Shababa Iqbal

Shababa Iqbal is a Journalism graduate of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) and a sub-editor of ICE Today. She likes Jane Austen's novels and Disney movies. Email: shababa@icloud.com.

‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ is a maze of missed opportunities

The most positive aspect of “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3” (2024) is its unpredictability. While the climactic twist is audacious and unique, the film suffers from clumsy execution, falling short of evoking the intended emotions. It's a fine thought, albeit underwritten, and it deserved a bit more complexity than the film's chaotic momentum allows. Nonetheless, I have to say that I did not see it coming.

1w ago

‘Call Me Bae’: Funny and endearing Ananya excels in this heiress-to-hustler story

“Call Me Bae," created by Ishita Moitra with co-writers Samina Motlekar and Rohit Nair, follows the story of poor little rich girl Bella Chowdhary, affectionately known as Bae, played by Ananya Panday. For those who may not be familiar with generational slang, 'Bae' is a term of endearment used to refer to someone's sweetheart.

2m ago

How long can Emily possibly stay in Paris?

The success of “Emily in Paris” reveals that there's room for both highbrow, thought-provoking TV and light, unchallenging fare. While there are plenty of complex, intellectually stimulating shows, there are times when we just want something easy and predictable—shows like “Suits”, “The Office”, and “Friends” continue to top streaming charts long after their original air dates for precisely this reason. There's comfort in knowing what to expect and in watching a storyline wrap up neatly within 30 minutes.

2m ago

‘My Lady Jane’ shakes up British history with unapologetic romance and whimsy

With the guidance of writer and showrunner Gemma Burgess, "My Lady Jane" translates well into an eight-episode Prime Video series that confirms that history is a lot more fun and watchable when approached with an unapologetically tongue-in-cheek attitude.

4m ago

Evil never looked this good

Even without a full-blown sympathetic backstory, a villain’s motivations can be complex.

6m ago

‘Crew’ flies high with the delightful chemistry of its cast

“Crew” serves as a great example of how a light-hearted comedy can successfully blend entertainment with relevance by maintaining an air of levity while addressing timely topics.

7m ago

Percy Jackson finally gets the adaptation he deserves

The 2010 and 2013 Percy Jackson films, despite Logan Lerman's charismatic lead performance, fell short of expectations, drawing criticism for creative decisions like omitting significant book sequences and ageing Percy prematurely to 16.

10m ago

‘Dunki’ takes a heartfelt but bumpy road with illegal migrants

“Dunki” is about the shocking ways in which people try to illegally migrate to the UK or any other developed Western country. Called the ‘donkey route’, it involves unscrupulous agents, tough border controls, corrupt officials, and lots of money.

11m ago

December 10, 2019

Shirin Akter Shela’s journey to Miss Universe 2019

This year, Bangladesh opened a new chapter by participating in the 68th edition of the Miss Universe beauty pageant.

December 5, 2019

‘Fearless’ staged on International Day of Disabled Persons

Fearless, a play scripted by Ruma Modok and directed by Samiun Jahan Dola, was staged on December 3. It was held at Rabindra Shorobor, marking International Day of Disabled Persons 2019.

November 28, 2019

‘Eken Babu O Dhaka Rahashya’ to release today

The latest season, Eken Babu O Dhaka Rahashya, sees the detective and his two friends, Bapi and Pramatha, in Dhaka. The Daily Star caught up with Eken Babu (Anirban Chakrabarti), during his visit to Dhaka, to find out more about his life.

November 16, 2019

Singing for peace

Hina Nasrullah is a promising Sufi singer from Lahore. She started as a naat-khwan, someone who recites hymns in praise of the Prophet.

November 15, 2019

Authors of ‘The Mason Jar 2’ discuss their ambitions and more

Recently, Worthy Publications, founded by sibling duo Kasfia Haque Samara and Nuzaimul Hoq Xishan, launched The Mason Jar 2, the second edition of their anthology, The Mason Jar, which came out last year. They received a total of 200 submissions of short stories for The Mason Jar 2, out of which 50 compelling stories by 42 young writers were selected for the book.

November 15, 2019