Ghontighor To Be Released as TV Movie

Director Parvez Amin turns his hand to TV movies and helms a television movie adaptation of “Ghontighor”, a story about the people working in the railways and their perspectives on life scripted by Ahsan Kabir Liton. The 45 minute production, shot at various locations in Natore and Ishwardi, stars Ashish Khandakar, Runa Khan, Shoma, Rashed Shaon and many others.
The story focuses on the story of Mominul, a railway gateman, who has been working his post for the last 40 years. The widower lost half his family to the other side, during the Partition of 1947 and his only son, 10 year old Rony, has been falsely accused of a crime he did not commit. Being a constant victim of torture by the local thug “Boro Rony”, he struggles to make ends meet as it is, only to be driven down into the ground by losing his job due to employee downsizing. Despair and frustration leads him to killing “Boro Rony” and begins a life for Mominul he had never imagined before.

Bapparaj to play a villain's role

Bapparaj set foot in Dhallywood back in 1986 through his father Nayokraj Razzak. After his debut film “Chapadangar Bou”, he has appeared in over 100 films alongside almost all the greats in the modern Bangladeshi film scene. He last appeared in his own directorial venture “Kartuz” and now he has donned a look much different from what the audiences are generally familiar with.
With upturned sleeves, a colourful scarf, dark sunglasses and sporting a stylish goatee, the new Bapparaj will appear as a villain in his upcoming film “Missed Call”. Speaking about the upcoming movie, he said “I find it difficult to be inspired to work nowadays. This story, however, seemed amazing and the variation in the portrayal of my character made me take up this work.”
“Missed Call” is being directed by Shafiuddin Shafi and much work for the film has been completed, where Bapparaj will appear alongside Bappi and debutante Mugdhota.

Sporshia rediscovers modelling

TV actress Orchita Sporshia has made headlines throughout the year for many sensitive and joyous news materials, and even though the actress has been starring in TV dramas on a regular basis, she will be modelling in two more projects.
She has already appeared as the model for the “Samsung Galaxy free with Pran Chutney” campaign by Pran Foods Ltd. She appears in the role of a daughter who has been caught by her parents hoarding hundreds of packets of the product in hopes of winning a Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
She will also be appearing in a music video after a long time for a song by Belal Khan and Jhilik titled “Tori Majhe”. The song was released back in Eid Ul Azha last year and the shooting for the music video by Salman R Khan, took place early last month. The completed music video, starring Sporshia, is to be released in the coming Tuesday.

Bangladesh makes a mark among Cricket Anchors

Ambrin made her debut through modelling but soon after, her talents as a host made her popular all over the country. This rush of popularity granted her the opportunity to host this year's instalment of Bangladesh Premier League. Recently she was ranked 4th among the top 5 female cricket anchors on a poll by crictracker. The 2007 Lux Channel I Superstar contestant said that she is delighted by this and believes that she can host other international tournaments around the world in the future.

legendary Bangladeshi Film Actress Bobita

Throughout the decades, she had performed in three hundred movies. More so, she was a star during the glorious periods of Bengali cinema, working for eminent makers such as Satyajit Ray and Zahir Raihan. While she was put in the midst of culture from a very early age by her mother and sister, she never really planned on entering the industry in the first place as her original plan was to become a doctor.
However, that changed when her sister Shuchanda went to Dhaka to be an actress and married the legendary filmmaker Zahir Raihan. He insisted on Bobita to act in his films, and when she finally caved in, her film became a hit and the rest, as they say, is history. She also had the pristine honour of working for one of cinema's greats: Satyajit Ray. Considering the fact that her achievements are truly an astounding feat, she is one of those few actresses who can actually be called a superstar.

Photographer Afzal H ChoUdhury

It seems his love for cameras is hardwired into his being as he first purchased a camera when he was only in class 7. And let's not forget that cameras were considered an extreme luxury at the time. Ever since then, he has contributed over 60 years of his life into the industry by making a place for himself behind the camera. When no one in the industry knew how to operate a proper camera and the basics of lighting, Mr. Choudhury was the one who learned the techniques from India and by watching Hollywood productions. He trained generations of cinematographers in the local industry and treats the current generation as his own bloodline.
Now in retirement life, he spends his days watching classic movies and being with his family. The honour of bestowing this token to this larger than life persona, without whom the industry would not reach such levels of popularity, humbles those in the industry and Mr. Choudhury hopes that others also receive some recognition for their work and years of dedication behind the camera.

