Elephant in the Fog’ and how we treat our ‘others’

5 hour(s) ago
“Elephants in the Fog” serves as a testament to how Nepal’s legal fight has historically leaned toward a broader human rights framework, granting an "others" category on citizenship documents based on self-identification.
5 hour(s) ago
Cate Blanchett.jpg

Dhaka at the Palais / Cate Blanchett’s DFF, its Bangladesh connection, and a fleeting opportunity

19 May 2026, 12:26 PM
When I walked into the Salle de Conférence de Presse for the Displaced Filmmakers Fund (DFF), admittedly a bit late after a screening, one thing instantly came to mind: Rithy Panh, Annemarie Jacir, Mohammed Amer, Akuol de Mabior, and Bao Nguyen are incredibly talented directors of the highest calibre. However, I wondered whether the fund could also be used to amplify voices that would otherwise have no way of being heard. I will circle back to this point.
19 May 2026, 12:26 PM
IMG-20260517-WA0007.jpg

‘There can be no explanation for this genocide’: Javier Bardem addresses blacklist rumours at Cannes

17 May 2026, 16:02 PM
Bardem’s appearance at the Cannes Film Festival has remained one of the festival’s most closely watched moments. By addressing political tensions directly during the press conference for “My Beloved”, the actor shifted attention beyond cinema toward the ethical responsibilities of public figures and artistes.
17 May 2026, 16:02 PM
IMG-20260517-WA0001.jpg

Dhaka at the Palais / The ‘Master’ plan: Sumit’s Rotterdam winner seeks global audience at Cannes

17 May 2026, 09:59 AM
And somewhere inside the maze of the Palais, among buyers, critics and dreamers, Dhaka continues to echo a little louder.
17 May 2026, 09:59 AM
Kaarina Kaisar

Tribute / She was the best of us

16 May 2026, 13:20 PM
However, humor was not all she was—she was also the kindest and most giving person you could meet. She was the type who would send you voice messages to praise and encourage you, even if you had just met. If she perceived you to be talented in any way, she would go above and beyond to encourage you to pursue your craft.
16 May 2026, 13:20 PM
Aurthohin.jpg

Aurthohin: The Phoenix still soars

16 May 2026, 10:00 AM
Walking into a “Cyberpunk 2077”-themed café in Bassbaba Sumon’s residence, it was clear that the SEA legend had ventured into another passion after checking every bucket list item possible for a musician. He started his career in his teens, becoming a cultural icon while revolutionising how the bass, as an instrument, is perceived in Bangladesh, and later collaborating with international musicians like Frank Gambale, Bob Franceschini, and Bubby Lewis.
16 May 2026, 10:00 AM
Mahamuda Aktar Monisha with her short film "Gali Kothon" at Cannes

Dhaka at the Palais / Cannes, but not quite: Underdog ‘Gaali Kothon’ cuts top 4 on another stage

15 May 2026, 22:57 PM
However, I decided instead to walk down the street from the Palais, with a gimbal in one hand and a coffee in the other, straight to Eden Hôtel, where the French Riviera Film Festival is taking place. Here, “Gali Kothon: A tale of swear words”, a short film by Mahamuda Aktar Monisha, is vying for the top documentary prize.
15 May 2026, 22:57 PM
Four Bangladeshi hopefuls fighting for their films in Cannes

Dhaka at the Palais / Four Bangladeshi hopefuls fighting for their films in Cannes

14 May 2026, 19:42 PM
These four directors aren’t here to walk the carpet; they are here to fight for the survival of their stories.
14 May 2026, 19:42 PM
‘Stepped away for the lack of good scripts’: Safa Kabir

Stepped away for the lack of good scripts: Safa Kabir

Despite that, the actress soldiers on. She now refuses to partake in sub-par scripts. “I used to say yes to whichever script was handed to me at one point, but I won’t do that anymore,” says a stern Safa Kabir.
16 October 2025, 03:00 AM
I treat negative commenters as background noise: Yash Rohan

I treat negative commenters as background noise: Yash Rohan

He faced a flood of negative comments over his post related to Bijaya Dashami
4 October 2025, 11:20 AM
‘It doesn’t feel like I’ve been here for 26 years’: Shakib Khan

‘It doesn’t feel like I’ve been here for 26 years’: Shakib Khan

Before moving on to a photoshoot, Dhallywood’s ‘King Khan’ had a request for the journalists at The Daily Star, “Our film industry is a treasure-trove of possibilities. Even foreigners are watching subtitled Bangla films with utmost eagerness. Please, talk about our dwindling halls and how our infrastructure needs to improve. We need to raise our voices.”
28 September 2025, 14:11 PM
Khub Kacheri Keu

‘Khub Kacheri Keu’ blends tradition with arranged marriage’s quirky charm

There is something disarmingly honest in the way director Arafat Mohsin Nidhi and writer Raba Khan present these little exchanges — gestures so mundane they almost go unnoticed in real life, until you realise they are the building blocks of intimacy
21 September 2025, 05:29 AM
Sunerah: There shouldn’t be a set standard for ‘wife material’

There shouldn’t be a set standard for ‘wife material’: Sunerah

Thanks to the release of the nationally beloved film “Utshob” on OTT, it has found its way into social media discussions. Lauded for its family-friendly, emotional, and evocative script, the film arguably peaks in the scene between Sunerah Binte Kamal and Zahid Hasan. A lighter facet of the emotional reunion of the father-daughter duo is Sunerah screeching, “How come this coffee is 350 taka? Outrageous!”, a humorous dialogue which has unexpectedly set off debates on social media.
11 August 2025, 08:11 AM
artificial intelligence in marketing

