"I am still trying to figure out my real self "-- Sharmin

Illustration:Shiplu

What is your real self?
As I have an image of a good housewife, everybody thinks I am an expert in cooking and other household tasks. Frankly, I don't have that much expertise. And about my self-analysis, I am still trying to figure out what is my real self. I don't know exactly what I'm like. But like all other human beings I also have good qualities and limitations side by side.

What is your favorite past time?
I spend my leisure with my son, most of the time watching Pokemon cartoon with him. Listening to music is my other passion that I can not do without. I always carry a walkman and listen to it wherever I go. Once, while sitting in a rickshaw, I got so carried away with the melodious music, that a mugger snatched away my bag and walkman within a fraction of a second. When I felt my headphone was missing, I realised that I had been mugged.

Do you have a secret to share?
Yes, I am a very talented bathroom singer (smilingly). I love to sing Je chhilo drishtier shimanay, and other popular numbers by Shahnaz Rahmat Ullah. And when I sing on my own, like a true narcissist I feel that I can sing well.

How was the first day of your shooting?
On the first day on the set of Siddiqua Kabir's Recipe I was nervous as hell. I was confused about my task. While taking a shot, the director Tarek Anam found fault with my performance and told me to do things right. And Siddiqua Kabir was also becoming impatient at repeating the same shot over and over again. I was thinking on my own 'I shouldn't have accepted the offer. Why on earth am I here? I am not going to make it.' However, it took about 10 or 11 takes to okay the shot. But today things are exactly the opposite. Now I feel so relieved that I can do the show with spontaneity.

Do you enjoy your image of an ideal housewife?
Yes, of course, I do enjoy this feeling that people love to see me as an ideal housewife. I hear of people looking for a bride who would resemble me! It is definitely a pleasant feeling that people hold me in high esteem. I also respect the feeling of my audience and don't want to spoil this image. For this reason, I refused about a dozen proposals, including alternative feature films and good commercials.

Do you support the idea of employing foreign models?
I'm absolutely against the trend. Bangladeshi models are equally qualified and have the right to model local products. But in the case of technical support, I think we must take the best of modern technology. And if we can train people from abroad we can produce quality productions.