Sadi Mohammad Shahnewaz

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

My last conversation with AB

As I was about to enter AB Kitchen, I was worried how the man would receive me after four long years of barely any contact. In 2014, I was a naïve teenager, who felt lucky to be included in a musical project with the great Ayub Bachchu – fascinated every time that my name would come out of his mouth.

3d ago

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.

5d ago

I treat negative commenters as background noise: Yash Rohan

He faced a flood of negative comments over his post related to Bijaya Dashami

2w ago

‘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.”

3w ago

‘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

1m ago

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.

2m ago

'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.

2m ago

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.

2m ago
October 18, 2025
October 18, 2025

My last conversation with AB

As I was about to enter AB Kitchen, I was worried how the man would receive me after four long years of barely any contact. In 2014, I was a naïve teenager, who felt lucky to be included in a musical project with the great Ayub Bachchu – fascinated every time that my name would come out of his mouth.

October 16, 2025
October 16, 2025

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.

October 4, 2025
October 4, 2025

I treat negative commenters as background noise: Yash Rohan

He faced a flood of negative comments over his post related to Bijaya Dashami

September 28, 2025
September 28, 2025

‘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.”

September 21, 2025
September 21, 2025

‘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

August 11, 2025
August 11, 2025

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.

August 5, 2025
August 5, 2025

'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.

August 2, 2025
August 2, 2025

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.

July 27, 2025
July 27, 2025

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

Review of ‘Jodi Lokkho Thake Otut: Shafolyer Khola Koushol’ (Anyaprokash, 2025) by Asif Iqbal

July 26, 2025
July 26, 2025

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