Music Director Alauddin Ali

Born to a musical family, it's only natural that he should go down the family road. Ali's father, Jadob Ali, was a staff artiste at the radio. His uncle, Ustad Sadek Ali and cousins Dhir Ali Miah, Mansur Ali, Yunus Ali and Momotaz Uddin were all renowned music directors and composers of the Dacca (Dhaka) Radio Station during the 60s.
When Ali was only a student of class three, his uncle, Ustad Sadek Ali had given him a Chinese violin as a gift. At that age he would be on the tabla, accompanying his sister while she practised on the sitar; he even ventured on his father's esraj, composing tunes.
Ali's first hit, “O Amar Bangla Ma Tor”, was composed from a poem written by a friend. By mixing major notes with flat notes, he brought out the melancholy in the lyrics and made it the gem that it is. His first cinema as a music director was Shondhikkhon in 1975, when he was only 23. From 1977/78, Alauddin Ali and Amzad Hossain teamed up for timeless movies and timeless tunes. Throughout his career, Alauddin Ali has directed music for more than 300 films and has managed to cement the positions of the two playback divas of Bangladeshi music – Runa Laila and Sabina Yasmin.

Nipun's New Mission

Celebrities have hobbies just like anyone else, although they find little time to pursue them thanks to their busy schedules. However, some pursue those hobbies in the form of businesses and Nipun is the latest addition in that list with her new mission to establish herself as a businesswoman in addition to a popular actress.
The National Award winning actress has said that she has a passion for beautification, styling and makeup, and she has decided to turn this hobby into a business venture through a 4,500 square foot beauty salon venture in Dhaka's Banani named “Tulip Nails and Spa”. The salon opened its doors last Monday and was met with throngs of fans and well wishers praising her venture.
Nipun said that she has noticed that people are style conscious all over the world and although they are just as conscious in Bangladesh, the access to proper services are not as available. She said that, “I myself feel this absence in the availability of proper services, thus my initiative to try and change this situation from Bangladesh with global standard services by 5 specialists from Thailand.”

Afran Nisho shoots precarious scene

Afran Nisho was seen starting the New Year in a shoot where he had to lie down on a ledge atop a 16 storied building in Uttara. With no safety equipment whatsoever, and the camera pointed directly at him, he was literally inches away from sure death during the scene.

He said, “My own hands and feet were my safety as I wrapped my leg around a metal pipe to save myself from falling.” He uploaded photos from the scene on his Facebook page and was met with fear and excited reactions from his fans. He has constantly experimented with his abilities in front of the camera for the past few years with various ranges of roles, and this was only a continuation of his quest in Shagor Jahan's drama “Neel Chokh”, where he plays the role of a street singer, opposite Tisha.

'The Revenant' and 'The Martian' take top Golden Globes

Revenge drama ‘The Revenant’ and space adventure ‘The Martian’ took the top film awards at Golden Globes, setting them up as formidable Oscar contenders after a night of surprises and stinging barbs from return host Ricky Gervais.
Pioneer-era tale ‘The Revenant’ won three awards, including best drama film, beating out front-runners "Carol," a lesbian romance, and investigative journalism drama ‘Spotlight’.
Revenant star Leonardo DiCaprio won best drama actor and Alejandro Inarritu was named best director.
"This is the most difficult journey I've embarked on," said Inarritu, who last year won directing and best picture Oscars for ‘Birdman’.
"We struggled in low temperatures and difficult conditions to make this film happen, but we all know in this room that pain is temporary but a film is forever, so who cares?"
In a closely-contested men's field, DiCaprio prevailed over ‘The Danish Girl’ star Eddie Redmayne and ‘Concussion’ lead Will Smith, to win best actor for his role as a fur-trapper seeking retribution.
DiCaprio, 41, who has yet to win an Oscar, received a standing ovation and said he shared his award with indigenous people around the world.
"It is time that we heard your voice and protected this planet for future generations," the actor, an environmental activist, said.
The Golden Globes, handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, are the first major film honours of the Hollywood awards season that culminates with the Oscars on Feb 28.
They can give much-needed momentum to films in a crowded field, and in recent years, top Globes have gone to movies that went on to win the Oscar for best picture.
But it is also a more raucous and risk-filled affair than the Academy Awards, starting with the humour of the host.
Gervais, who returned to the show as host after a three-year absence, sipped beer and took shots at everyone from Jennifer Lawrence to Matt Damon and at one of his favourite targets, the Golden Globes themselves.
"Listen, if you do win tonight, remember no one cares about that award as much as you do," he said.
Gervais riled up the audience with an opening monologue in which he called the A-list audience "disgusting, pill-popping, sexual deviant scum," setting the tone for the bawdy humour that filled the night.
There were a large number of bleeped-out words during the telecast of the show, from Jonah Hill swearing while pretending to be the bear from ‘The Revenant,’ to Amy Schumer using an expletive while engaging in light-hearted banter with Lawrence.

