Once-in-a-lifetime experience for me to work in ‘Bangabandhu’: Arifin Shuvoo

They say ‘success is not everyone’s cup of tea’. This adage is not true from any angle for Arifin Shuvoo, rather he is destined to enjoy all the trappings of success. Making his debut in the mainstream cinema with ‘Purno Doirgho Prem Kahini’ in 2007, popular Dhallywood film star Arifin Shuvoo has strained every nerve to win the hearts of the audience with his unique performance over the years. Dipankar Dipon-directed blockbuster film ‘Dhaka Attack’ catapulted him into the stardom. Alongside winning a National Film Award as the best film actor, he received several accolades, including Meril Prothom Alo Awards, for his brilliant performance in different films. Arifin Shuvoo is currently shooting for the role of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the biopic named ‘Bangabandhu’, for which he took only Tk 1 as remuneration. In a candid conversation with The Business Post’s Antara Raisa, the actor has shared his experience and thoughts about working in this biopic and other recent works. 

The Business Post: What are you currently busy with?

Shuvoo: I was doing pre-production works of the film ‘Noor’ before the lockdown. The shooting was supposed to start in June. But due to this lockdown and heavy rain, we have postponed the shooting till August. 

TBP: Tell us more about the film ‘Noor’.

Shuvoo: It will be a romantic film, where I’m playing the titular role, Noor. I’m also the executive producer of the film. I don’t want to disclose any other information related to the film right now.

TBP: Would you please tell us about your experience of working in the biopic ‘Bangabandhu’?

Shuvoo: It has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me to work in the film ‘Bangabandhu’. It’s an incomparable sense of pleasure that I have never felt before. As long as I’m working, I have never worked on such a broad-scale project before. I believe that no artiste in our industry has worked on such a broad-scale film. 

TBP: What kind of preparation did you have to take to portray this character?

Shuvoo: We were supposed to start the shooting of this film before the lockdown. But things didn’t go according to the plan. So, I got almost a year to prepare myself for this character. Mainly, I followed three steps -- listening, watching, and reading. I have watched all the footage of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman that I have collected from the archive. I have watched them repeatedly. I have taken multiple sessions with historians and people who were close to him to know him better. Among them, Col (Retd) Sajjad and our honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina helped me a lot to know about his lifestyle, philosophy and his family. I have also read books about him to know him in a much more detailed and better ways. 

TBP: Does that mean you have taken a huge preparation for this character?

Shuvoo: I have tried my best. But I still don’t think it’s enough to know him better. No amount of study is enough to know him and his philosophy. But I tried as much as I could. 

TBP: How did you get selected for the role of Bangabandhu?

Shuvoo: It happened very coincidentally. The writer of this film, Shama Zaidi, spotted me at a Mumbai film festival when she saw my film ‘Ahaa Re’ and she contacted me through the production house. When director Shyam Benegal came to Kolkata to see the location of the biopic ‘Bangabandhu’, I was asked to come and meet him. I met him and gave audition. I gave five auditions; two auditions in India and three others in Bangladesh.  

I remember the incident when they called me for my look test last year, when I was shooting in Dubai. When I got the call, I just directly flew from Dubai to Mumbai to give the look test. So, this is not just a film for me. It is my greatest achievement as a Bangladeshi citizen, as an artiste and as a human being.

TBP: You took Tk 1 only as your remuneration for the film. What inspired you to do so?

Shuvoo: When I started researching Bangabandhu in details, I got to know that a big part of his life was spent in prison. He spent 11 years 4 months and 22 days in prison in 55 years of his lifetime. He made a huge sacrifice for this country. And at the end of his life, Bangabandhu not only lost his life, but also lost his full family within the difference of only one night. I wanted to feel this sacrifice. And our generation did not see Bangabandhu in real life. So, I thought if I want to touch him deeply, I need to feel the sacrifice. I can’t do much on my part. So, I took Tk 1 as remuneration so that I can feel that it’s not only a job for me to portray the character, rather it’s a responsibility. 

TBP: Why did you take just Tk 1, why not any other amount?

Shuvoo: I’m a professional artiste. As I’m putting my hard work, talent and time on this film, so I didn’t want to do it for free. And that’s why, I took one taka only.

TBP: What are your parameters for choosing a film? Do you want to do art films in future?

Shuvoo: I don’t have any different definitions for art film and commercial film. I don’t want to believe in those categories. When I listen to a story of any film, I just see if the story touches my heart or not. I don’t think whether it’s a commercial or an art film. I do films that I genuinely like. When I did ‘Purno Doirgho Prem Kahini’, I was not even in the lead role, still I did that because I liked the story. When Shama Zaidi spotted me in ‘Ahaa Re’, there was not any action scene, no item song. Still, Shama Zaidi spotted me. So, I believe in the story. 

When I came from Mymensingh to Dhaka, I had only Tk 297 in my pocket. Now, I’m doing the role of ‘Bangabandhu’. What more can I want from life? People love me, people love to watch my films. I get chances to do what I love. I don’t have any desire for money. 

TBP: Your performance in the web series ‘Contract’ was appreciated by the audience. Do you have plans to work on web series more?  

Shuvoo: It all depends on the Covid-19 situation. As in, my film ‘Mission Extreme’ was supposed to release last year. Then, it got delayed due to the pandemic. So, everything has come to a halt. I’m not thinking of any new plans right now. But, I am getting offers from outside the country for films and web series. So, I’m hopeful that when the situation improves, I will get the chance to represent my country before the world.