Siam Ahmed urges an end to vandalism of cinema halls

In the wake of the significant win in the students' movement against discrimination, some individuals vandalised cinema halls in the name of celebrating the victory. Actor Siam Ahmed notably expressed feeling hurt by these attacks. At Prothom Alo's "Meril Cafe Live" event on Monday evening, he urged, "I kindly request everyone not to damage the space where actors and audiences come together."

Siam continued, "Let's keep the path clear. We connect with you at the cinema, but if the halls are destroyed, where will we meet? We have so much more to achieve. Don't push us off course. Instead, when you witness such injustices, I ask you to raise your voice."

For the first time in his life, Siam joined a movement, convinced that this was a pivotal moment where artistes finally stood up for their rights. He noticed a new sense of determination among them, with no trace of mediocrity; everyone was eager to break free from the constraints of subservience. 

Siam remarked, "Historically, artistes were expected to stay neutral, keeping their political views private. Even in 1971, artistes were actively involved, and their voices were respected. However, nowadays, before an artiste can even express an opinion, they are swiftly branded as brokers, sellouts, or sycophants." 

Siam expressed his concern, questioning how many generations of effort will be needed to restore the lost respect for artistes.

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Three cineplexes in Rajshahi division vandalised

Amid recent events, the release of Siam Ahmed's film "Jongli" has been pushed back, as has the West Bengal film "Pratipaksha". Siam expressed, "The story of 'Jongli' is one of the most personal and meaningful projects of my career. I encourage the audience to watch the film when it finally hits the screens. I'm determined to release it at the right moment, and I hope this will be my first film to debut in a reformed Bangladesh."