Mita Chowdhury: A life dedicated to art, culture and 'natural' acting
Renowned actress Mita Chowdhury passed away on 29 June. The charismatic actor started her career in the late 1960s and gained prominence in the following decades. She was one of the pioneers of finely tuned natural acting in Bangladesh.
Have you ever watched a movie or television series and got completely immersed in a character portrayed by an actor? You must have. It's 2023 and the world of cinema and television offers us with many instances of brilliant and natural acting.
However, this was not the case in the 1970s, especially not in post-war-torn Bangladesh.
Naturally charismatic actors were few and far between and one of the torchbearers and pioneers of this school of acting was the renowned Mita Chowdhury; who, unfortunately, breathed her last on Thursday after a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer.
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"Life is full of culture and beauty but life is also just about living. Mita knew how to live; with beauty and with grace. Even when death appeared before her, she faced it with her graceful beauty," recalled Shampa Reza, a veteran singer and a childhood friend, when asked to describe Mita Chowdhury as a person.
"Mita possessed every quality that an ideal person could have. She embraced every chapter of her life so gracefully. After getting diagnosed, she dealt with every medical procedure and otherworldly things single-handedly," she added
Mita and Shampa had been friends for more than 60 years. They started their cultural journey together when they were children, Mita in acting, on the other hand, Shampa in singing. In the course of their lives, they were located in different parts of the world but they stayed connected and kept exchanging letters, books and knowledge.
After getting married, Mita moved to the United Kingdom and settled there. She also secured her master's degree in English there. She sporadically flew back to Bangladesh to keep working in the media. Her creative endeavours shined through plays, theatres and dramas. She even worked in British media too. Her last work, before she was diagnosed with cancer, was shot in Sri Lanka.
Award-winning actor Abul Hayat spoke briefly with The Business Standard and shared a few things; memories of a friendship with the late actress that transcended the boundaries of the workplace.
"I was initially introduced to Mita Chowdhury in the mid-70s when she was shooting for her very first television drama. We drifted apart when we relocated abroad. However, we reconnected 30-35 years later and that is when we started working together again," said Abul Hayat.
"She worked on a drama that I had written. Gradually, the friendship reignited. I had the fortune of getting to know her family too — her husband was a great man," added Abul, who was also invited to Mita's daughter's wedding.
"She was a brave woman. She battled cancer and received chemotherapy with a smile on her face. She was an extremely naturalistic actress with the sweetest of smiles. I lost a friend, a younger sister and a sincere colleague with her passing away," concluded Abul.
Meanwhile, veteran actor Suborna Mustafa took to social media and expressed her grief saying "Dear Mita, my beautiful, loving, talented friend…so hard to say goodbye."
Mita starred in Borof Gola Nodi (1975-76) television drama with Suborna Mustafa. Some of her later works include with the serial drama and movies such as 'Shanto Kutir' (2007), To Be Continued... (2017), Made in Bangladesh (2019) and Boishommo (2014).
Mita Chowdhury was 65 years of age at the time of her passing. She is survived by two children.
