Laurels for OTT highfliers
Champions of digital content recognised in 2nd installment of Blender’s Choice-The Daily Star OTT and Digital Content ward; one-minute silence observed to remember Gaza victims
It was a vibrant gathering of celebrities, artistes and influencers at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre last evening. The star-studded affair marked the second edition of the Blender's Choice-The Daily Star OTT and Digital Content Award.
Organised to give due recognition to the best OTT and digital contents and those involved in those, the event began when stars stepped onto the red carpet around 6:00pm.
After they mingled with fans and partook in the stylised glam shots, the artistes and content creators were called into the venue's Hall of Fame to take their seats.
A one-minute silence was observed to pay respects to the Palestinians who lost their lives in the recent Israeli attacks.
Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of The Daily Star, took to the stage and requested the audience to watch a short video on worldwide protests against Israeli aggression.
At 7:00pm, the main programme started with a thematic performance by Alifia Dance Squad featuring popular actor Sohana Saba.
After the logo was unveiled, Rafsan Sabab and Amin Hannan Chowdhury came on the stage for a light-hearted segment before the award distribution.
This was followed by a welcome speech by Omar Hannan, general manager of Ispahani Tea Limited.
He said the future of entertainment will be ruled by the OTT and digital content.
"We are really glad to recognise the talents of this emerging media and we hope that our small efforts will encourage more artistes and creators to contribute to this industry."
He thanked all the artistes; creators and the event partner -- The Daily Star -- for their contributions to turn this programme into a reality.
This year, Blender's Choice-The Daily Star OTT and Digital Content Awards 2022 were given under 28 categories, out of which 14 are for film/ drama/ story, four for music, four critics award and six for content creators.
Besides actors, content creators and directors, the often-overlooked artistes -- cinematographers, scriptwriters, editors, lyricists, singers, composers -- of OTT and digital media were also recognised and awarded for their equally important and artistic contributions.
As hosts Naziba Basher and Amin Hannan took to the stage for the Digital Content segment, popular digital content creators – Samina Sraboni (kids), Enayet Chowdhury (education), Rafsan the Chhoto Bhai (food and recipe), Rnar (comedy), Neyon (sports), Nadir on The Go (travel) – took the titles home.
That was followed by a performance by dynamic duo Khayam Sanu Sandhi, who was a nominee for both best lyrics and singer for his work in Chorki web series "Syndicate", and Masha Islam, who later in the show bagged the best singer award for her sensational work in the song "Teka Pakhi" from Chorki Web Series "Dui Diner Duniya".
In the music department, Ruslan Rehman won the award for best background score for Karagar, best lyrics award was given to Khayam Sanu Sandhi, best composer award was given to Emon Chowdhury for Teka Pakhi, while Masha won the best singer award for the same production.
In the Critic's Choice segment, renowned actor Chanchal Chowdhury was awarded the best actor male for his role in the Hoichoi web series "Karagar".
Upon receiving the award, he said, "I would like to convey my gratitude to all my teammates, audiences and well-wishers."
Tasnia Farin was awarded the best female actor (Critic's Choice) for her role in the same web series.
An emotional Farin said, "I am extremely honoured to receive this award in front of such esteemed guests. I would like to take this opportunity to convey my gratitude to my family members and especially someone I could not thank before -- my husband, who has been immensely supportive throughout my career."
Then came the best director (Critic's Choice) – Mohammad Touqir Islam for his riveting series "Shaaticup" on Chorki, while best film/series/drama was bagged by the same series.
Artistic dance performances by Ridy Sheikh and Tasnia Farin and musical renditions by Shandhi and Masha kept the audience charmed throughout the first half of the event.
As the second set of hosts – Aisha Khan and Rafsan Sabab -- came on, along came the Popular Choice segment, the most awaited.
Afran Nisho and Mehazabien Chowdhury took the cake home for their outstanding performances in Chorki content "Redrum", while the film was recognised as best film. Nasir Uddin Khan was awarded the best actor in a negative role for Syndicate. Intekhab Dinar (Karagar) and Sallha Khanam Nadia (Redrum) each bagged an award for supporting roles, while Vicky Zahed won best director (film) for Redrum and Shawki Syed for Karagar (web series).
Atia Rahman Shetu was the first make-up artiste to receive an award for make-up in the OTTDC awards, while best scriptwriter Neamoth Ullah Masum (Karagar) dedicated his award to the victims in Palestine.
In the last hours of the event, famed singer Pritom Hasan enchanted the audience with his performance.
In the final segment, the People's Choice Award for Popular Digital Drama under Special Recognition was the first Bangladesh horror digital drama on Chorki's Pett Kata Shaw by Nuhash Humayun, which was received by his mother Gultekin Khan.
"The future of entertainment will be ruled by the OTT and digital content. We are really glad to recognise the talent of this emerging media ... ."
"Humayun Faridee bhai, wherever you are, I hope you are doing well and this award is for you!"
"My father says I dedicate all my awards to my mother, so this time, my award is for my dad!"