Fazlur Rahman Babu marks 42 years in acting

Fazlur Rahman Babu, one of the multi talented actors in Bangladesh's media landscape has completed 42 years in acting this year.  Back in 1978, he started his career by joining a theatre troupe in Faridpur.  

After a few years in that Faridpur troupe, in 1983, he relocated to Dhaka for a job. The talented actor found his way of acting in the capital city and joined the famed Aranyak Nattadal. 

From 1991, he started acting on TV dramas regularly. A gifted actor, Babu has traversed a long way and has acted in many dramas and films in his long career. In the last 42 years, the actor has bagged many accolades including National Film Awards.

Fazlur Rahman Babu . Photo: Noor-A-Alam

Currently, the actor is spending busy days on sets of the upcoming film, "Ural" which revolves around a parrot.

The actor spoke with us about the drama and film industry. He said, "Acting is not limited to only TV and films now. There are many platforms and mediums now. Contents are being made for YouTube and OTT platforms. Those contents are reaching to the viewers which is a positive sign for the industry."

Since OTT platforms are increasing, obviously, uncertainty looms around the TV channels. The experienced actor however believes that OTT platforms are not a threat for television or its viewers. 

"We still have an audience for TV, many people are dependent on TV for entertainment. TV channels still can do better as long as they produce quality contents. That is the only way to bring back the golden days of TV."

In his long career Fazlur Rahman Babu worked with many directors. To him, working with senior directors was different than working with the new ones. 

He said, "Senior directors had different thought processes. Those directors had social commitments. New generation directors are very sound technically. They have a different story telling style. Other than that there is not much difference." 

Fazlur Rahman Babu . Photo: Noor-A-Alam

The veteran actor reflected on the theatre culture of the old days. "We learned acting from the theatre, I loved acting hence, I joined theatre troupes both in Faridpur and Dhaka. These days there are many ways to learn acting, but from theatre we not only learned how to act, but also theatre taught us how to be good human beings. Punctuality, Honesty, Sincerity these are the traits we learned from theatre," he recalled. 

Fazlur Rahman Babu has made a special place among his fans by playing versatile characters. 

So far, Fazlur Rahman Babu has acted in 25 films besides numerous numbers of TV dramas. Like a proper method actor, he can portray any character with authenticity. Recently, Babu starrer short film, "Swapno" was released on Binge where he played the role of a poor man. 

In another recent drama he portrayed psychiatric.  In a series which aired on Deepto Tv, Babu played the villain. 

Previously, Babu earned acclaimed for his portrayal of a negative character in "Swapnajaal," directed by Giasuddin Selim. 

When asked how Babu prepares himself for each character he plays, the gifted actor replied, "It comes from years of experience. I try to understand the character, and then give my best. And the director's guidance also plays an important role."

Does he see the same dedication among the young actors? "I always like to think positive, there are many committed actors, among the youngsters today. They are performing well."

The actor showed his hidden talent for singing in the film, "Monpura." In 2009, he also released an album titled, "Indubala."

However, the actor doesn't have any plans for continuing singing. "I don't think much about it, I like to sing as people in rural areas like my songs. I will keep doing it as long as my audiences or listeners enjoy my songs."

The actor revealed that all his interests revolve around acting. He aspires to play such a character in a story which will be popular worldwide. Everybody will like it. 

"It could be anything, either Shakespeare's Macbeth or Othello or that king from Tagore's Raktokorobi."