Narrating the thrilling and triumphant story of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)'s breathtaking operations to defeat the pirates of the Sundarban, acclaimed action director Dipankar Dipon's 'Operation Sundarban' is set for release on Eid-Ul-Adha 2021.

The action thriller set in the mangrove forest, produced by RAB Welfare Cooperative Society Limited, unveiled its teaser and website through a gala event at the Army Golf Club in the capital on Tuesday, where the makers announced the release date of the film.

Featuring an ensemble cast including Dhallywood's celebrated superstar Riaz Ahmed who is making a comeback after four years, alongside heartthrobs including Siam Ahmed, Nusraat Faria, Ziaul Roshan, Manoj Pramanik and Taskeen Rahman, the 1-minute and 33-second teaser was lauded by its audiences for showcasing the commendable narrative of the history and facts through infotainment. 

Benazir Ahmed, Inspector General of Bangladesh Police attended the event as the chief guest while RAB Director General Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun and Additional Director General (Operations) Colonel Tofail Mostafa Sarwar joined as special guests, alongside other higher officials and the cast members of the film.

The 1-minute and 33-second teaser of the film was then released by the guests, which was followed by the launching of the official website of the film, https://operationsundarban.com/.

"Sundarban has a language and narrative of its own, which was pretty much controlled by the water pirates until 2016 when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared the Sundarbans free of pirates. Our film is depicting the story with the involvement of our 1,300 cast and crew members, narrating the saga of the mission against the pirates and their post-pirate life, and the livelihood of the natives living around Sundarban," Director Dipankar Dipon said at the event.

He added, "We had to work through a lot, with a mission to tell a tale that the Bangladeshi audiences have never seen before. In addition to that, we had challenges to make an actual movie that is different than a documentary. Without the cordial cooperation of RAB members and other elite force officials, alongside the people of Sundarban - this film would not see the daylight."

"For years, the imagery of our elite forces in our own movies were confined into silly, comedic actions such as discouraging the casts in the last sequences on not to take actions by themselves. Film is a wonderful medium of documentation of history, and without proper documentation, the glorious tale of our operation against the pirates in Sundarban would remain untold. From that perspective, we took the initiative and Dipon made justice with proper research and development on the project," Benazir Ahmed said at the event.

Also read: Shooting of ‘Operation Sundarbans’ begins

Comparing with movies from outside the country, RAB Additional Director General Colonel Tofail Mostafa Sarwar said about the film, "Reality is much more different and difficult than fiction. We often see international movies showcasing glorious operations of elite forces, and we have tried to do the same in Operation Sundarban, depicting the enthralling true stories blending adequate amount of entertainment." 

Under the supervision of RAB, the shooting of the film has taken place in some remote areas in the Sundarban where people usually do not go or cannot go. Actor Siam Ahmed, alongside Ziaul Roshan, Riaz Ahmed and others have undergone special training sessions from RAB prior to the shooting in Sundarban and were seen taking part in various expeditions on water, land, and air into the teaser.

Initially scheduled to be released for Eid-ul-Adha in 2020, it faced delays due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The film is expected to enthrall the audiences in theatres during Eid-Ul-Adha 2021 and also with possible releases on global platforms including Netflix, the organizers informed at the event.

Eid ul Adha is most likely to fall on July 19/20 this year,  subject to the moon sightings. 

Bollywood actors Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan have been blessed with a baby boy, their second son, her father has announced.

40-year-old Kareena, the daughter of Bollywood actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital, a leading private hospital in Mumbai, on Saturday night and gave birth to the baby boy on Sunday morning.

"Yes, Kareena gave birth to a baby boy today morning. We are overjoyed. Both the mother and baby are doing well," Kareena's father Randhir told the media.

Also read: Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma designs 'gender neutral' nursery for daughter

The couple -- dubbed Saifeena by the paparazzi -- announced the pregnancy on social media in August last year. "We are very pleased to announce that we are expecting an addition to our family!! Thank you to all our well-wishers for all their love and support."

Kareena and Saif tied the knot in 2012. They welcomed their first son, Taimur, in December 2016. Saif also has two children -- actor Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan with former wife Amrita Singh, also a Bollywood actress.

Born to the Kapoor family, known as the 'First Family of Bollywood', Kareena -- the granddaughter of legendary actor-director Raj Kapoor, made her acting debut opposite another legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan's son Abhishek with the 2000 drama Refugee.

Her real success came in 2004 when she played a sex worker in the drama Chameli. She subsequently earned critical recognition for her role in the 2006 crime flick Omkara, a character based on William Shakespeare's heroine Desdemona.

Also read: Dance India Dance: Kareena Kapoor Khan admits having a crush on THIS Aashiqui actor; Find out

Recipient of several awards, Kareena is one of Bollywood's highest-paid actresses. She will be next seen in Advait Chandan's Laal Singh Chaddha and Karan Johar's Takht. Kareena is also all set to publish her first pregnancy book later this year.

Saif, on the other hand, is the son of former Indian cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and former Bollywood's yesteryear heroine Sharmila Tagore.

Also read:  Bollywood singer Neha Kakkar announces pregnancy

Marking Pahela Falgun and Valentine's Day, aspiring young filmmaker Zahid Gogon directed short-film 'Prem Puran’ is set to release today on LagVelki.com, country's first pay-per-view movie OTT platform.

Produced under the banner of Film Mistri production, 'Prem Puran' is inspired from a series of true stories based on Adamjee jute mill worker leader Shahid Tajul Islam, who demanded justice for the workers and embraced martyrdom during the Ershad regime in 1986. The storyline is also inspired by 'The Gift of The Magi' by O' Henry, 'Raincoat' by Rituparno Ghosh and 'Bhanga Chora' by Zahir Raihan.

