Nusraat Faria, one of the most popular actresses of our era, chats candidly with ICE Today about the start of her career and upcoming films
Samir: Word has it that all of this started from school debate shows – is that true?
Faria: *beams* Absolutely! So one fine day at school I was selected as a replacement member for the debate team, and even though it was my very first event, I was somehow given the role of the first speaker at that particular competition! Even better, we ended up winning – the first time our school, Shaheed Anwar had ever won the national debate championship! It was incredible. The debate was televised on BTV, and you could say that was the moment I was ‘discovered’. BTV offered me work as a TV show host and I accepted the job in a heartbeat, glad to have gotten an opportunity to earn a bit of pocket money.
Samir: One would begin to call you a jack of all trades but stop short because you have actually mastered many of your skills. Did you always plan on having a career as a performance artist?
Faria: Would you believe it if I told you that I’ve never had formal training in singing or acting? Nevertheless, I was always a part of extracurricular activities at school – always singing or dancing in one group or another! Somewhere along the line, while reading the Quran or singing the national anthem or reading out in class, I realised that I had a significant range of tonal versatility. I started choreographing dances for weddings and at school and soon found that I was naturally quite good at that as well. And the rest, as you know, is history!
Samir: I think it’s safe to say that your time as a Radio Jockey was a major turning point for your career. How did you come across the radio gig?
Faria: Radio happened much later in my career. By then I was already hosting TV shows regularly. But now that you asked, I must mention that it was actually one of our mutual friends (Sajida), who prodded me in that direction. She asked me to fill in for her for a TV show one time and I am very grateful to her because after that show she called and told me that I had done a better job in hosting the TV show than her! No one is usually that generous with compliments, and I really appreciate that she was sweet enough to say that. She must have genuinely believed that I was good because soon after that, she hooked me up with Radio Foorti. Alongside, I continued to host various shows and in 2012 I emceed live for the first time in my life when Sunidhi Chauhan came to town. You would think that radio would be a step down in my career at that point since I was already on television, but in hindsight I believe that radio has helped me establish my brand. Also, I just love talking and sharing stories, so all in all my time as an RJ was definitely a major milestone in my career.
Samir: Tell us how you got your first film offer.
Faria: I was popular and earning well from hosting shows, however at that point I was also getting a little bored. I felt that my creative potential and energy were not being utilised properly. And fortunately, right around that time I got a call from Jazz Multimedia saying that they wanted to launch me as an actress in an Indo-Bangladeshi joint venture film. Within a week of that phone call, I happened to be in Kolkata to shoot a henna commercial. Coincidentally, the production house responsible for that advertisement was Eskay Movies, the Indian counterpart for the aforementioned film! So, since they had already seen my performance from the footage of the commercial and, as Jazz Multimedia was already pushing me for the lead role, I was called in for an audition and given the role soon after that. To be honest, all of this happened really quickly and very effortlessly.
Samir: Let’s fast forward and come back to the present. Tell us about the films you have worked on recently, starting with Jodi Kintu Tobuo
Faria: *chuckles* Jodi Kintu Tobuo had to fight COVID-19 just like the rest of us. Originally, we were supposed to start shooting in 2019, but for various reasons that didn’t happen. It was supposed to start in March 2020, but as we all know, everything that was supposed to happen then was postponed because of the lockdown. In August, Apurba was diagnosed with COVID-19, and finally when we began shooting in late November, Shihab Shaheen, the director of the film, and I were infected with the virus. In the end, we managed to wrap it up in February this year. I had to fly down from Mumbai (that’s where the Bangabandhu Biopic is being shot) for four days to finish shooting for the film. It’s been quite hectic to say the least.
Samir: I have seen Jodi Kintu Tobuo on Zee5 and loved the lighthearted mood of the RomCom film. Extremely entertaining from beginning till end. What was it like playing Preity opposite to Apurba as Abir?
Faria: *laughs delightedly* You liked it? Really? Thanks! I am so glad that people like you are also enjoying watching this film. It makes me so happy that we are producing films of such quality that they can be catered to a wide range of audience. The fact that people from all walks of life are being able to watch and enjoy Bangladeshi films is an achievement in itself.
