Bangladesh Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Led by Rajinikanth-starrer Jailer and Anil Sharma’s Gadar 2, box office in India reached record-breaking numbers this weekend. According to the Producers Guild of India and Multiplex Association of India, the August 11-13 frame was the busiest single weekend since the beginning of the pandemic. What’s more, across three days, ticket sales hit more than 390 crore ($47M), a new all-time theatrical gross record for the biggest combined weekend in history. 

Naman Ramachandran Auteur Mostofa Sarwar Farooki is spearheading “Ministry of Love,” a 12-film anthology by the leading lights of the Bangladesh film industry for streamer Chorki. The broad theme of the films will be love. Farooki, a celebrated filmmaker whose work including “Television,” “Saturday Afternoon” and “No Land’s Man,” has travelled to festivals worldwide, will co-produce the project on behalf of Chorki.

The King and Queen, as well as other senior members of the Royal Family including the Prince and Princess of Wales, are said to be readying themselves for two years of worldwide tours in a bid "to keep Commonwealth intact", in a "soft democracy" blitz. While it is understood that the monarch will prioritise visits to key nations such as Australia, New Zealand and a number of Commonwealth realms in the Caribbean, there are a number of countries that will also be high on the agenda such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

EXCLUSIVE: Frank Grillo action film MR-9: Do or Die has struck a North American distribution deal with Canadian outfit Swapna Scarecrow.

Naman Ramachandran Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has released an action-packed teaser – described by the producers as a ‘prevue’ – for his upcoming film “Jawan” (“Soldier”). The film has Khan playing a dual role and features him in several avatars – as a soldier, a bandaged avenger, and also in a bald persona. The teaser features Tamil-language cinema stars Nayanthara (“Annaatthe”), Vijay Sethupathi (“Vikram”) and teases a special appearance from Deepika Padukone (“Pathaan”). The cast also includes Sanya Malhotra (“Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery”) and Priyamani (“The Family Man”). “Jawan” is directed by Atlee, known for his three back-to-back Tamil-language blockbusters “Theri” (2016), “Mersal” (2017) and “Bigil” (2019), all starring Vijay. It is produced by Gauri Khan for Red Chillies Entertainment and features music by hitmaker Anirudh Ravichander (“Thiruchitrambalam”).

Naman Ramachandran SonyLIV has acquired exclusive streaming rights to acclaimed Bangladeshi films “Hawa” and “Saturday Afternoon” from Reliance Entertainment and Continental Entertainment PTE Ltd (CEPL). Directed by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon, “Hawa” follows the journey of an all-men team on a fishing trawler, whose routine is disrupted when they haul in a mysterious catch. The cast is led by hugely popular star Chanchal Chowdhury and includes Nazifa Tushi, Sariful Islam Razz, Sumon Anowar, Nasir Uddin Khan and Shohel Mondol. The film was Bangladesh’s entry to the Oscars and is one of the highest grossers from the country having also found distribution in India, Singapore and the Middle East. It will premiere July 7 on SonyLIV.

Extraction 2 dropped on Netflix last week, with even more action and impressive fighting sequences than the original. Fans who've already watched it have all been hoping for the same thing.

Tyler Rake was clinically dead when we last saw him at the end of “Extraction,” tumbling over a bridge in Bangladesh with a fatal, burbling bullet wound to his neck. But death is no match for Netflix.

Naman Ramachandran Parambrata Chattopadhyay is the latest actor to play Oscar-winning Indian master Satyajit Ray’s detective Prodosh Chandra Mitter AKA Feluda in streamer ZEE5 Global’s series “Shabash Feluda.” Feluda first appeared in the Ray family’s Bengali-language magazine Sandesh in 1965. Ray directed two Feluda films, “The Golden Fortress” (1974) and “The Elephant God” (1978), where the Bengali detective was played by his frequent collaborator Soumitra Chatterjee. Feluda has subsequently been played by a range of Indian actors, including Shashi Kapoor, Abir Chatterjee, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Indraneil Sengupta and Bangladesh’s Ahmed Rubel. The detective is part of the fabric of growing up in West Bengal and Bangladesh, akin to what Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple used to be for several generations in the west.

It was revealed last year that King Charles is planning the largest ever series of official tours in the UK, the Commonwealth and to other countries around the world to "extend a hand of friendship and support.” While it has been understood that the monarch will prioritise visits to the United States, Australia, New Zealand and a number of Commonwealth realms in the Caribbean, there are a number of countries that will also be high on the agenda such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.The King and Queen undertook their first visit to Germany before the Coronation, but are expected to make several more trips in the coming few years. While Their Majesties will carry out many of the visits themselves, they are ably supported by key senior royals, such as The Prince and Princess of Wales, who are thought to be instrumental in The King's plans for future foreign tours.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Recently-established Philippines-based production and financing company, Fire and Ice, has deals to provide completion funding to two films being produced by prolific Singapore-based independent producer Potocol. Under a related agreement, Fire and Ice has also struck a multi-faceted first-look deal with Potocol. The completion funding, which gives Fire and Ice a share of the film’s equity, will permit the completion of post-production of upcoming Potocol titles: “Pierce,” a sports drama by Nelicia Low, and “Last Shadow at First Light,” by Nicole Midori Woodford. Both films were recently showcased at Focus Asia’s Far East In Progress, part of the Far East Film Festival in Udine, and are expected to be completed before the end of the year.