Larson lands breakthrough award
Damon won best comedy actor for ‘The Martian,’ about an astronaut stranded on Mars, and the film also won the best comedy/musical movie category.
"I've made a lot of movies that people just didn't go to see, so to make a movie that people just enjoyed this much ... it really came down to (director) Ridley Scott," Damon said.
‘Carol’ went into the night with five nominations but came out empty-handed, as did ‘The Big Short,’ about the financial crisis, and admired Catholic Church sex abuse probe film ‘Spotlight.’
Rising star Brie Larson, 26, beat veteran Cate Blanchett to win best drama actress for her role as a young woman held captive for years with a young son in ‘Room,’ while Lawrence won best comedy actress for ‘Joy,’ about the Miracle Mop inventor.
Lawrence, 25, dedicated most of her speech to thanking ‘Joy’ director David O Russell, with whom she has made several films. "David, I want us to be buried next to each other. I really do."
Other key winners included Sylvester Stallone, 69, who received a standing ovation as best supporting film actor for reprising his iconic role as boxer Rocky Balboa in ‘Creed.’
‘Steve Jobs,’ a controversial look at the late Apple co-founder that floundered at the box office despite warm reviews, took home Golden Globes for supporting actress Kate Winslet, and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin.
In the television categories, newcomers prevailed in key categories as USA Network's ‘Mr. Robot,’ a cybersecurity expert with social anxiety, won best TV drama series while Amazon's musical show ‘Mozart in the Jungle’ won best TV comedy series.

There is nobody like Salman Khan: Anushka

Anushka Sharma is beaming with pride and happiness these days. The YRF favourite has just bagged one of the most precious projects of 2016, Sultan opposite none other than Salman Khan.
Expressing her joy, Anushka said, “Firstly I am thrilled to be working with Salman Khan. There is nobody like him because of his persona. The film and my role is something that I am really really excited about. All in all, it is something waiting to get my teeth into.”
With Sultan, Anushka also achieves the distinction of being one of the few actress who has acted with all three Khans of B-town. Talking about it, Anushka said, ” It is something that I will always be very proud of at the end of my life something that I can always look back and be happy about that I have worked with  all three Khans. With the kind of experience that they have for anybody who works with them, it will be a life changing event. With SRK and Aamir, I felt have learnt a lot more. I feel really humbled.”
Anushka Sharma had made her debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan, later worked with Aamir Khan in the superhit PK.

