Mehazabien awarded for ‘Alo’

The Bangladesh Police Women’s Network has awarded versatile small-screen actress Mehazabien Chowdhury for her performance in the Mahmudur Rahman Hime-directed drama ‘Alo’ where she played the role of a traffic sergeant. The drama is also written by Mehazabien herself.

Aired on Rtv during last Eid-ul-Azha, the drama depicts the struggles that female sergeants go through every day while performing their duties.

Amena Begum, President of BPWN and DIG (Protection and Protocol), Special Branch handed over a crest to Mehzabien at the Special Branch office of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on Thursday, as  recognition for her outstanding performance in the drama.

The storyline of ‘Alo’ based on a female sergeant named Alo played by Mehazabien, who joined the traffic police to fulfill her father’s dream. Being a woman, she has to face physical and mental obstacles regularly while performing her duties. As the story progresses, Alo was threatened by a truck driver after he was stopped by Alo and sued for drunk driving and expired license. The driver even makes an abusive comment at Alo. Basically, the drama shows the obstacles that a female sergeant faces every day just because being a woman.

Mehazabien told The Business Post on Friday, “I am very honoured and happy to receive such a crest from Bangladesh Police. I didn’t even assume that people will love this drama or I will get any recognition for it. I think my hard work paid off and the message I was intended to give was well received.”

“Gratitude to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police; I am overwhelmed by the way they have honoured us and rewarded our drama ‘Alo’. I am grateful to Rtv and my team to make the drama a success,” she added.

While asked about the story behind the drama, Mehazabien said, “I thought that women generally face many obstacles at their workplaces in Bangladesh, especially when they work in fields. They face harassment and barriers in various forms. Most of the families in our society don’t even want to allow women to work outside. I tried to shed light on this matter. Female sergeants contribute a lot to ensure road safety. They have to sacrifice a lot for that. I wrote the drama to inspire more women to join in the police force.”

Directed by Mahmudur Rahman Hime, the drama ‘Alo’ also features Manoj Pramanik, alongside Mehazabien, in the lead role.