TANZILA REZA KHAN, ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR MODELS AND ACTRESSES OF THE 80S, REFLECTS ON HER CAREER.
Actress, Model
YOU WERE A POPULAR MODEL AND ACTRESS IN THE 80S. HOW DID YOUR CAREER GET STARTED?
When I was in the 2nd grade, I starred in a school play as Cinderella and won 1st place. That moment helped me to realise my passion for acting. While in 9th grade, I was offered the lead role in a play (based on Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Indramati’) by a well-known theatre group at the time called Nandonik ’77. It was a big success and helped me launch my acting career. Soon I was getting offers for TV dramas, of which guest-starring in Humayun Ahmed’s ‘Ei Shob Din Ratri’ came as my big break that led me to star in more lead roles. Alongside acting, I also went on to host talk shows and model for magazines and runways. My other projects included a number of TV commercials, among them my TVC for Cosco Soap was one of the longest running on BTV in the 80’s.
TO MY SURPRISE, MY ELDEST DAUGHTER HAD FOUND THE EPISODE OF ‘EI SHOB DIN RATRI’ WHERE I WAS FEATURED ON YOUTUBE! WATCHING MYSELF ON SCREEN AFTER SO MANY YEARS WAS DELIGHTFUL AND A BIT AMUSING.
THE 80S WERE A VERY DIFFERENT TIME WHERE IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO BE A WOMAN IN THE MEDIA. WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?
Of course, being a woman in the spotlight is never an easy task and some people want to see you fail. However, I was fortunate enough to have the support of my parents, as well as encouragement from the directors and senior actors whom I had the pleasure to work with. This gave me the strength I needed to keep my chin up and continue my work.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE WORKS THAT YOU APPEARED IN? DO YOU EVER WATCH YOURSELF IN YOUR OLD WORK?
Some of my notable TV works are ‘Kapurush’ where my co-star was Khaled Khan, and ‘Mouri’ where I had the honour of acting with Abul Khair. To my surprise, my eldest daughter had found the episode of ‘Ei Shob Din Ratri’ where I was featured on YouTube! Watching myself on screen after so many years was delightful and a bit amusing. It was a nostalgic moment for me that brought me back to my
younger days.
WHAT MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
Looking back at all the dazzling moments in my career, I would have to say that my role as Cinderella in my 2nd grade school play still has a special place in my heart! Being the first ever acting I did, that too on stage, it was a big challenge that I overcame by winning 1st place. I am quite proud of my younger self for this moment because it gave me the courage to pursue bigger stage roles and, eventually, acting as a career.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE CURRENT TELEVISION SERIES THAT ARE BEING PRODUCED NOW? WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR WOMEN IN TELEVISION TODAY?
It’s amazing to see the array of different plots on TV today; from social commentary to comedy and everything in between. I’m impressed with the versatility of today’s actors – I’m quite fond of Apurba’s work in particular. Some of my favourite actresses are Tareen Jahan, Mehazabien Chowdhury, Keya Payel and Tasnia Farin who are all so very talented and gifted in their field. All I want to say to women on television today is that I’m proud of you! Keep on doing what you do best and keep inspiring other strong women to take up prominent roles in media.