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Singer-musician Habib has been on a hectic schedule as usual. The pressure is definitely on the rise with Eid knocking on the door. He sits back a few moments to talk to New Age before he flies off today for a show in USA.
   ‘I recently did one album for a movie titled “Projapoti”. This album will be released this Eid,’ said the heartthrob singer. About the tour to USA he said it is going to be ‘short and hectic stay, only for one show’. He returns on the 8th of the month.
   According to Habib the album is different from his previous works: For the first time he worked with Balam and Kumar Biswajit. ‘The experience was really new and fresh,’ said Habib. ‘Every composer has his own style and it is really interesting when different composers work together in this album. When I sing in someone else’s album, the sound will also be different,’ he added.
   This Eid, Habib is also bringing out an album titled ‘Just Wahid’s’ along with his cousins Shayan and Ershad . Habib said that due to busy schedules, the album is not really having the kind of collaboration that he desired. ‘I wanted the three of us to collaborate and make something different. Since I stayed busy, I had to record my part individually while Shayan and Ersahd did their own recordings elsewhere. This is not really what you would call collaboration,’ said the pop singer with dismay. Habib hoped to do some real collaboration and bring out a project like this again in the future, ‘what the audience really wants is a combined flavour-I hope that we can give that combined Habib-Shayan-Ershad style in the future.’
   The artiste seems a bit disinterested about the approaching Eid. ‘It’s all good but that excitement is no longer there. Now Eid just means my album releasing, people asking me about it. It’s become kind of a job,’ he explains.
   ‘I think the media people and the people who own shops are always thinking about business till the last moment to Eid,’ he further comments.
   ‘But things were not the same,’ Habib gets nostalgic about what it used to be like when he was younger. ‘Back in those days, there was a charm and there were no headaches of business.’ To lessen his burden on Eid, Habib plans to release his album on the occasion of Pahela Boishakh, the Bengali New Year.
   Nonetheless, Habib has his part of fun this Eid. He is going to spend the whole day with ‘fnf’ (friends and family). ‘I can just picture it- eating the food, my mom calling me up and telling me of some plans, visiting people, getting visited, the new food and clothe,’ Habib describes. ‘Still, it’s all the same schedule. That spirit of Eid is lost somewhere amidst the hubbubs and thoughts of profits,’ he concludes.

A photo exhibition titled ‘Sacred Relics of the Prophets’ began on Wednesday at the Goethe-Institut, Bangladesh. A total of 45 photographs are being displayed in the exhibition featuring house-hold objects, apparels, swords, shoes, veils of some prophets and their family members and associates.
   A photograph presented the bridal veil of Fatema while another photograph presented the sacred footprint of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh).
   In one of the photographs presents three sacred sandal and shoes were used by Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). In another photograph presented the cooking vessels of Prophet Abraham that which look like carved out from huge stone.
   Turkish Cultural Centre, Bangladesh in cooperation with the Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul has organised the show.
   ‘The real relics of many prophets are being kept at the Topkapi Palace Museum for the last four century,’ said the organisers.
   Consulate general of Turkey Salahuddin Kashem Khan inaugurated the photo-documentation. Mentioning the photo-documentation as a spiritual exhibition, Salahuddin hoped that the exhibition will also visit port-city Chittagong before it back to Turkey.
   Executive director of Turkey Cultural Centre in Bangladesh Fatih Celik and Goethe Institut, Bangladesh director Angela Grunert, also spoke at the function.
   The exhibition will remain open from 10am to 8pm till September 9 except Friday.

