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Germany’s Zdf Studios has secured worldwide distribution rights for documentary series “Hitler’s Power” (3 x 50’), an exploration of how and why Hitler rose to power and the terrible events that followed.

On Jan. 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany. The series examines why the Nazi leader was confident of the approval of most Germans, even when the war was clearly lost, and what led Germans to support the Holocaust.

Eco Media, History Media and Zdf Digital, a Zdf Studios subsidiary, teamed to co-produce “Hitler’s Power” in association with Zdf Studios.

Ralf Rückauer, VP, unscripted, Zdf Studios, said: “’Hitler’s Power’ is very much a modern look at this period of German history, designed for a young audience that is disconnected from the generation who experienced the war or its aftermath. With the extensive research undertaken and its high production values, the series offers a distinctive and...

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.

Chattopadhyay first interpreted the detective in 2017 for series “Feluda” for Bangladesh’s Bioscopelive which he directed and also played Feluda. “It was a very radical interpretation...

Praising the work and contribution of Bengali writer and activist Mahasweta Devi, director of Bengali film ‘Mahananda’ Arindam Sil said that like the River Mahananda, her principles should flow from one generation to another.

“This is the time to talk about the principles of life, as very few people nowadays actually lead a life of principles,” Arindam Sil said on Saturday.

He was speaking during the ‘table talks’ programme in the International Film Festival of India, underway in Goa.

‘Mahananda’ is a biopic based on the life of writer-social activist Mahasweta Devi.

“This is the time to talk about the principles of life, as very few people nowadays actually lead a life of principles. Mahasweta Devi was one of the few people who lived a life based on principles. I feel it’s time we teach our children to lead a life of principles,” Arindam Sil said.

Arindam Sil said...

Leading Bengali-language focused streamer Hoichoi has unveiled a 25-strong Indian and Bangladeshi series slate on the occasion of its fifth anniversary of operations.

Stepping into its sixth year, Hoichoi, revealed 21 shows from India and four from Bangladesh at a gala event in Kolkata on Tuesday. Content creators Srijit Mukherji, Dhrubo Banerjee, Anirban Bhattacharya, Sahana Dutta, Syed Ahmed Shawki, Ashfaque Nipun and others continue their journey with Hoichoi, while Raj Chakraborty and Arindam Sil are making their streaming debuts.

Hoichoi co-founder Vishnu Mohta said that the streamer’s monthy active users have increased by 40 and its international user base has risen by 30. Operated by studio Svf Entertainment, Hoichoi was launched in 2017.

“It’s been an extremely enriching and monumental five years. From bringing in top creators, ensuring one world premiere movie a month, to developing strategic partnerships for accessibility, to the current revamped Ui/Ux with more new features, everything aims...

On the joyous occasion of Rakhi and Independence Day week Svf is all set to pent-up excitement to a whole new level by delivering ‘Byomkesh Hotyamancha’ to its audience on 11th August, regionally as well as Internationally this week.

Apart from West Bengal, ‘Byomkesh Hotyamancha’ is releasing in major cinema chains Internationally like Hoyts Carousel, Western Australia, Black Town, New South Wales, provinces of Canada, UAE, USA in this week. Audiences can now go and witness the spectacular tale of ‘Byomkesh Hotyamancha’ in their nearest theatres.

Arindam Sil’s ‘Byomkesh Hotyamancha’ has been released throughout West Bengal in theaters amidst a major audience. Based on Sharadindu Bandopadhyay’s incomplete Byomkesh Bakshi story ‘Bishupal Bodh’, it is set in the tumultuous Naxalite uprising in Bengal in 1971. In a story of vengeance when Byomkesh Bakshi decides to attend a play at the theatre and becomes witness to a crime unfolding on the center stage.

Veteran Bengali folk artiste Ratan Kahar has added his creative touch to a new Bengali version of the hit track Genda phool by rapper Badshah.

Earlier this year, Badshah had to fend against plagiarism accusations after the release of his single, "Genda phool". Chunks of song, including its hook, were lifted off Kahar's Bengali folk classic "Boroloker biti lo". At that time, the rapper had acted swiftly to do damage control. Amidst lockdown, he reached out to Kahar and deposited money into the veteran folk artiste's bank account.