A group of South Asian filmmakers, including Indian director Anurag Kashyap (Kennedy) and the team behind Pakistani Directors Fortnight title In Flames talked on a Cannes panel about how cinema can cross the political barriers that are keeping their countries apart. 

EXCLUSIVE: Premiere Entertainment has snapped up world rights to the action-thriller MR-9: Do Or Die, starring Frank Grillo, Michael Jai White, and ABM Sumon.

Despite being described as "catastrophic," Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's alleged car chase in New York City is not sounding the alarm at Buckingham Palace. Although he offered thoughts and prayers this morning, King Charles' was not referring to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Netflix has dropped a new trailer for explosive action-thriller Extraction 2, which sees Thor star Chris Hemsworth return as contract killer Tyler Rake.

Naman Ramachandran “Padatik,” a birth centenary homage to Indian auteur Mrinal Sen, is in post-production and is aiming to launch at a major film festival this fall. Sen is probably India’s most revered filmmaker after Satyajit Ray. Sen was born on May 14, 1923 in Faridpur, British India, now in Bangladesh and died in 2018, leaving behind a glittering array of work, most of which are considered landmarks of Indian cinema, including “Neel Akasher Neechey” (1959), “Baishey Shravana” (1960), “Akash Kusum” (1965), “Bhuvan Shome”(1969), “Interview,” (1971), “Calcutta 71” (1972), “Padatik” (1973), “Mrigayaa” (1976), “Ek Din Pratidin” (1979), “Akaler Sandhane” (1980), “Kharij” (1982) and “Khandhar” (1983).

Alec Baldwin is opening up about how he gets through “tough times.” The secret? His family. Well, most of his family.

Naman Ramachandran Yash Raj Films’ Bollywood blockbuster “Pathaan,” headlined by superstar Shah Rukh Khan, is set for a historic theatrical release in Bangladesh, Variety has confirmed. Hindi-language Bollywood films, while very popular in the country, have not been released in Bangladesh since the country’s formation in 1971, in a bid to protect the country’s local film industry. In 2009, the decision was relaxed to allow “Wanted,” starring Salman Khan, to open in the territory. However, the release was met with protests led by a local film industry organization and the film was pulled from the 50 cinemas it was running in after a week. In February this year, a consortium of 19 Bangladesh film associations decided to allow Hindi-language films to release in the country and suggested that 10 films release a year. “Pathaan” then will become the first Hindi-language film to enjoy a wide release in Bangladesh.

Sadiqul Islam left his home with his family in the UK for a trip to Asia last summer - that ended with all his close relatives dead.

Stormy Daniels has described the moment Donald Trump allegedly took off “most of his clothes” in a hotel room. The former US president has been arrested and arraigned over so-called hush money payments to the adult film star in 2016.

“Extraction 2,” the sequel to the hit 2020 Netflix actioner that ended with Hemsworth’s mercenary left for dead.Sam Hargrave returns to direct “Extraction 2,” which finds Rake tasked with another deadly mission: rescuing the battered family of a ruthless Georgian gangster from the prison where they are being held. Indeed, the sequel trades the sweaty Bangladesh landscape of the first film for snowy Georgia.The teaser offers up a bit on how Rake survived the end of “Extraction,” but the bulk of the footage is a long shot in which Rake fights his way through a barrage of baddies.When released in 2020, “Extraction” quickly became one of the most-watched Netflix original films ever, and the streamer quickly greenlit a sequel.Joe and Anthony Russo’s AGBO produces “Extraction 2” and Joe Russo wrote the script.

READ MORE: Charles Bronson strikes up 'close' bond with model behind bars Irene Dunroe was involved in a love triangle with Bronson, through she had no idea at the time. Bronson was enjoying prison meetings with a young model in prison while writing love letters to his first wife Irene, she and Bronson met aged 19. Their son Mike is now 49.

K.J. Yossman Freida Pinto is lending her voice to a new animated film project in honor of International Women’s Day. She Creates Change is a new nonprofit-led animation and live action film project from global education organization Room to Read produced by Nexus Studios. The multi-media initiative, which spans a six-episode film series as well as books and audio stories, aims to promote gender equality through telling the stories of young women across the planet. It will initially be available in English, Hindi and Spanish with plans to translate it into dozens more languages and will be distributed across the world via Room to Read and educational partnerships. The project will also be released to general audiences in October.