‘The Revenant’ & ‘The Martian’ winners of Golden Globes 2016

Revenge drama ‘The Revenant’ and space adventure ‘The Martian’ won the top movie prizes at the Golden Globes on a night of surprises, laughter and barbed comments from fourth-time host Ricky Gervais.
In a closely-contested men’s field, Leonardo DiCaprio won for his lead role as a fur trapper seeking retribution in “The Revenant” while Matt Damon’s astronaut stranded on Mars in “The Martian” won the comedy acting award.
“The Revenant” also brought a directing prize for Alejandro Inarritu, who recalled the long arduous shoot in sub-zero temperatures.
“Pain is temporary, but a film is forever,” Inarritu said.
Jennifer Lawrence won best comedy movie actress for her portrayal of the Miracle Mop inventor in “Joy,” while Brie Larson, 26, beat veteran Cate Blanchett to take home her first major award for playing a young woman who is abducted and locked up for years in the movie drama “Room.”
Lesbian drama “Carol” and Wall Street comedy “The Big Short,” which had led nominations going into Sunday’s ceremony, came home empty handed, as did admired Catholic Church sex abuse probe “Spotlight.”
Other popular winners includes Sylvester Stallone, 69, who received a standing ovation as best supporting film actor for reprising his iconic role as boxer Rocky Balboa in “Creed,” beating presumed frontrunner Mark Rylance for “Bridge of Spies.”
“I want to thank my imaginary friend Rocky Balboa for being the best friend I ever had,” Stallone said.
“Steve Jobs,” a controversial look at the late Apple co-founder that floundered at the box office despite warm reviews, took home Golden Globes for supporting actress Kate Winslet, and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin.
The Golden Globes were handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at a glitzy Beverly Hills dinner packed with A-list celebrities.

Shraddha eager to try stunts in films

“Aashiqui 2” actress Shraddha Kapoor, who performed a gravity-defying stunt for a promotional event recently, is eager to do similar stunts for her films.
“I was very excited because where do you get a chance to hang off the top of a building? So I wanted to try it. It’s very rare to get such an opportunity. Now I’ve had a taste of it,” said Shraddha Kapoor told the media after performing a stunt for Lakme 9 to 5 Weightless Mousse Foundation.
“My confidence has gone up, so why not do it in my movies as well,” she added.
Shraddha’s pictures, while she was rehearsing for the stunt, had gone viral and she had even tweeted about it. On Saturday (January 9), Shraddha performed her stunt without any fuss, smilingly dressed in a pink outfit.
Reportedly, Shraddha went up the 34th floor of a five-star hotel in Mumbai for the stunt.
“I think it’s the first time that anybody is doing anything like this for a brand association,” she said.
“It’s very exciting to have a launch of this kind to get a visual representation of this fabulous product,” the actress said after performing some elegant moves while hanging in the air along with other dancers and came down similarly.
“It’s superb, amazing. I feel anybody who gets the chance to do that, to feel weightless, must grab that opportunity; there is only one life, why not? I enjoyed it tremendously and it’ll be a memorable launch because of that,” she added.
Shraddha also said that she has acrophobia and wondered how was she going to do the stunt. But the team assured her that they’ll proceed with the stunt only if she was comfortable.
She said that the two short rehearsals over two days made her feel good and confident.
Her upcoming romantic-action film “Baaghi” might also contain such stunts by Tiger Shroff, who is known for his flexibility.

Meet Salman Khan`s leading lady in Sultan: Anushka Sharma

Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma has been finalised as the female lead opposite superstar Salman Khan for the upcoming film “Sultan”, said a statement from Yash Raj Films on Friday. Anushka, who made her debut in Hindi cinema in 2008 took to Twitter, to share a photograph of herself hugging the “Dabangg” star.
The “NH10” actress captioned the image saying: “Sultan”. Produced by Aditya Chopra and written-directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, “Sultan”,which has been shot in Karjat, is reportedly based on the life of a wrestler.
One of the fittest stars of Bollywood, Salman has gone through intensive training for wrestling and mixed martial arts for Zafar’s directorial with international action director Larnell Stovall.
“Sultan” is slated to release on Eid 2016.

Sunny Leone is grounded, professional: Rajniesh

Actor Rajniesh Duggall is all praise for his co-star Sunny Leone, with whom he has shared screen space twice, and says the actress is very grounded despite being extremely popular.
Rajniesh first worked with the “Jism 2” star in last year’s “Ek Paheeli Leela”. The duo will team up again for their forthcoming romantic-drama “Beiimaan Love”.
“Sunny Leone is very professional. It has been a great experience working with her. She is very well known, extremely famous, and yet very grounded. When on set, she is completely in the working-mode zone. We have worked previously so there was a good comfort zone between us,” Rajinesh told PTI.
The actor says “Beiimaan Love” is very dark and romantic unlike the duo’s last outing.
“It was a challenging role to play. It is a bold character and the film is about love, lust, revenge and drama. It is a dark romantic film. It won’t be like ‘Leela’, which was spanning in different times. It is a very today’s film.”
Rajniesh, who made his debut with Vikram Bhatt’s horror film “1920”, will next be seen in “Direct Ishq”. He plays the role of Vickky, a flamboyant man, in the Rajiv S Ruia directed film.
“I was initially offered the role of Kabir Bajpai, before Arjun Bijlani came on board to play the character. It was a soft, lover boy role which I didn’t want to do anymore. I said I will play the role of Vickky Shukla, who is an out-an-out masala ‘dabangi’ character, very flamboyant and charming,” he said.
The actor, who was also seen in bold romantic number “Mohabbat Barsa Dena Tu” from Bipasha Basu-starrer “Creature 3D”, says he wants to shed his image of a soft lover boy.

