Q & A

How would you describe your way of life?

I have a desire to develop and establish myself in theatre, writing and photography.

What do you do in your free time?

I love to venture out into the rural parts of Bangladesh at least once or twice a week. I also go to my hometown in Brahmanbaria a whole lot.

Is the Bangladeshi film industry a disappointing case study?

Our predecessors focused on merely making money. Now, thankfully, the scene is changing. We have many youngsters educated in cinema making and associated with the whole process. The perspective of the audience today has also changed the demand for the whole scene, like Matir Moyna, which was well appreciated by many for viewing a slice of life from a period of history.

What is your dream role?

King Lear in a Bangla production. I have done Macbeth, Prospero from the Tempest, Galileo and many other major roles already.

Do you recall any weird experiences with a fan?

I remember when I was playing the part of Galileo in a play. I was narrating the speech where Galileo explained how science is discovering the truth through doubt, disbelief and through investigation. I could feel the audience listening earnestly, with a pin-drop-silence lingering in the whole hall. Suddenly, a chap from behind the audience screamed out 'Mama!' referring to my character from the drama Bahu Brihi. Then and there, the world stopped revolving for 30 seconds. This was a very weird and a painful experience I had and I will, in all likelihood, remember it for as long as I live.

What would you do if you were the leader of your clan or the Prime Minister of the country and had the chance to do something different?

Among the younger generation I would try to enhance the traditional values of love and respect for which we fought the Liberation War.

How satisfied are you as an artiste?

Still very dissatisfied. We have some of the best talents and competent people in terms of knowledge related to art and technology, but are still unable to come up with standard plays in any media what so ever. We still have a long way to go, since we are still bound by merely one camera. We also face problems related to financing, which is why we cannot make use of our ideas, because someone might spend a lot of money for the sake of creating art, but won't get paid back.