A nurse, a beggar, or a police officer: The lives of extras in tinsel town

The rusty signboard on the small, yellow building said 'Upazila Shashthyo Complex, Rupganj, Narayanganj'. It startled me for a bit, because I was on the FDC (Bangladesh Film Development Corporation) premises in Dhaka and nowhere near Narayanganj. 

I wondered if some of the most familiar scenes in Bangla films - the hero or heroine donating blood to save lives - were shot here. That particular scene would remain incomplete without a nurse in the background; clad in a white shari with a stethoscope hanging around her neck.  

Shanta, in her 40s, mostly plays the role of a nurse. She even has her own tailormade costume. Patting a powder puff on her face, she said, "15 years ago, I played the role of Shabnur Apa's friend in a film. And my film journey started." Putting aside the powder case and mirror, she then showed me several photos in her phone where she was dressed as a nurse. 

Any afternoon inside FDC you will meet these actors or 'extras' who play the role of a nurse, police, beggar or simply, the audience. While stars like Shakib Khan or Dipjol don't come here every day, these actors have to anyway because who knows when they might be needed? From afternoon till night, they wait patiently for work. Some days there is no shooting, some days there is more than enough. A full day's shooting does not pay more than Tk1,000. 

Shanta was sitting with her friend and coworker Shefali on a cement bench. The place looked like a small park. Both refused to speak to a journalist, saying "no pictures, please" a few times. 

While Shanta has not ever, Shefali has seen herself on the big screen, saying she really liked it. Once, after seeing her wearing shankha-sindoor in a film, her elder sister in Jashore thought she had really converted to Hinduism. "The more I explained to her, the more she started crying!" she said while breaking into a laugh.

Apparently, the bigger stars are always polite with the extras. "No one is rude or mean. Everyone is nice. You see Dipjol as a crude villain in films but he is nothing like that in real life; he is very nice," she said.  

The heat was gradually becoming intolerable in that open space, and soon the duo lost interest in me and became busy with playing ludo on a phone. One of the technicians suggested I talk to Bulu (some said Bhulu) Bari, she was one of the seniors among this group of artists.  

'I was a dancer in Urdu films' 

A frail woman in her 60s, Bulu Bari looked tired as she sat on one of the plastic chairs in front of the Shilpi Samity's office. There was air-conditioner inside, but only for FDC officials or others more 'important'. 

Addressing me as "aunty", she said, "I am not feeling well aunty. I do not want to talk. What's there to say? Everyone will tell you the same thing if you ask them: I came here thinking one thing and then life took me somewhere else."  

Yet, within a few minutes, as the tiny overhead fan seemed to cool her down a bit, she opened up.

Extra artists waiting for work in FDC. Photo: Saqlain Rizve

Bulu said her mother was Bilkis Bari, one of the actors in Mukh O Mukhosh, the first Bangla-language feature film made in East Pakistan. Directed by Abdul Jabbar Khan, the film was released in 1956. 

From a very young age, Bulu began working as a dancer in films. She showed me song clips from Urdu films before the Liberation War. "Look, here I am dancing with Shabana Ma'am in the film 'Chand aur Chandni'. The hero was Nadeem. I used to be a dancer in Urdu films. " She has worked in several films with actors like late ATM Shamsuzzaman, and Ananta Jalil. 

She also acted in theatres. "It was a different time. Every neighbourhood would build stages and host dramas. People would gather and watch." 

Her daughter lives in West Bengal and her brothers in Oman. But Bulu does not want to go anywhere. "I was born in Dhaka, I worked here all my life. There was a time when I used to watch plenty of movies. You know aunty, you can survive here only if you have a real passion towards films." 

Every day, Bulu takes a bus from Syedabad to Hatirjheel. From Hatitjheel she walks to FDC. "My daughter often tells me to visit her.  Filmmaker Debashish Sarker told me there is a demand for aged actors like me in Kolkata. I was thinking of getting a passport and going there, just to see how it is." 

One film she would always remember was 'Maa er jonno morte pari' where she played the role of an elderly mother who was abandoned by her son. "Purnima was the lead actress. Maruf was the hero who berates the son for abandoning me. Later, the son carries me on his head in a big basket and asks for my forgiveness."   

From an extra to a props supplier

My conversation with Bulu grabbed the attention of Mohammad Selim, an extra artist and a props supplier in FDC. He was curious to know whether I was a part of Shilpi Samity!

Looking at the bearded, middle-aged man it is hard to believe he was once a young artist in FDC. "My first film was called 'Nyae Onnyae' with Nayok Alamgir. He was so tall and I looked so short beside him! I was a police officer here." 

Selim was recently in Ananta Jalil's film 'Kill Him'. He was the elderly mowlana in one of the songs about Eid. "It was okayed in one shot! I was so confident!"

His main profession these days however is supplying props to films, stage shows, theatres etc. "Before talking to you, I received a bKash payment for khaki (police uniforms) dresses for a stage show in Rangpur. They asked for uniforms worn before the Liberation War. I also sent a jailer's costume," he said, the enthusiasm clear in his voice.  

Selim's family does not like him working in films. His only daughter is studying to be a lawyer. 

'The film industry is dead' 

When Altaf Hossain Kajol came to the sitting area in front of the Shilpi Samity office, an office staff from inside shouted at Bulu and the others to leave. "Go away now, let him sit."

Altaf knew Bulu's background. "Her mother was so well known once, Bilkis Bari. But the poor thing is suffering now. It is sad to watch these things, really," he said with a sigh.  

Born in Howrah, West Bengal, he studied at Kolkata and came to Dhaka in 1969. His first film, where he was the lead hero, was released in 1974. It was on the Liberation War and he played the role of a freedom fighter. "That was the craze at that time, the Liberation War theme. Everyone liked it."

"Every good thing in our country dies at some point. The jute mills, the film industry - all dead. FDC used to be such a great, fun place. We used to come here every day and hang out with friends," he said.  

If the film industry is dead, it also means the death of so many peoples' careers. Altaf agreed by saying, "Soon these extra artists will have to stop acting. Some might become auto-rickshaw drivers, some might become RMG workers. It is absolutely heart-breaking."  

After realising that films were taking a toll on his business, Altaf quit acting and became a full-time businessman. "My last film was with late Manna. I probably played a doctor's role. It has been 23 years since." 

It was late in the evening and time for me to leave. Before I left, I requested Shefali to share one of her favourite dialogues with me. She thought for a few seconds and uttered these lines from a film where she played the role of a jailed dacoit, "Ami Goforgaon er dakat, dakat er chey khuni bhalo, shomman ase." (I am Goforgaon's dacoit, it is more respectable to be a murderer than a dacoit.)