Didn’t expect nat’l award too soon: Siam

Winning the National Film Award for best actor in a leading role in ‘Bishwoshundori’ (2020) came as a surprise for Siam Ahmed. It was not unexpected to’ him and he rather enjoying the reaction from people in his surroundings.

“I was kind of surprised when I first heard of the news. The thing is, I was not able to express anything. It was a mixed feeling, overwhelming too. But I was enjoying the joy, celebration, and happiness of people around me over the news. It’s like something that you highly desired and worked hard for that but never expected to get it soon…It was kind of that feeling for me. I was seeing the joy of my family and realised something big just happened.”

Siam was unwilling to name any single individual as his source of inspiration. “It will be an injustice if I name any specific one. While working, many inspired me to work hard. Since childhood, I was a huge fan of Salman Shah. He was the inspiration behind me working in the Bangladeshi Film industry. My father always supported me from the very beginning. My mother supported me when she saw me dedicated to my work. My wife Abantee… She was there for me from the very begging of my acting career. Everyone tried to inspire me from their place,” he said.

Siam seemed to be grateful to his team, the public relations agents, managers and directors who kept trust in him. “This award inspired me to work harder in future.” he added.

Siam prefers to work spontaneously instead of a planned manner. “I never did anything with a detailed plan. Planning actually brings nothing, I think. Whatever I have done till date, came to me randomly and somehow, I was always offered for those jobs, with which I could connect myself.  I never actually had a chance to plan things out. I just want to work with full dedication on projects that I can connect with.”

Siam is now working on promotional for his newly released movie ‘Taan’ directed by Raihan Rafi. He is also working dubbing of ‘Damal’ and shooting for ‘Antarjal’.

Apart from that, Siam is excited about the release of the movie ‘Shaan’. He said, “It is kind of movie which audience of every age will like and can watch it in theaters. I hope the audience will get the entertainment factor in this film. I am hopeful that, ‘Shaan’ might be able to grab audiences in the cinema hall.”

Siam is optimistic about the Bangladeshi film industry. “Let’s be very honest, this is our industry. We have to think positively about the industry so that it can develop. We are already seeing changes, a positive change. This change was not possible without the support of everyone. I am very much aware of the expectations of audience and I’m taking the responsibility to fulfill that as well.”

For the newcomers to the industry, Siam tried to inspire them saying, “If you want to work there is no other option than working hard and being honest. It’s not about good or bad but the fact will be how hard you tried to do your job. I want to say to them that, giving up is not an option at all. Your hard work will pay off sooner or later.”