When I landed the role for the lead in Jodi Kintu Tobuo, I started forming a personality for Preity in my head. I imagined her to be a mature and confident young woman. Our director, Shihab Shaheen Bhai, filled in the rest of the gaps for me in developing the character. As for working with Apurba, we had such natural chemistry that we didn’t have to work very hard at all! Sometimes it is hard to develop a connection with your co-star, and you have to try very hard to become friends. But with Apurba, I was comfortable right off the bat, and we both felt like he really was Abir and I really was Preity. The story itself is easily relatable and I feel that a lot of young people go through similar issues in real life these days.
Samir: Amazing work on the playback singing as well! You are such a powerhouse of talent – I am not just saying it! Now, tell us about Operation Sundarban.
Faria: Operation Sundarban was filmed over a period of November, December 2019 and February 2020. It is an all star movie located in the Sundarbans where I got to play an amazing character called Tanya Kabir, an animal researcher who moved from London to Bangladesh in order to connect with her roots. I have been lucky to have always been given such strong and bold characters to play. Shooting the movie was actually quite difficult! It was mainly due to the location; we were completely off the radar and during the time we were shooting, we were stuck on a boat in the middle of the Sundarbans with no network on our phones and missing our families dearly. But it is a really good movie so I guess it was worth it! Keep an eye out for this one guys – it’s scheduled to be released during Eid – al – Fitr this year.
Samir: Now the major one. How did you manage to land the role of the Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the Bangabandhu Biopic?
Faria: While shooting Operation Sundarban I had come down to Dhaka for a week for a mysterious audition. I went in wearing a simple saree and no makeup. I had some lip balm on, and upon arriving, was asked to remove that as well. We were ushered into a room full of people, where Director Shyam Benegal was also present. It was a very simple audition – I was asked to say a few lines, they shot a few photos and then I left. I completely forgot the whole thing soon and had left for the Sundarbans again. And as I mentioned before, I was going to a place with absolutely no network. Imagine my surprise when out of the blue I got a call from a satellite phone call and was told that I have been selected for the part of the Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her father’s biopic! I made the gentleman on the other end of the phone repeat it two or three times before I let him get off the phone. I was so ecstatic that I started screaming and hugging everyone on the boat. When I came back to Dhaka I was briefed that I was to play a younger version of her, aged between 10 to 20, but later on I was told that I was going to be playing the older Sheikh Hasina as well. That was again in March of 2020 right before the whole world went into lockdown. Later, our renewed schedule was given in February of this year, and along with a massive crew of artists and technicians, we flew to Mumbai where we worked for a month and half straight and finished almost 60 percent of the movie. We haven’t been able to return to work because of the recent lockdown.
Samir: Have you learnt anything new while working on this film?
Faria: The process of becoming the character for this film is something that will stay with me forever. You cannot just play someone by imitating that person – you have to try and feel their emotions, thoughts and desires. It was extremely challenging because of the immense weight of playing her role.
Samir: Could you fill us in on some of your upcoming projects?
Faria: There is Patal Ghor which is a movie about a girl who is trying to change her luck as an actress but fails because of wrong choices and circumstances. At the end of the day, it’s really a story of a daughter and a mother, who is played by Afsana Mimi. It is directed by renowned director Nur Imran Mithu and produced by Abu Shahed Emon. I am really looking forward to this one as well. There are also a couple of other films which were produced in Kolkata; Bhoy, co-starring Ankush and directed by Raja Chanda, and Bibaho Abhijan 2 co-starring Ankush again, and directed by Birsa Dasgupta.
Samir: What would you like to tell the youth who admire you and want to make their mark in the media industry?
Faria: As cliche as it sounds, I want to tell them that you need to believe in yourself. To come under the limelight I feel that the most important thing is to have faith in your creative energy. Just like plants, we need to nurture ourselves with the right kind of nutrition and environment. You need to learn and expand yourself; you need to go and look for opportunities. I, too, had to seek out my own path, and throughout I have always felt that if I keep improving myself, everything will surely align eventually. It takes time to happen, but if you work hard and have faith in yourself, it will happen. Your failures, if you keep trying, will shape your success.