Have you stopped to realise how wonderful this year has been in the entertainment sphere of the country? Indeed, from music to movies, and from web series to vlogs, artists from a plethora of fields rose up to offer numerous splendid performances. It seems, arguably after quite some time, people have started to really talk about Bangla movies, series, etc.

In recent times, people are talking about our movies and entertainment with pride and enthusiasm — that's of paramount importance, that there is a buzz. This is what we need.

Meanwhile, another phenomenon which has been happening simultaneously is how, in recent times, we have embraced Bangla content in the digital media. Terms such as 'OTT' and 'social media influencer' are still relatively new. And yet, along with platforms like Netflix, it can be claimed that Bangla-focused OTTs have gained a lot of acceptance.

All these set the stage for an award show, a gala event paying tribute to those who are pushing the horizon of Bangla content in the digital world. Therefore, the Blender's Choice-The Daily Star OTT & Digital Content Awards 2021 came into being. The event was held on 3 September 2022 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC).  

And hence, featuring the event, Star Lifestyle presents this special edition, where we zero in on entertainment in digital platforms in order to bring our readers exclusive interviews of stars and insights into the industry at large.

To start it off, we ask a number of representatives of OTTs about the journey so far, and what lies beyond. Then, we dive deep into the gala itself. A star-studded event it was indeed; we mingled about on the red carpet, spotting with our fashion radar, the influencers and celebrities donning their splendid attires. Flip through the pages to find out what your favourite stars were wearing.

Next, read our interviews with some of the winners at the award show. From actors to directors, we asked about their creative processes, reflections and insights on their works, their thoughts on entertainment on digital platforms, and much more.

Of course, a big part nowadays is social media. Influencers, digital content creators, YouTubers, or whatever label you may want to put them under, they comprise an exciting realm by itself. We spoke to many of them about this growing and often misunderstood world.

Yes, we've been doing a lot of talking! The final product of it all is today's special Star Lifestyle magazine. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed covering the gala and chatting with many of our favourite stars.

Event Photo Courtesy: Prabir Das and Sheikh Mehedi Morshed