'Dear AI, please sell my product – make it emotional'

The most obvious consequence of this surge in AI use has to be the deprivation of artists from jobs they would otherwise have. For a typical 2-minute OVC, an ad agency would have to commit to the cost of casting, filming, editing, and sound – a sizeable fee. It is becoming increasingly lucrative for companies to cut costs by simply using an AI render of what they envisioned.
5 August 2025, 05:36 AM
Fuad's never-ending journey

Fuad’s never-ending journey

I am currently recording a tribute album, one that I’d been planning for a long time. It will feature reimaginations of the ‘90s songs that we dearly love, voiced by the talents of the 2000s – It’s the ultimate ‘what-if’ scenario.
1 August 2025, 18:05 PM
jodi lokkho thake otut asif iqbal self help book

‘Jodi Lokkho Thake Otut’: Self-help done right

Review of ‘Jodi Lokkho Thake Otut: Shafolyer Khola Koushol’ (Anyaprokash, 2025) by Asif Iqbal
27 July 2025, 09:10 AM
social_media_platforms

What not to post during a national tragedy

In moments of national crisis, instead of silence or responsible support, we see people racing to post
26 July 2025, 07:31 AM
No chains could bind Shafin Ahmed

No chains could bind Shafin Ahmed

Amidst the authoritarian regime’s crackdown on protesters, the former Miles frontman was one of the first from the music industry to speak out without any filter whatsoever. He did that a good two weeks before musicians would be mobilized into “Get up, Stand up,” which culminated in a historical musical protest on August 3. Little did we know that we would lose him only 3 days after that Facebook post. He had lost his life to a heart attack while on a tour with his lineup in North America.
24 July 2025, 12:08 PM
The Man of Steel returns: Is it worth a trip to the Cineplex?

The Man of Steel returns: Is it worth a trip to the Cineplex?

There’s a certain weight that comes with reviewing a “Superman” movie. For decades, the “Man of Steel” has stood as a pop culture monolith—a symbol of hope, morality, and larger-than-life heroics. I went in to enjoy James Gunn’s ambitious reboot, weighing whether this iteration of the Kryptonian saviour could soar above the fatigue of a superhero-saturated landscape. I came out with the realisation that Superman may not be flawless, but it flies high enough to remind us why this hero matters.
14 July 2025, 05:16 AM
Online 11 July 2025.jpg

Beating brainrot in Dhaka

Brainrot essentially describes the withering of mental faculties from overexposure to low-value digital content.
11 July 2025, 13:02 PM
7 1.jpg

My em dashes are showing – Am I AI?

My em dashes are showing – Am I AI?
5 July 2025, 09:17 AM
hire_a_jurno.png

#hireajournalist – A LinkedIn movement uplifting the heroes of the newsroom

Let's face it – you're more likely to consume news from social media than a reputed news outlet, simply because of how firmly social media is embedded in most people's daily lives. While the unreliability of news adrift on social media is dangerous for the consumer, the steady decline of traditional news media is also career-threatening for journalists.
2 July 2025, 11:11 AM
Jaya Ahsan

Women are not spoils of war, stop letting your inner animals out: Jaya Ahsan

What was supposed to be a conversation on Jaya’s spectacular success in both “Taandob” and “Utshob” soon turned into a pseudo-political discussion on the future of women in the country. How could it not? The entire country has meanwhile been shaken to its core after the brutal rape of a woman in Cumilla.
29 June 2025, 11:23 AM
Esha Murder

‘Esha Murder’ is the perfect detox from your Eid blockbusters

This is where Badhan steps in as the lead, playing officer Leena. From the get-go, she is a no-nonsense character. She is a strong police officer, but a heavily traumatised woman. It is the trauma that leads her to train, persist, and become a law enforcement officer in the first place, a plot device that pays off to its fullest near the end.
18 June 2025, 09:35 AM
Sabila debuts, ‘Taandob’ ensues

Sabila debuts, ‘Taandob’ ensues

Once a sweetheart of television, Sabila Nur has hit the bullseye with her silver-screen debut with a leading role opposite Shakib Khan in “Taandob”. The film will go down in Bangladesh’s cinematic history for being rife with action, twists, and cameos.
13 June 2025, 18:00 PM
Jaya and Sharmin take over

Jaya and Sharmin take over

As Jaya Ahsan and Mohsina Akhter, the two leads of the film, take sips of black coffee and rong cha respectively at The Daily Star’s studio, the excitement levels vary among the illustrious mega-star and respected theatre practitioner.
17 May 2025, 03:00 AM
model Meghna Alam granted bail

Meghna Alam’s detention: Same script, new cast?

What was baffling was that her arrest was not even acknowledged by the authorities for 24 hours, the silence broken only by mounting pressure on social media
11 April 2025, 13:27 PM
Nuhash Humayun at a crossroads

Nuhash Humayun at a crossroads

Whether it's by crafting a groundbreaking IP with “Pett Kata Shaw”, making history by working with Hollywood juggernaut Jordan Peele, or by being a revered member of the Writers' Guild of America, Nuhash Humayun's journey in Bangladeshi showbiz is nothing short of remarkable. We sat down with the ambitious director days after the release of “Dui Shaw”, the second iteration of his horror phenomenon.
17 January 2025, 18:00 PM

Pagination

  • Show more
Home
Journalism without fear or favour
Follow Us

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Comment policy
  • Apps
  • Archive
  • Advertisement
  • Conference Hall
© 2026 thedailystar.net | Powered by: RSI Lab

Copyright: Any unauthorized use or reproduction of The Daily Star content for commercial purposes
is strictly prohibited and constitutes copyright infringement liable to legal action.