Aupee Karim makes a strong comeback to acting

Bangladeshi actress Aupee Karim entered the entertainment industry in 1999 through the Lux Superstar beauty pageant. After that, from modelling in commercials to acting in TV and stage plays regularly, she did it all. 

Her numerous dramas are still loved by the audience to this day. Aupee has also shown extraordinary skills not only in acting, but also in dancing, which has brought her several accolades both nationally and abroad.

However, all of these accolades are from a time gone by. Somewhere in between, Aupee took a long break from acting for a multitude of reasons, only to return last February.

But this time, it happened in a motion picture, rather than a drama. Based on a short tale by Manik Bandopadhya, 'Mayar Janjal' is a film that Indranil Roychowdhury both directed and wrote. It was released in theatres in Bangladesh and Kolkata on 24 February.

In the film, Aupee portrays a character by the name of Soma, a woman from Kolkata who is wed to Ritvik Chakraborty, who plays Chandu. They have a child together, but her husband is unemployed. 

To enrol her child into an English-medium school, Soma must labour at the home of renowned actor Paran Banerjee. Soma's relationship with her family deteriorates as she adapts to her work. The struggles of a middle class family continue to be a part of her existence. 

"Manik Bandopadhyay is my favourite writer. It was quite a challenge for me to act in a film based on his story. But with the assistance of my co-stars and the director, I attempted to pull off this challenging role. Only the audience can judge my level of success on my part. But at this point in my acting career, being able to portray such a role has been positive for me," said Aupee.

Aupee has also been teaching at a private university for the past few years. Despite her tight schedule, she still shows a positive attitude towards acting. "Apart from work, family and children, I always give priority to the better projects. If I get the opportunity to act on a good script, I try to do it because I always have the urge to perform something really good," she said.

For some time, it was rumoured that Aupee Karim may have left acting for good in order to teach. Mayar Janjal was shot back in 2019, after which again she was not seen in acting. Many among the audience and the entertainment world readily assumed that Aupee will not be returning to acting ever again.  

"I really haven't quit acting. I believe I still have a great deal to offer to acting. In essence, Covid-19 is to blame for the lengthy acting hiatus. In addition, becoming a mother distanced me from performing. I will, however, appear on screen every now and then. I just need a compelling narrative and compelling characters. When that has been ensured, the audience will certainly be able to see me act again," Aupee said in reference to her absence. 

Earlier she acted in two movies. One was "Shangkhanil Jail" by Humayun Ahmed and the other was "Bachelor", by Mustafa Sarayar Farooqui. For the latter, she won the National Film Award for Best Actress in 2004.

She was also seen as a TV anchor for a long time. Aupee also has a knack for singing and music. Many are excited about her announcement of becoming a regular in the entertainment world again.  

Aupee thinks that at present, there is a lot of acting going around, but with this quantity, quality has been compromised. The lack of good, skilled artists is an obstacle. So, Aupee's return may be a welcome change.