EXCLUSIVE: For Banijay Asia’s Deepak Dhar, 2023 is shaping up to be one of the busiest in a three-decade career in Indian media. Not only has he just launched The Night Manager India on Disney+ Hotstar and is delivering several scripted and unscripted shows, he is also working to position India has Banijay’s Asian production hub.

Naman Ramachandran A galaxy of A-list talent will participate in SXSW’s inaugural South Asian House initiative. Panel discussion Creating South Asian Content for a Global Audience, will feature actor Rizwan Manji (“Schitt’s Creek”), Emmy-winning producer/writer for Vice, Falguni Adams (“Dateline NBC”) and Apoorva Bakshi, producer of International Emmy-winning series “Delhi Crime,” moderated by CEO of Jingo Media and producer of South Asian House Jitin Hingorani. Another panel, Investing in the Future of Our South Asian Stories, will feature CEO and co-founder of URL Media S. Mitra Kalita and actor Kausar Mohammed (“The Flash”), moderated by co-founder of Box Office Guru Media Gitesh Pandya.

Shamima Begum will today find out whether she has won an appeal against the decision to remove her British citizenship. Ms Begum was 15 when she and two other east London schoolgirls travelled to Syria to join the so-called Islamic State (IS) in February 2015.

Naman Ramachandran Singapore-based film marketing and distribution firm Continental Entertainment Pte. Ltd. (CEPL), which holds global distribution rights for Bangladeshi auteur Mostofa Sarwar Farooki’s “Saturday Afternoon,” will release the film in the U.S. and Canada through Reliance Entertainment. The Bengali-and-English-language film takes its cue from the brutal terrorist attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka in 2016, which took place on a quiet Saturday afternoon and left more than 20 people dead. It had considerable festival play, winning awards at Fukuoka, Moscow and Vesoul. The film was initially banned and had finally been cleared for release in January after a four year struggle with the Bangladesh Film Censor Board. However Bangladesh’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting appears to have taken a U turn and the situation remains fluid. Consequently, the film will open in the U.S. and Canada on March 10 before its Bangladesh release. It will also be released in other countries in subsequent months.

Naman Ramachandran Indian festival favorite and box office success “Dostojee” (“Two Friends”), directed by Prasun Chatterjee will release across the U.S., U.A.E. and Australia and New Zealand on March 17. California-based film distribution company Bioskope Films LLC has acquired U.S. theatrical rights and will release the film across 75 cities in 26 states. The theatrical release is an Oscar-qualifying run making the Bengali-language “Dostojee” eligible for consideration at the 96th Academy Awards, 2024. The film will have a premiere in New York City. “Dostojee” will also release theatrically across 15 cities in Canada, 10 cities in Australia and New Zealand, and Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman in the U.A.E. Phars Film Co Motion Pictures will handle the U.A.E. distribution and Bongoz Films Australia and New Zealand.

EXCLUSIVE: Myco claims it experienced a 1,200% uptick in new users after becoming the first web3 video platform to stream a live sports event.

India’s Reliance Entertainment and Singapore-based Continental Entertainment Private Limited (CEPL) are releasing Bangladesh’s Oscars submission Hawa (Wind) across India, marking the first time ever that a purely Bangladeshi film has received a wide pan-India release. 

A Dumfries Infirmary medic has been named as the country’s best doctor.

EXCLUSIVE: In step with domestic, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Strange World will make its offshore theatrical debut this week, and is eyeing an overseas start in the $21M-$29M range. That’s lower than where a new animated movie from Disney might normally kick off, but the studio has taken a voluntary pass on more than 20 markets, choosing not to submit the film in countries where its LGBTQ+ content would have very likely forced demands for edits.

Health officials have warned about two mutant strains of coronavirus that have emerged in the UK.

EXCLUSIVE: Indian Two Time Grammy Award composer and environmentalist Ricky Kej has signed to compose the original music for American-Bangladeshi writer-director Asif Akbar’s spy action-thriller MR-9 featuring Frank Grillo as a villain.

A rapidly spreading Covid strain has been dubbed the Nightmare Variant after it was found to double infections in a matter of days.

Naman Ramachandran Chorki, one of the leaders in Bangladesh’s fiercely competitive Bengali-language streaming landscape, has revealed a strong 2023 slate. The 25-strong lineup is director-driven, helmed by 25 of the leading lights of the Bangladesh industry. Mostofa Sarwar Farooki (“No Land’s Man”), leads the slate with “Ministry of Love,” details of which are under wraps at the moment. Abdullah Mohammad Saad, whose “Rehana” was at Cannes and Busan in 2021, also has an under wraps projects in the lineup. Abu Shahed Emon (“Jalal’s Story”) has thriller “Mercules” in the works for Chorki, where a woman must find out if the love of her life and father of her unborn child is a rapist.