There was something very different about Totini

A few years ago, I was creating a short fiction, 'Kalpana' as part of Chorki’s anthology series 'Ei Muhurtey'. The story required a young actress in the lead role. I had preliminary discussions with several people, but I just couldn’t make up my mind. Finally, rather dramatically, I selected Tanjim Saiyara Totini—just 48 hours before the shoot began.

Actually I had met Totini earlier. I first saw her during the shoot of an ad in Rajshahi. Even back then, I felt there was something different about her—not just in terms of acting, but in her presence, her composure. Later, I offered her a brief role in the film 'Joya aar Sharmin'.

Since I generally work in advertising, I don’t often get the chance to work with good actors. As a director, that’s something that really frustrates me. But even in short formats, performance is always important to me, since most of my work is story-driven. That’s why instinctive talent immediately grabs my attention.

In the very first two or three projects, I could sense Totini’s spark. And now, just a few years later, she’s become a well-known face in the country with a commendable body of work. She now works steadily with various directors in dramas and commercials.

I feel Totini’s attitude towards acting is her greatest strength. On one hand, she possesses a natural talent for performance. On the other, she has a methodical approach. She has quickly learned to balance the two. It usually takes time to develop the ability to grasp a character’s psychology, to express emotions through the eyes, and to reflect a character through body language. But Totini displayed these traits from the very beginning.
There was a lot of pressure while making Kalpana. The schedule was, there wasn't much scope to prepare. But Totini was exceptional. Amid all the chaos, she prepared for each scene in her own way. Just before the camera rolled, she seemed to draw up a map on her head. Even while sharing the screen with veterans like Sara Zaker and Zahid Hasan, she held her ground confidently and made her presence felt.

That was when that I felt that we had found another born actress.
As a director, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many talented actors in the country. During shoots, I usually stand very close to the camera, watching how an actor immerses themselves in an entirely different world. It is not easy to strike a balance of understanding the director’s instructions, adapting to the situation, and at the same time holding on to their own emotions.

Many years ago, I attended a workshop by Judith Weston in Los Angeles. Her book became the foundation of my approach to directing actors. After working with Totini, I felt she should have that book. I even asked her a few times later, “Have you started reading it yet?” She smiled gently and said, “No, not yet.”

At the beginning of this year, we worked together again on a commercial—exactly three years after Kalpana. Just before the camera started rolling, I looked at the cinematographer. He nodded, silently acknowledging how far she had come.

Before we began the scene, Totini smiled and gently asked me not to stand in the line of her vision, to move slightly further away.

It was a small request, but the message was clear—she knew exactly what she’s doing.

That’s when I knew the book had gone to the right person.

*Piplu R Khan is a film maker