‘Super 8’ defies sceptics with big box office debut

To Hollywood's great surprise, moviegoers will show up en masse for the rare summer film that features real actors, an original story and some genuine thrills.

The new sci-fi mystery 'Super 8' easily claimed the top spot at the weekend box office in North America after selling about $38 million worth of tickets, despite concerns about a marketing campaign that kept some key elements under wraps.

Its distributor, Paramount Pictures, said on Sunday the tally includes a $1 million contribution from a limited number of sneak-peak previews on Thursday, a day before the film opened in wide release across the United States and Canada.

Industry pundits had forecast a three-day opening in the $25 million to $30 million range, while some movie theatre executives had worried it might struggle to hit $20 million.

In a summer of familiar sequels and superheroes, 'Super 8' is the first original, live-action non-sequel to take the No. 1 slot in almost three months. The thriller 'Limitless' led the field during the weekend of March 18-20.

Last weekend's champion, 'X-Men: First Class,' the fifth entry in the Marvel comic book series, slipped to No. 2 with $25.0 million. It was followed by 'The Hangover, Part II' with $18.5 million in its third weekend. The 'X-Men'; sequel remained the top choice overseas with sales of $42.2 million.

Source: New Age

Portrait of an acrobat diva

Acrobatics is not a very popular art form in Bangladesh, but for a few people it is the source for bread and butter. Acrobat Aklima Akthar is one of such few artistes for whom displaying acrobatic shows is  not just mere presentation of 'circus' for entertainment, but the only source of income.

For the last two years, Aklima from Rajbari district has been working for one of the leading circus troupes of the country named the Rowshan Circus which is based in Nilphamari district.

Recently, she performed at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy along with her troupe members.

Aklima told New Age that she took training on acrobatics at her early age from the National Acrobatic Training Centre, Rajbari.

Subsequently, the teenaged Aklima was the one among the 37 who got a one year-long acrobatic training in 1994 organised by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy at the Dhanmondi Krira Complex.

'Led by Korean acrobat Han Hyong Wan, two trainers— Kim Young Ung and Tuk Nam provided the training,' she said.

She learnt a few games such as Hand Skill and Mouth Skill from the Korean trainers.

Of the nine participating girls of the programme, only two girls Aklima and Rina Akhtar Putul continued acrobatic display. Rest of the others left acrobatics.

'The then cultural ministry promised us to provide job as trainer at the centre but nothing happened in this regard. Furthermore, the centre has been kept closed since 2006 and it turned into a camp of Rapid Action Battalion,' said Aklima.

'When the government did not keep the pledge, it became difficult for us to continue with acrobatics,' she added.

For the bread and butter both Aklima Akhtar and and Rina Akhtar joined Rowshan Circus. The troupe visits around ten to twenty places round the year across the country, except in the month of Ramadan and rainy season. They put their camp for about a month at a place.

Huge numbers of audience enjoy circus shows, but the people who entertain them never lead a happy life.

'There is no appointment letter from the troupe. We are just exploited and oppressed,' said Aklima.

Even the acrobatic artistes are never provided quality attires, equipment and other required materials for their shows. 'We still depend on traditional apparatus which lack safety measures. So sometimes, we are victims of accident,' she said.

Source: New Age

Prothom Partho and Muktadhara today

Two troupes from outside Dhaka will stage their productions at the two venues of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy today as part of the ongoing Jatiya Natya Utsab O Dui Banglar Natyamela-2011 organised by Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation with the support from the government.

Rangpur Natya Kendra, from Rangpur, will stage Muktadhara at the National Theatre Hall at 7:00pm while Mancha Mukut Natya Sampradaya, from Chittagong, will stage Prothom Partho at the Experimental Theatre Hall at the same time.

Muktadhara, one of the finest dramatic creations of Rabindranath Tagore, has been interpreted as a symbolic play that indicates Tagore's admiration for Mahatma Gandhi and his rejection of machine in favour of the spirit of life. The central character of the play, Dhananjoy Bairagi, has been seen as a representation of the non-violent spirit of Gandhi.

Muktadhara is placed at an imaginary location, Chitrakoot, ruled by the dictatorial King Ranajit. Chitrakoot is dependent for its financial might on Shiv-tarai, neighbouring area, and consequently Ranajit attempts to control it by building a dam across the waterfall Muktadhara. The dam was built with the help of a gigantic machine built by the royal engineer Bibhuti.

The play charts the hostilities between the citizens of the two areas and the non-violent resistance to Ranajit by the enigmatic singer and sanyasi, Dhananjoy Bairagi. The heir to the throne Abhijit also protests the exploitation of the people of Shiv-tarai by the king and demolishes the dam and let loose the force of the waterfall and in the process he too is swept away. The play is directed by Dr Rashid Harun.

The other show of the day, 'Prothom Partho', is written by Buddhadev Basu and is based on the 'War of Kurukshetra', fought between the Pandavas and Kauravas for the power of Hastinapur, as per the great Indian epic The Mahabharata. The play is directed by Sucharita Das khokon.

Source: New Age

Experts call for appointing curators for art exhibitions

Experts have called for appointing curators for the national and international level exhibitions for improving the quality of such exhibitions held in the country. Otherwise, they believe, such exhibitions will never attract interest of the viewers and participants.

Such opinion emerged in view of the arrangement of yet another 'stereotypical' exhibition—the ongoing 19th National Art Biennale organized by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy at the National Art Gallery.

Exhibition curators, also known as art curators, are appointed for standard exhibitions across the world to select the theme and concept for the exhibitions and participants as well. They also functions like facilitators in case of nurturing promising artists.

Eminent artist Rafiqun Nabi, who was a member of the jury committee of the ongoing national art exhibition, said, 'Exhibition curators could help making the exhibitions well organized and well focused.'

Since there is no curator to look after the national art biennale, renowned artist Dhali Al Mamoon said the exhibition has not much variation required for a prestigious exhibition. 'Appointment of a curator is very important for arranging an important show like the Asian Art Biennale.  Without the guidance of a curator or a group of curators such exhibitions will never be able to attain a niche in the international art arena,' said Dhali.

Supplementing Mamoon, acclaimed sculptor Lala Rukh Selim said, 'In the global context our art arena yet remains disorganised because we don't have such curators.' 

Agreeing with the observations of the experts, Mushfique Ahmed Shamim, director of the department of Fine Arts of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, said, 'Appointment of the curators for the biennales is under consideration of the government.'

Considering the demand for exhibition curator a necessity, Bengal Foundation managing director Luva Nahid Chowdhury said, 'We hope that art curators will be appointed for holding exhibitions at Bengal Gallery.'

Dhaka Art Centre trustee Nisar Hossain said, 'We organised a few exhibitions under the guidance of curators.'

Source: New Age