Meril-Prothom Alo Awards 2024 held

The 26th edition of the Meril-Prothom Alo Awards was held at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Agargaon yesterday. The annual event celebrates the past year's finest film, television, and OTT projects.

The programme kicked off at 6:00pm with a red-carpet reception that welcomed icons like Afzal Hossain, Dilara Zaman, Bidya Sinha Mim, Tasnia Farin, and Mehazabien Chowdhury, alongside numerous other actors, directors, and cultural personalities. The event was hosted by Afran Nisho and Tasnia Farin.

The opening performance featured a group dance by Mondera Chakroborty, Ridy Sheikh, and Tama Mirza, before officially starting with a welcome speech from Anisul Hoque, managing editor of Prothom Alo, followed by remarks from Malik Mohammed Sayeed, CEO of Square Toiletries Ltd, the event's long-standing partner.

The night's highlight was the Lifetime Achievement Award presented to veteran actor Abul Hayat. A moving documentary paid tribute to his career that has spanned across decades. Actress Dilara Zaman presented the award, while Anjan Chowdhury, managing director of Square Toiletries Ltd, honoured him with an embroidered shawl.

Hayat dedicated the award to his wife, Shirin Hayat, and expressed gratitude to his family and colleagues, underscoring the collective nature of his success.

Other major awards included the web series "Rongila Kitab" clinching the Critics' Choice for Best Web Series, while Salzar Rahman was named Best Screenwriter for "Kalpurush". Nuhash Humayun won Best Director award for his web series "Dui Shaw".

Mosharraf Karim was recognised as Best Actor in the web series category for "Adhunik Bangla Hotel", with Zinnat Ara taking Best Actress for "Sinpaat".

Jahid Preetom won Best Director for "Buk Pocket-er Golpo" under the limited-length fiction segment, while Subrata Sanjib won Best Screenplay for "Rod Brishtir Golpo". Tasnia Farin's role in "Poroshpor" earned her the Best Actress award, while Khairul Basar took Best Actor for his performances in "Poroshpor" and "Rod Brishtir Golpo" in the same category.

"Priyo Maloti" won three major accolades, claiming the awards for Best Feature Film, while it's director Shangkha Dasgupta was honoured as Best Director and actress Mehazabien Chowdhury took home the Best Actress award. Mamnun Hasan Emon claimed the Best Actor award in the same category for his role in "Maya".

A documentary titled "Megastar Shakib Khan", celebrating 25 years of Shakib Khan in cinema, was also screened at the event.