Deepika to start shooting for XXX sequel in February

Actress Deepika Padukone is all set to start shooting for her first Hollywood project in February 2016. ‘XXX: The Return of Xander Cage’ director D.J. Curaso confirmed the news on Twitter that the film’s shoot begins in January but Bollywood beauty will join them from Feb.
Eversince pictures of Deepika with Vin Diesel were posted on social networking sites there were speculations about the actress’ Hollywood debut but she had never confirmed the news.
In a reply to a fan’s question, XXX director Curaso wrote on Twitter that Deepika would come onboard from February.
Deepika Padukone ringed in her 30th birthday on Tuesday (January 5) and the news of her doing the film broke a day later.
Her fan club posted a tweet, writing, “Awesome! Deepika Padukone starts shooting for XXX: The Return of Xander Cage in February. RT if you are as excited!” D.J. Curaso retweeted their tweet expressing his excitement for the movie.
Deepika had a busy 2015 with three back-to-back films including Piku, Tamasha and Bajirao Mastani. The actress will soon leave for Hollywood in February to begin shooting with the Furious 7 actor Vin Diesel.

Farhan Akhtar on his first action film ‘Wazir’

Farhan Akhtar has finally come out of his shell and after directing many action movies, the director-actor has himself done some hardcore action sequences in his upcoming movie ‘Wazir’.
The actor, who has got beaten up in most of his movies by the antagonists, sounded happy that he got to beat up people in the film.
Farhan was in Delhi for the promotions of Warzir on Tuesday.
When asked how ‘Wazir’ was different from his other movies in terms of shooting, since he has done action for the first time, Farhan said: “Well, in those I got beaten up, in this I got to beat people up.
It’s a completely different part and a completely different film, so you can’t compare.
The actor, who has worked with the like of Priyanka Chopra, Vidya Balan and Deepika Padukone, said, “Honestly, having directed a lot of action films in the past was a great help as you know the know-how of how it’s done.
And the fact is that you have to focus only on the shot that you’re doing, don’t worry about the entire sequence, because it’ll all come together.
Camera also plays a very important role in any action film.” Took me time to convince people about my vision: Farhan Akhtar
Recently in an interview his co-actor in the film megastar Amitabh Bachchan had revealed that it was very tough shooting with Farhan.
When asked about the same, Farhan quipped, “I don’t know what to say about that, because I find it hard to imagine that it is difficult for him to work with anyone.
I don’t know what to make of it.” Disability Rights Group condemns ‘Wazir’ director Bejoy Nambiar; team apologises
The actor further clarified that it wasn’t intimidating working with Big B.
“No it wasn’t intimidating. I was very excited, anxious to certain degree of course, because you want to be there with him as you know what he is capable of.
And maybe for the first half an hour on the first day of shoot I had an out of body experience when we were together,” he said.

