‘Someone like Kabori is born once in a century’

It has been a year since the death of Bangla cinema’s ‘mishty meye’ Kabori. She passed away due to corona last year on 17 April. She was directing a film, ‘Ei Tumi Shei Tumi’, right before her death. She was acting in the film as well. The film hasn't been completed entirely. On the first anniversary of her death several of her colleagues talked to Prothom Alo and shared their feelings.

We didn’t get to work together, yet wherever we met we used have a pleasant chitchat. Kabori started working in films at a young age so everyone loved her. She had a smile to go with her sweet face. And she was a great artiste without any doubt. If feels so strange to even think that a whole year has passed since her death.

We used to meet occasionally at the studios. You can't get to know anyone that deeply without working together or interacting more than occasional chats. But, we never got that chance. As it is, she was quite junior to us.

She did incredible work in the film industry and I believe she was successful in politics as well. A person so successful in one field gained success in another, and that too in a field like politics, that is huge. This is a significant achievement.

Kabori had two identities, one as a human being and the other as an artiste. It was the people of Bangladesh not any journalist, who nicknamed her 'mishti meye’ (sweet girl). Just as I was given the title ‘dashing hero’ by my journalist friends, others have gained names from them too. However, the name given by common people might be the biggest achievement for an artiste. After that, there is nothing more to say about her as an artiste. She was just unparalleled.

No one except Kabori had such a sweet face, sweet smile and sweet acting skills in Bangladeshi films before. And it won’t be seen again in the next 50 years either, I think.

I believe, someone like Kabori is born only once in a hundred years. She was something more… As a human she was a chatty and fun-loving person. She loved spending time with others, having fun but within limits. She had a sharp personality. She used to mingle closely with only those who shared a spiritual bond with her. She was extremely choosy. I take it to be a matter of fortune for anyone to be a part of her inner circle.

In my life, I had seen Kabori Apa closely since my childhood. I used to like her acting even before I started acting in films. I was a fan of the Razzak-Kabori pair. The first film I ever watched in a cinema hall was ‘Moyna Moti’ that featured this couple. I even used to hum the song, ‘Onek Shadher Moyna Amar’ from this film. After that I lost count of how many of their films I watched. I find it impossible to think that she isn’t there anymore.

Somehow I believe that Kabori Apa didn’t have to put much effort in acting. She was an born wonderful actor. Though her features were of a simple woman, she used to portray herself beautifully on the screen. I don’t think Kabori Apa had to act in the way that Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan or Rekha had to act. I always felt like Kabori Apa used to own the character. I entered the film industry while she was a top heroine. Later, I also acted in several films, directed by Razzak Bhai. Kabori Apa used to fit in naturally in all the movies in a rural setting. An ordinary girl used to turn into an extraordinary girl on the silver screen.

Firstly, she was a wonderful actress and secondly she was an amazing human being. It is an audacity to talk about actress Kabori, I believe. We are nowhere near her magnitude as an actress. So, I would never even dare to comment on her acting skills. But, there is no doubt in saying that she was wonderful as a human being. She was straightforward in nature and never feared even a bit in expressing her thoughts. She was always so caring towards us.

In those initial days, when we had just entered the industry, when we didn’t even have a cent’s worth in the market or to the production managers, she was the one who used to stand beside us. She was one of the heroines in my first ever film ‘Amar Jonmobhumi’. However she wasn’t paired with me, she was cast in a role opposite of Razzak Bhai. Mahfuzur Rahman was the cinematographer of the film and Minu Rahman was in it too. There was no heroine for me in that film. I portrayed the role of a crazy freedom fighter there.

When we entered the industry we didn’t have much money. In 1972- Kabori was a star then. She was very affectionate of us. She took Mahfuz and I to Continental Hotel for lunch and it was my first visi there. These experiences are unparalleled. Artistes nowadays stay cooped up in their rooms while on outdoor shoots. She didn’t let this happen in any outdoor shooting, if she were there. She used to gather everyone around and have fun. She used to serve us food herself. She also used to scold us if we made any mistakes.

This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Nourin Ahmed Monisha