The rise and rise of Nazifa Tushi
From ‘Pressure Cooker’ during Eid-ul-Fitr to ‘Roid’ during Eid-ul-Azha, Nazifa Tushi has been at the center of the cinematic conversation for two consecutive Eids. Many believe the actress is now enjoying the peak of her career. But how does Tushi see it? Prothom Alo's Makful Hossaion caught up with the actress to find out.
In Mezbaur Rahman Sumon’s latest film Roid, Tushi plays the character Sadu’s wife. Film critics have praised her performance, while some calling it a career-best. Social media is also buzzing with dissections of her acting. Many believe that over the last decade, Tushi has worked tirelessly to elevate herself to a new level.
Film critic Syed Nazmus Sakib wrote on Facebook, “Nazifa Tushi’s performance in Roid is such that I don’t think any other actress from Bangladesh or Kolkata can match this level in a lead role right now. I doubt whether even Tushi herself will be able to surpass this performance.”
Another viewer, Taslima Babli, wrote, “Sadu’s wife in Roid doesn’t feel like Tushi at all. It feels like the character herself. A very ordinary rural woman, a ‘pagli’. There is no trace of Nazifa Tushi. She has completely broken herself and rebuilt for this role.”
‘Don’t know if this is my peak time’
Tushi made her big-screen debut with Ice Cream and later appeared in films such as Hawa and Pressure Cooker. In Pressure Cooker, she showcased her range as a parlor worker, a lover and a mother, earning widespread praise. However, Roid has seemingly overshadowed everything else.
When asked if she feels she is passing the ‘peak’ of her career, Tushi said, “I don’t want to call it a peak. My journey is just being discovered by the audience now. I cannot say which is the peak. I might act for another 30 years, or I might stop after three. I don’t know.”
She did, however, admit that while she won’t call it her ‘best’ time, she is certainly going through a ‘beautiful’ one.
Looking ahead, Tushi is set to appear in several big-budget films and series. She played the lead role in Abdullah Mohammad Saad’s series Annie, which has been selected for its world premiere in the ‘Women in Series’ category at the Serienkamp Festival. The mini-series will be screened in Cologne, Germany, on 9 June.
Her upcoming releases include Raihan Rafi’s Andhar and N Rashed Chowdhury’s Sokhi Rongomala. Tushi is currently filming Suraiya, directed by Robiul Alam Robi based on a story by Shibabrata Barman.
A Brazil fan who loves Messi
The poster for Roid featuring Sadu’s wife (Tushi) handing Sadu (Mostafizur Noor Imran) a palm fruit (tal) amidst a heap of palms has gone viral, generating numerous memes in the internet.
“I’m having a lot of fun with these,” Tushi said, even sharing one herself. The meme shows Sadu’s wife in an Argentina jersey handing a trophy to Neymar, who is wearing a Brazil jersey.
When her friends teased her that she might lose her Argentina fans, she said, “I said it jokingly. Even though I support Brazil, I like Messi. I’m with Argentina too.”
A Brazil supporter since childhood, Tushi admitted that while she isn’t a sports expert, she felt a natural pull toward the team because her entire family supports them.
Beyond football, people are replacing the palm in the poster with everything from coconuts to cameras. Tushi finds it wonderful that people from various professions are finding ways to connect with the character through these memes.