Music legend David Bowie dies of cancer aged 69

Bowie's hits include Let's Dance, Space Oddity, Starman, Modern Love, Heroes, Under Pressure, Rebel, Rebel and Life on Mars.
He was also well known for creating his flamboyant alter ego Ziggy Stardust.
The singer only released his latest album Blackstar on his birthday on Friday. The album, which includes just seven songs, has been well received by critics.
His son wrote on Twitter: "Very sorry and sad to say it's true. I'll be offline for a while. Love to all."
Bowie's hits include Let's Dance, Space Oddity, Starman, Modern Love, Heroes, Under Pressure, Rebel, Rebel and Life on Mars.
He was also well known for creating his flamboyant alter ego Ziggy Stardust.
The singer only released his latest album Blackstar on his birthday on Friday. The album, which includes just seven songs, has been well received by critics.
His son wrote on Twitter: "Very sorry and sad to say it's true. I'll be offline for a while. Love to all."
Bowie's long-time friend and producer Tony Visconti wrote on Facebook: "His death was no different from his life - a work of art.
"He made Blackstar for us, his parting gift.
"I knew for a year this was the way it would be. I wasn't, however, prepared for it. He was an extraordinary man, full of love and life. He will always be with us."
Brian Eno, who collaborated with Bowie on his albums Low and Heroes, said: "Words cannot express... rest in peace David Bowie".
Friend and collaborator Iggy Pop wrote on Twitter: "David's friendship was the light of my life. I never met such a brilliant person. He was the best there is."
Madonna said she was "devastated" and that Bowie had "changed her life". She wrote on Twitter: "Talented . Unique. Genius. Game Changer. The Man who Fell to Earth. Your Spirit Lives on Forever!"
Rapper Kanye West said: "David Bowie was one of my most important inspirations, so fearless, so creative, he gave us magic for a lifetime."

Kajol finally ready to take on

She is one actress whom we love to see on screen. Yes, we are talking of Kajol, who thrilled us to bits with her recent act in Dilwale, which saw her paired with Shah Rukh Khan. In a statement to a leading daily, Kajol said that she is finally ready to work more. Yay! Isn’t this great news? The actress said that she is comfortable with the idea of working more as her kids have grown up somewhat. She said, “I did like to work more now. I took a break right after My Name Is Khan (2010), because my son, Yug was still very small then. Now, he’s five.”

The actress is all slated to act opposite husband, Ajay Devgn in a film under the home banner. The director is also finalized but the script is undergoing some fine tuning. She will start shoot in the middle of 2016.

“I am not planning to do three films in a year like Shah Rukh does. I can’t work as hard as he does,” she said.

The actress also said that it’s good for children to have working parents and it’s a positive influence on them, especially on the girl child. She also said that she hoped her daughter, Nysa would grow up to be an independent girl who would work for her living and further her development. In the mean time, we can’t wait to see her onscreen again!

Surprise awaiting for Salman Khan’s 50th birthday: Sonakshi Sinha

Family of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who will turn 50 tomorrow, has planned something special for the actor who has had an eventful 2015.
Salman had earlier indicated that he will not be able to devote time to celebrate as he would be concentrating on his physique for his role in the upcoming sports drama film “Sultan”.
Actress Sonakshi Sinha, who had made her Bollywood debut with Salman in “Dabangg” and believed to be close to the Khan clan, revealed that his family has planned “something special” to mark the occasion.
“His family has made, done something special for him. I cannot say much as it’s a surprise. I am glad I got to be part of that surprise,” Sonakshi told PTI today.
During an interview at the time of “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo”, Salman had said, “This year I cannot afford. I would be training only. I cannot afford to have luxury (to celebrate) birthday and all. I will be highly strong. There will be lots of stuff to write this year”.
Professionally, the year has been a major success for the star as both his on-screen outings “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” and “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo” were massive hits.
While being exonerated by Bombay High Court in the 2002 hit-and-run case has been a relief for the actor. 2015 also brought controversy for Salman.
The “Dabangg” star posted a series of tweets suggesting 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon was innocent and should not be hanged for the acts of his brother Tiger.
The actor apologised after his comments evoked protests.

Alia Bhatt thanks her fans for love and wishes

Young actress Alia Bhatt had suffered burn injury on her hands while performing at an award function recently. The actress has been receiving get well soon messages since then. Alia Bhatt, who is very active on social networking sites, took to Twitter to thank her fans for their wishes and said that her face is fine.
Alia Bhatt had suffered burn marks while she was performing and the crackers burst on stage. The freak fire from the crackers ended up scalding Alia Bhatt on her hands. The actress was immediately attended to and given medical aid. (Read: Alia Bhatt injured, suffers minor burns on hands)
There were rumours that Alia also suffered burns on her face. Putting all rumours to rest Alia tweeted:Alia Bhatt has always thrilled her audience with her stunning performances but lets hope this incident doesn’t put a halt to it.
Last seen in ‘Shaandaar’ opposite Shahid Kapoor, Alia is gearing up for ‘Udta Punjab’ and ‘Kapoor and Sons’.