Now, a new Bengali version with a touch of classical percussion, titled "Genda Phool Tabla Folk Mix", has been launched. The song has been ideated and composed by tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh and the music video has been directed by veteran Bengali actor-filmmaker Arindam Sil, who retained bits of Badshah's original song video. Kahar has sung parts of the new song with...

A portrait of Satyajit Ray by Rishiraj Sahoo | Source: Wikimedia commons

Let’s start to play a game here – What is common between the 9 Bengali films listed below:

1 – Antaheen (2009, dir: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury) advertised that this was the first film after Satyajit Ray’s Aranyer Din Ratri where Aparna Sen and Sharmila Tagore acted together. It went further stating that even the Ray masterpiece didn’t have the two pitted against each other in the same frame as this film did.

2 – Abar Aranye (2003, dir: Goutam Ghose) took three of the four characters of Aranyer Din Ratri to the forest of Dooars on a sequel train at a time when the DVD, CD version of the Ray original was not readily available.

3 – Aborto (2013, dir: Arindam Sil) flaunts that all the characters of the film have the same names as the different major characters in the master’s film oeuvre.

4 – Charulata 2011 (2012, dir:...

Bobby Sarma Baruah’s Assamese-language film Adomya was adjudged the best film in the ‘Spiritual films’ section at the 13th Dhaka International Film Festival (Diff) which concluded recently. Diff, the biggest film festival in Bangladesh, screened 18 Indian films under the various categories of the festival.

Oass (The Dew Drop) by Abhinav Shiv Tiwari and Rupkatha Noy (Not a Fairy Tale) competed under the ‘Australasian Film Competition’ section.

Vivek Budakoti’s Pied Piper, Judomoni Dutta’s Paani, Arup Manna’s Adhyay and Arindam Sil’s Aborto were screened under the ‘Cinema of the World’ section.

‘Spiritual films’ section saw a large number of Indian films being screened including Baruah’s Adomya, Tutu Sinha’s The Light: Swami Vivekananda and Samrat Chakrobarty’s Songs in Oblivion.

The ‘Shorts and Independent’ section saw Sourav Sarkar’s Nagal (The Copy), Dr. Debjani Halder’s The Dark, Ian McDonald’s Algorithms, Debanik Kundu’s Nrityer...

The only hope that the 84th Academy Awards holds for India is Raju (Germany) that is nominated for Live Action Short category. Produced by Stefan Gieren and directed by Max Zähle, the film has been shot in India with a majority of Indian cast and crew.

The film is about a German couple who adopt an Indian orphan in Kolkata. Their child suddenly disappears and they realize that they are part of the problem.

In an interview to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, producer Stefan Gieren mentioned the challenges of shooting the film in Kolkata, “Making Raju was a series of insurmountable obstacles. As a producer I should have stopped the project several times during preproduction. As a filmmaker I was convinced that we had already lost so much that we could only win. So we tried. It was a very emotional process though. I remember roaming...

Bollywood actor Vidya Balan on Saturday breezed into the city to promote Airtel Kolkata Marathon. Vidya Balan would be flagging off the groups for the Airtel Kolkata Marathon 2010 with Deepak Srivastava, CEO, Bharti Airtel Limited from Red Road (Opposite West Bengal Basket Ball Courts) starting 7 am onwards on Sunday. Bangla Band .Lakhicharra' will perform at the venue, while Tollywood celebrities Rituparna Sengupta, Locket Chatterjee, Arindam Sil and Sabyasachi Chakraborty...

At a Kolkata fashion show, outfits and accessories of the Tagore family were on display. The fashion show, titled “Tagoriana”, was held recently to start Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary celebrations. The show focused on showing “Thakubarir” fashion in a way that it will appeal to the youth.

The idea was the brainchild of media consultant Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee. The show had some famous people walk the ramp in sarees, kurtas, etc. used by the Tagores. The show was choreographed by Kathak dancer Rubina Chatterjee and was held at Aqua, The Park.

Some of the people who participated in the show were TV announcer Chaitali Dasgupta, vocalist Soumyajit Das, actors Arindam Sil and Alokananda Ray, stage actress Dolly.