Popular television actress Sadia Jahan Prova is set to make her debut on the silver screen, marking her return to acting after a long break. She has joined two state-funded films, taking on new roles that promise to showcase her versatility.

On Saturday (30 August), Prova was seen shooting for “Dena Pawna” in Hotapara, Gazipur. Directed by Sadek Siddiqui and based on a short story by Rabindranath Tagore, the film casts Prova as Nirupama, alongside actor Mamnun Hasan Emon. The project received a government grant of Tk 55 lakh in the 2022–23 fiscal year.

Prova has also completed the first shooting schedule of “Dui Poyshar Manush”, directed by Jhumur Asma Jui. In this film, she stars opposite ABM Sumon. The project was awarded Tk 58 lakh under the same fiscal year’s government grant scheme.

Speaking about her new ventures, Prova said she had signed on to both films earlier but refrained from making announcements “due to political concerns.” She expressed hope that audiences would find her performances refreshing and different.

Both “Dena Pawna” and “Dui Poyshar Manush” are expected to hit theaters later this year.

The 47th death anniversary of Bangladesh’s national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam is being observed on Sunday (27 August) with deep respect and love across the country.

Born on 24 May 1899 in Churulia of West Bengal’s Bardhaman district, Nazrul passed away on 29 August 1976 at PG Hospital (now Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University) in Dhaka. Though he lived for 77 years, his creative span lasted only 23 years, during which he enriched Bengali literature with poems, songs, plays, essays, novels, and stories.

His iconic poem Bidrohi (The Rebel) ignited anti-British sentiments and spread like wildfire during the colonial period. Arrested for his political writings, Nazrul was sentenced in 1923 to one year of rigorous imprisonment in Alipore Jail, where he wrote his famous statement “Rajbandir Jabanbandi” (Deposition of a Political Prisoner). During his imprisonment, Rabindranath Tagore dedicated his book Basanta to Nazrul.

After Bangladesh’s independence, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman brought Nazrul to Dhaka in 1972, granting him the title of National Poet. He later received an honorary D. Litt degree from Dhaka University in 1974, was awarded the Ekushey Padak in 1976, and was also given Bangladeshi citizenship the same year.

On this occasion, cultural and social organizations have organized programs including floral tributes at Nazrul’s grave beside the central mosque of Dhaka University, prayers, discussions, and cultural events.

Nazrul remains a timeless symbol of rebellion, love, secularism, and equality—his works continuing to inspire generations in Bangladesh and beyond.

Two siblings drowned in a fish enclosure in Narail’s Sadar upazila on Sunday afternoon, August 24. The incident took place in Dighalia village.

The victims were Amena Khatun, 7, and her brother Nafis Molya, 6, children of local farmer Ikramul Molya. Both were first-grade students at Bi Gopalpur Government Primary School.

According to family members, their mother Rokaiya Begum was working on the bank of a nearby fish enclosure when the children went to play. At one point, they entered the water to bathe and drowned. Their bodies were later recovered from the enclosure.

Narail Sadar Police Station OC Md. Sajedul Islam confirmed the incident, saying the bodies were handed over to the family after completing legal formalities.