Priyanka tops list of Sexiest Asian Women again

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, who has achieved global visibility in the recent past, has topped a list of 50 'Sexiest Asian Women on the Planet' compiled by a British magazine. This is the third time in the past four years that the "Quantico" actress has topped the list.

Priyanka emerged as the top name after people voted from across the globe for the 2015 edition of the popular annual poll conducted by the Britain-based Eastern Eye newspaper.

The 'desi girl' of tinsel town is happy.

"Now that's a title I'm happy to hold on to. I'm bringing sexy back! A big thank you to everyone who's voted for me. Thank you also to Eastern Eye for making me feel 'sexy'; well, at least for another year. A piece of advice to the ladies - it's all in the mind. Remember, sexy is as sexy does," Priyanka said in a statement.

Eastern Eye's entertainment editor Asjad Nazir, who founded the list and puts it together annually, believes Priyanka has become the global face of India.

"Priyanka Chopra is doing India proud on the global stage and winning loads of admirers. This was illustrated by the largest-ever number of votes by non-Asians that she received from all over the world. She is clearly building bridges internationally through her art and will continue to do so in the coming years," Nazir said.

Popular television actress Sanaya Irani rose one place from last year to come second and fellow small screen star Drashti Dhami took third spot.

Bollywood actresses Deepika Padukone was on number four and Katrina Kaif completed the top five.

Others in the top 10 are Nia Sharma, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Gauahar Khan, Sonam Kapoor and the highest placed Pakistani, Mahira Khan.

Love is never easy but it can be the most beautiful thing: Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif believes love is the most complex emotion, something that is never easy but can be the most beautiful thing.
Talking at the trailer launch of Fitoor in Mumbai on Monday (January 4), Katrina when asked about a dialogue that appears on the movie poster ‘Yeh Ishq Nahi Hai Aasan’ and to what length she identifies with the line in real life, Katrina said, “Never a truer line has been spoken. Love is not easy. But even though it is not easy it can be the most beautiful thing. That’s why so many movies are made on love because it is so complex and hard to understand. So I think its a very apt line.” (Fitoor trailer: Katrina Kaif, Aditya Roy Kapoor make you sink in love) The Indian Express.

Bangladesh Puppet Research and Development Centre launched

Bangladesh Puppet Research and Development Centre was launched on Friday with the staging of three puppet productions at Studio Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
The troupe staged Kupakat, Nak Kata Raja O Tuntuni and Ekti Janaika Garur Shakkhatkar.
All three productions taken from popular children stories delivered moral teachings following traditional puppetry style.
Kupakat, a popular children story by the martyr intellectual Munier Chowdhury, depicts how a tiny hare defeats a ferocious tiger by intelligence while Nak Kkata Raja O Tuntuni, adapted from stories by Upendrakishore Roy and Jasimuddin, delivers the message, through interactions between a king and a bird, that plotting harm against others may backfire on the plotter.
The last production Ekti Janaiko Garur Sakkhatkar has been adapted from a satire published in a national daily.
Jahangirnagar University’s drama and dramatics department students worked as the puppeteers, lent voices and played instruments in the productions.
Bangladesh Puppet Research and Development Centre’s director Rashid Haroon, also a teacher of the department, said, ‘The centre will not be a university based organisation; it will rather promote puppetry among young enthusiasts and facilitate research.’
Haroon also said that the aim of forming the centre was to save the nearly extinct traditional puppetry, which was once a very popular entertaining performing art in the rural Bengal.
‘Even decades ago, there were many puppetry troupes in the country. But the puppeteers are switching to other professions as the art form lost popularity,’ he said.
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy’s director general Liaquat Ali Lucky and Bangla Academy’s director general Shamsuzzaman Khan were also present at the launching ceremony.
Both of them lamented the disappearance of many traditional art forms like puppetry and shared their plans to preserve and protect those.