Eid is the season when film producers wait for to release their films with an aim to do good business. The audience also looks for the season to enjoy films at the theatre halls. In the previous years, around 20 films were submitted at the sensor board, and after a hard competition, six or seven among them were finally released for Eid. However, only four films have been submitted so far for releasing in the movie theatres during this Eid.
   The four Films to be released this Eid are ‘Nisshash Amar Tumi’, ‘Chacchu Amar Chacchu’, ‘Rickshawwalaer Chhele’ and ‘Sakib Khan Number 1’. In addition, two films—‘ Abujh Bou’ and ‘Dui Purush’— produced by television channels will be premiered on the small screen.
   Bangladesh Film Producers and Distributors Association’s executive committee member and spokesman, actor Uzzal told New Age, ‘the producers have decided to release small numbers of films because there is an acute lack of cinema halls in the country at present.’
   However, Uzzal hoped that with the small numbers of films, the producers will get more profit than what they might get by releasing more films.
   But many movie theatre owners might not be benefitted as there are only four films releasing this Eid, said Miah Alauddin, general secretary of Bangladesh Film Exhibitors Association. ‘Several movie theatre owners will not be able to screen new films on Eid even. But things were different last year when a total of eleven films were released on Eid-ur-fitr,’ he said expressing his concerns.
   As a reason behind the lack of films, popular film director Sohanur Rahman Sohan blamed the decreasing numbers of cinema halls. ‘I had plans to release my film “Paran Jai Joliya Re” this Eid, but could not as most of the reputed cinema halls were booked,’ he resented.
   As for the films that are releasing, ‘Sakib Khan Number 1’ directed by Badiul Alam Khokon, focuses on a young man who struggles to stand on his own feet. Thrilled by his ideology and honesty, the heroine (played by Apu Biswas) makes up her mind to stand beside him with her love to make his dream come true. Popular film actor Sakib Khan is playing in th name role. he cast also includes Natun, Ali Raj and Sadek Bachhu.
   Filmmaker PA Kajal’s ‘Chacchu Amar Chacchu’ also has Sakib Khan, Playing the son of a rich family. He comes to a poor family that lives in a slum and starts live with the family. The little girl of the family develops a fondness for him. The film also has Apu Biswas, Razzaq and Sucharita and child actor Dighi in the casts.
   ‘Nisshash Amar Tumi’ is also directed by Badiul Alam Khokon and ‘Rickshawwalaer Chhele’ is directed by Mantajur Rahman Akbar.

Natalie Portman graced the red carpet for the premiere of her latest film Black Swan, which had the honour of opening the Venice Film Festival.
   The US actress was joined by the film’s director Darren Aronofsky, who won the Italian film festival’s top prize in 2008 for The Wrestler.
   This year’s jury, which awards the Golden Lion trophy, is headed by Quentin Tarantino.
   Some 79 movies are expected to premiere over the festival’s 11-day run.
   The Golden Lion will be fought over by 22 films from directors around the world, although no British films will be vying for the prize.
   Speaking on the opening day, Inglourious Basterds director Tarantino said: ‘I love being on juries. I’ve yet to find it difficult, but I’ve always ended up being with, not like-minded, but passion-minded artists every time I’ve done it.
   ‘I love the idea, what I love about being on the jury is, I love seeing a whole bunch of new movies from all over the world. I have no real idea about what to expect.
   ‘I might have an idea about an actor in it, or the director in it or something, but I really don’t know what to expect and it’s all over the world there and so usually when you watch the movie, you don’t know what you’re going to see until it starts playing and it either grabs you or it doesn’t.’
   Other films in the main competition include Sophia Coppola’s Somewhere, Julian Schnabel’s Miral, starring Freida Pinto and Willem Dafoe, and France’s Francois Ozon’s Potiche, which features Gerard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve.

Special telefilm ‘Shesh Goudhulir Chhaya’ will be aired on Channel i at 2:30pm today.
   The telemilm is written by Sagar Jahan and directed by Ashim Sengupta while Meer Sabbir and Dipa Khondakar will perform lead roles.

Art exhibition
   Arabic Calligraphy Painting Exhibition
   By Najib Tareque
   Date: August 19 to September 18
   Time: 10am-8pm
   Venue: Impressions Gallery
   Head office of the Standard Chattered Bank,
   67, Gulshan Avenue, Dhaka
   
   Photography exhibition
   Sacred Relics of the Prophets
   By Turkish Cultural Center
   Time: 10am to 8pm
   Date: September 1 to September 9
   Venue: Goethe-Institut Bangladesh
   
   Ramadan in the Middle East
   By Christel Becker-Rau
   Time: 10am to 8pm
   Date: August 12 to September 9
   Venue: Goethe-Institut Bangladesh
   
   Woman and Flower
   By Sharmin Akhter Chowdhury
   Date: August 20 to September 2
   Time: 3pm to 8pm
   Venue: Alliance Francoise de Dhaka
   
   Apparitions and Cinegraphies
   By French photographer Jean-Philippe Pernot
   Time: 12pm to 8pm
   Date: August 27 to September 2
   Venue: Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts
   
   Eid Mela
   Apparel, pottery, handicraft
   By Autism Welfare Foundation
   Date: August 22 to September 2
   Time: 10am to 3pm (Closed Friday and Saturday)
   Venue: premises of AWF
   House 38/40, Road 4, Block B
   PC culture housing society,
   Ring Road, Mohammedpur,
   Films
   3rd person singular number
   2012
   Avatar
   PS I Love You
   Venue: Star Cineplex
   Basundhara City Shopping Mall,
   Panthapath, Dhaka
   
   Ak Buk Jala
   Monpura
   Venue: Balaka Cineworld
   
   Mone-Prane Achho Tumi
   Venue: Madhumati Cinema Hall