We're to blame for the travesty of taste: Shahiduzzaman Selim

Do you ever try to excel yourself through your acting? 

I do hear about this idea of excelling one’s own self, but personally I just do whatever is required for the character. The idea that I have to excel myself never crosses my mind.

Actually, when you get a versatile character the question of excelling yourself doesn’t apply anymore. If you work being honest towards the character, it produces good results.

Did you have to take any extra preparations for the charecterisation of your character in the web film that released recently?

I am Shahiduzzaman Selim in real life. But when you are portraying a fictional character, you have to try to capture the colours and shades that the character has. You have to keep in mind where that character is headed, where’s the turning point or where there’s a change of colour.

How do you acquire this method of discovering the character in your own interpretation?

It’s a matter of practice and thought. Your inherent tendencies only come out through practice. This practice is as crucial as the vocal training in music. Some believes that you can learn acting from seeing others but I don’t think so.

I like the acting skills of many from home and abroad. There are Al Pacino and Robert De Niro from Hollywood and India’s Kamal Haasan and many others like them on that list. I feel fascinated with their acting. But, I act in my own style.

Your wife actress Rosey Siddiqui has made a comment after seeing your performance…

I have seen the comment in the online news. She said that she felt proud as a wife after seeing my performance.

The person who is the closest to me, who is always there by my side is the most capable person to differentiate between real Shahiduzzaman Selim and reel Shahiduzzaman selim.

The fact that my wife has been amazed at my acting is a source of inspiration.

You played the role of a father in this web film. But, these types of stories are rarely made in our country. Do you have any disappointments about this?

Outside of our country, characters are being written keeping actors like Amitabh Bacchan, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan in mind. This practice hasn’t yet started in our industry in that sense.

However, if senior artistes are given priority there will be more quality works. We have many seasoned actors and they should be utilised for the versatility of characters in stories.

There was a time when actors used to be groomed through stage performances or some sort of schooling. But now, many are entering the industry without any sort of such training. Will this create a crisis in the long run?

Acting is an individualistic innate quality. I still perform in theatre. I have no idea if others are doing it or not. But there is a lot of scope for schooling these days.

Some are studying in the university while some others are coming without any prior lesson in acting. Such actors can both become popular or get lost with the flow of time. After all, constant practice is crucial to survive here.

Fresh discussions have started regarding the ‘travesty of taste’. What roles can artistes play to end this dilemma?

We are the ones responsible for the travesty of taste. The liability of creating this crisis relies on all of us. It is a director who cultivates taste among the audience with his contents. An actor will only portray the character as realistically as possible, that’s it.

Instead of doing that, they are just going with the flow and ruining the character with over dramatisation or different ridiculous gestures for instant popularity. They are destroying the character without understanding its original nature. We have to move away from that standpoint.