I am not breaking down: Pori Moni

Actor Samsunnahar Smriti, alias Pori Moni, said her 27 days in custody felt like a long nightmare.

The nightmare began from the raid on her Banani residence by the Rapid Action Battalion on 4 August. "I woke up to the ransacking of my house. Then the nightmare began and continued for 27 days.

 "I want to think of it as a nightmare only. I have no one who will sympathise with me. There's no one to tell me to stand up and not break down. I'm not breaking down, so I don't have to stand up," said Pori Moni in a telephonic interview with The Business Standard on Wednesday after she had been released on bail in a narcotic case. 

She said the troublesome days had helped her identify the two-faced snakes in her life. 

"I do not care who says what about me. I will care only when people who know me will say bad things about me."

Pori Moni also complained about constant visits to her rented flat by law enforcement agencies and media personnel, which made others in the building uncomfortable. 

Her landlord asked her to vacate the flat.

"Not everyone is accustomed to seeing a camera in front of their faces every day. Shoving cameras at the faces of people creates public discomfort. I would have felt the same had I been in their shoes."

Referring to her fans, she said love comes from respect and it does not fade away so easily.

"I didn't become Pori Moni overnight. I have had a long journey and those who have been with me have known me closely. You will not be able to erase Pori Moni from their minds so easily. You will not be able to label me as a convict just like that.

"My thoughts revolve around them [fans and well-wishers]. My work is dedicated to them. I don't want to think about anything else."

Pori Moni said she would talk to film directors after settling in.

"As soon as I can step out and in front of a camera, I will feel alive again."