Preity Zinta denies marriage rumours

Bollywood Actress Preity Zinta has put to rest rumours about her marriage. The star took to social media to tell her fans that she is “not getting married in January”.
It was reported that the ‘Soldier’ actress will be tying the knot with her American beau Gene Goodenough in January.
Preity also promised her fans and followers on Twitter that she would share her marriage plans “as and when” she does it.
“Also it’s getting a bit weird telling people that I’m not getting married in January... I promise I will tell you all as and when I do! Ting,” Preity tweeted on Friday night.
The 40-year-old actress, who co-owns the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team Kings XI Punjab along with her former beau Ness Wadia, was last seen on the small screen judging the dance reality show ‘Nach Baliye 7’.

Actress Diti returned home

Celebrated Bangladeshi actress Parvin Sultana Diti has been returned home.
Her son Shafaet and daughter Lamia along with their allying mother came around 4.30pm on Friday in Dhaka from Chennai.
She has been admitted to United Hospital in the capital.
The actress underwent treatment at Chennai MIOT Hospital of India, but her condition did not improve.
In a Facebook status, daughter Lamia Chowdhury wrote "She`s dying. Stop asking me about her. Stop giving me bullshit condolences that she will recover soon”.
Lamia said, "There`s nothing else doctors can do for her. Now she has developed secondary Parkinsons disease from radiation side effects. Her cancer is not going to kill her."
"Her tumor is not back. The radiation is what did this to her. I cannot answer to your questions anymore. I will not pray for her recovery anymore and if you are praying then please pray for a quick and easy departure for her," she said.
At some point we need to understand life is a boon for the healthy and a curse on those suffering. Allah give my mother the gift of death, Lamia Chowdhury.

Rs15 cr! That`s how much Deepika demands now

Deepika Padukone stepped into her 30s on January 5 this year. And on her Big 30th, a certain big information about the actor made its way to the grapevine - her remuneration per film now on.
Padukone charged Rs 10 crore per film till 2015. And after the massive, unbelievable success of her latest release Bajirao Mastani, the leggy lass has raised that amount. As of now, Deepika is supposedly asking for Rs 15 crore per film, and is among the highest-paid female actors in the country now.
2015 saw Deepika winning hearts of both her critics and the audience. Deepika`s first offering in 2015, Shoojit Sircar`s Piku, made people unable to stop gushing about how they loved her titular character in the film. Piku went on to earn quite a decent sum of money at the box office too.
After Piku, Deepika was next seen on the big screen in Imtiaz Ali`s Tamasha. Alongside ex-boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor, Padukone yet again won over her viewers with her carefree, much-loved act.
Deepika Padukone then bowled her viewers over with her portrayal of Mastani in Sanjay Leela Bhansali`s Bajirao Mastani.
Her performance won her rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, and at the box office too, Bajirao Mastani spinned magic. The film clashed with Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol`s Dilwale at the box office, and surpassed the earnings of Dilwale in less than two weeks - a feat that is quite staggering for Deepika Padukone.
The success of Bajirao Mastani has now made Deepika even dearer to filmmakers. Want her in a film? Shell out Rs 15 crore!

Priyanka Chopra wins People’s Choice Awards

Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra has bagged the favourite actor in new TV series honour at the 2016 People`s Choice Awards for her performance of an FBI recruit on American show Quantico.
She beat popular Hollywood and TV actors like Emma Roberts, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lea Michele and Marcia Gay Harden to bag the award.
The 33-year-old actor took to Twitter to thank her fans, who voted for her.
Priyanka has become the first Indian actor to register a win at the People`s Choice Awards.
 “I am so fortunate! Thank you to everyone who voted for me at the #PCAs! My #PCManiacs-I am nothing without you! Big love,” she tweeted alongside a photo of her posing with the black trophy.
Priyanka looked stunning in a glittering gold and silver dress by American fashion designer Vera Wang.
Quantico marks the actor’s first Hollywood project. She has received a lot of praise for her portrayal of Alex Parrish, suspected of committing a terrorist attack, in the thriller series.

Shokh & Niloy tie the knot

Popular television actors and models Anika Kabir Shokh and Niloy Alamgir have got married.
The formalities of the marriage were done at a family event at Shokh`s house in Old Dhaka on Thursday night. Close relatives of the celebrity pair were present during the wedding.
They paired up in various television plays and commercials.
Shokh-Niloy reportedly came close during the shoot of a commercial for a telecom company in 2011.