Shabnam at a filmy event after 22 long years
Senior actress Shabnam last acted in the movie 'Ammajan', directed by Kazi Hayat. After that, she was not seen in any other movies. She wasn’t even involved in any cinema-related programmes in the meantime.
She stayed aloof from cinema for so long, hurt for various reasons. It seems like her annoyance has finally dissipated as the actress recently attended a film-related event.
Shabnam came to an event, an iftar of Bangladesh Film Artists’ Association. She even expressed her delight after meeting so many familiar faces of the cinema industry in person at a convention centre in Dhaka’s Moghbazar on Friday evening. Kazi Hayat, the director of her last film was also there.
Shabnam recently told Prothom Alo, “After finishing the shooting of Ammajan, I never went back to a studio, didn’t go to Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) or to any other event of the industry. There are many issues behind this. I can never pour my heart out on those issues. Besides, there’s no benefit in sharing them. My lips are sealed.”
So being able to attend such a programme after 22 long years Shabnam spoke quite frankly. In her speech during the event Shabnam said, “Despite there being much discontent in life, I am forever indebted for the love I received from people of the industry, coming back to them after so long. You remembered me even though I stayed away from cinema for more than two decades. This is one of my greatest blessings.”
Shabnam said, “Many from the old days are not there anymore. I met with Mahmud Koli, Alamgir and Ilias Kanchan. I talked to many technicians from former days as well. I even got to meet many new heroes and heroines. I had a wonderful time.”
“Mahmud Koli and I had worked in a film together. That film titled ‘Amar Shongshar’ was directed by Ashok Ghosh. I didn’t get the chance to meet him for long because of my staying away from the industry. It was delightful, meeting him there. I felt like staying a little longer, but the I didn't want to get caught up in the traffic on Dhaka roads. That's why I returned early,” Shabnam added.
Shabnam further said, “This film industry is my second home. I stayed away for a long time but, I used to think about so many people. I became Shabnam from Jharna Basak solely because of cinema. Although I didn’t go to any event of the film industry, I used to meet some people from the industry at Runa Laila’s house on her birthdays."
"Recently, I went on a get-together with Babita, Champa and others on Shuchanada Apa’s invitation. We spent an amazing time there as well. Sometimes, I get to meet people, closer to me, at some private events. They come to visit, I also visit them and we chat. It feels good. But, this time, it felt a different kind of good, attending a film-related event," she added.
However, Shabnam felt a bit annoyed at the event as well. Her annoyance was caused by many people standing right in front of the stage, holding up their mobile phones. She said, “I could see none of the invited guests’ faces from the stage. Later, I found out there were many YouTubers there, alongside reporters. They took countless photos and recorded videos incessantly. They could have moved away after taking a few photos. These actions cause harm to reporters’ reputation. I found it somewhat annoying to have mobile phones pushed in front of your face like that.”