Set in the locations including Dhaka, Pabna, and Kushtia, the 35-minutes short film is starring Manoj Pramanik, Samia Othoi, Arman Parvez Murad, Ashok Bepari, Pankaj Majumder and Wania in major roles. 

Also Read- LagVelki: the right partner at the right time for DIFF

"As I was really enthusiast to properly tell the story, I tried to follow every aspect of filmmaking grammar with 'Prem Puran' and made this film for our general audiences, projecting a familiar storyline. Through this affiliation with LagVelki, I hope the film will reach a broader audience," said Gogon, also the Tareque Masud Young Film Maker Award (2014) winner and a film graduate from the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB).

'Prem Puran' has already participated and won awards in several festivals including the Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival 2019 and Chittagong Short Film Festival 2020 (Best Actress, Samia Othoi). It was also the finalist in the International Moving Film Festival 2019 (Iran), semifinalist in the Jaipur Film World 2020 and official selection at the Goa Short Film Festival-2019, Lift-Off Global Network 2019, Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival 2020, Kaaryat International Film Festival of India 2019 and the Honorable Jury Mention at the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival 2020, to name a few.

Anyone can watch ‘Prem Puran’ with a Tk 20 LagVelki subscription fee for 24 hours from anywhere in the country at LagVelki's website and app. Payments can be done through any Bangladeshi digital wallet and mobile banking services.

Also Read- 'Seized Pleasure' released on pay-per-view streaming platform

Dhallywood star Omar Sani has thanked the members of the Bangladesh Film Club Limited, for electing him as president and his panel.

The actor, also the former secretary general of the club for its immediate past panel, recently spoke to the media and shared his feelings after winning the election with his entire panel, twith him as president.

"I am grateful to all the members of our club for bestowing me and my cabinet with the responsibility of this glorious film club," Sani said on Monday after the result.

He added: "Together, I, alongside my cabinet, are commiting that we will be fulfilling all of our promises. I request the club members to visit the club frequently, and I love all of my fans to whom I am forever indebted."

Omar Sani won the election bagging 278 votes, whereas his nearest opponent Atikur Rahman Liton got 158 votes.

Apart from Omar Sani, his full panel has also won the election as following: Mahmudul Haque Palash (315), Nazrul Raj (292), Syed Rafiuddin Selim (227), Engineer MA Jahan (276), Shri Ajit Roy Nandi (272), Md Abdullah Zeyad (284), Zahid Hossain (332), Mozaharul Islam Obaid (325), MA Kamal (282) and Jahangir Alam Jahangir (312).

Voting in the election started at 2 pm on Saturday after the club’s Annual General Meeting, and continued till 6 pm. The result was declared on Sunday midnight.

With this victory, Omar Sani and his panel will be in-charge of the administrative responsibilities of Bangladesh Film Club Limited for the next one year.

The 14th edition of the International Children's Film Festival Bangladesh (ICFFB) came to an end on Friday.

Organised by the Children’s Film Society (CFS), the closing ceremony of the seven-day festival at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy was joined by State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak as the chief guest. 

Also read: Curtain lifts on 14th International Children’s Film Festival Bangladesh

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy director general Liaquat Ali Lucky was present on the occasion as the special guest. Presided over by festival director Fariha Jannat Mim, the closing ceremony featured discussions, film screening and an awards giving ceremony. 

"Our children and youth filmmakers are enriched with the essence and virtue of our glorious history of the 1952 Language Movement and the 1971 Liberation War - thus, they have been successful to arrange a festival like this even during this ongoing pandemic, maintaining safety measures," the Minister said at the event.

"I thank CFS Bangladesh for organising the 14th edition of this film festival this year, and the government will contribute Tk 50 lakh in the next year for this noble venture, to spread the festivity across the country," Zunaid Ahmed added.

BSA director general Liaquat Ali said, "I have never seen a festival like this, organised profoundly and maturely by our children - and I will not forget about this festival till the last day of my life as it was held during the Covid crisis. Our children have displayed their talent, potential and organising capacity by successfully pulling off this event, and I am proud to be here."

A total of 12 awards were presented to the winners at the ceremony, including five films in Under 18 Bangladesh category namely Tenor, Trikonomiti, Thonga, Puppetry and An Interview of A Marionette.

The Best International Feature Film Award in the 14th ICFFB went to Dutch film Jackie and Oopjen, while the Best Director Award went to Ani Oganesyan for Armenian film Under the Stork’s Nest.

Bangladeshi film Maati bagged the Young Talent Award, while another local film Lottery won the Young Talent Award - Special Mention.

Under the Stork’s Nest also won the Best International Short Film Award, while Bangladeshi film A New Normal won in the Social Competition Section.

An animated film titled Mujib Amar Pita was screened at the venue.

Also read:  14th International Children’s Film Festival begins Saturday

With the slogan "Future in films", the 14th ICFFB began on January 30 and featured 179 films from 37 countries namely Bangladesh, India, Armenia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Philippines, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Qatar, Iran, Australia, China, Thailand, Bulgaria and others. A total of 1,116 films from 81 countries were submitted to this year's festival.

The films were screened at Shawkat Osman Auditorium of Sufia Kamal National Public Library, Sufia Kamal Auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum, National Art Gallery Auditorium and National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

The seven-day international festival also featured four workshops and interactive sessions with celebrities, including first Bangladeshi woman conqueror of Mount Everest Nishat Majumdar and singer-music director Shayan Chowdhury Arnob.

Children’s Film Society (CFS) Bangladesh has been organising the festival since 2008, with the mission to promote children’s films and encourage children in filmmaking.