Bangladesh entertainment industry growing: Mir

Mir Afsar Ali, much known as Mir for emceeing the famous Indian comedy reality show ‘Mirakkel Akkel Challenger ‘, is now visiting Dhaka for food vlogging. Arriving in Dhaka this time, Mir and his entourage paid homage to the 1952 language movement martyrs at the Central Shaheed Minar where, he thinks, ‘silence’ too loses its language. In a candid conversation with The Business Post’s Purba Zannat, Mir shared his experience and thoughts about Bangladesh.

How do you feel in Bangladesh?

So far I’m having a great time in Bangladesh. I and my team were planning to visit Bangladesh in 2020 but due to the pandemic situation and the lockdowns, we couldn’t make it. So, the plan had to be postponed for two years. As normalcy returns now, here we are. I am enjoying the tour.

Where did you go this time and what’s the purpose of this visit?

I have visited some places around Dhaka. Went to Dhaka University, where I met with the students of Dhaka University. I’m here to do food vlogging for Foodka this time. I tried Tentul-Morich Cha (Tamarind-Chilly Tea) at TSC which I had never tried before. Tried Kachchi Biriyani which is a must-have item, I must say. And how do I not mention other forms of biryanis… I’ve been on biryani since the very first day of my visit. I visited places including Puran Dhaka, Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur in Dhaka and also went to Mawa to see the river Padma and have its famous Ilish.

What’s the best part of this tour?

I had been to Bangladesh more than 7 or 8 times. The best part of this country is the hospitality of the people. It is beyond everything. The way people of Bangladesh welcome guests, I don’t think any other country does that. They always give a warm, cordial welcome which is amazing. I have visited a lot of countries, places, met lots of people from different cultures, from different strata. The warm cordial hospitality of Bangladeshi people, from the grassroots level to the well-off section, it’s all the same. This is something that touches my heart. This country is amazing!

How do you see the entertainment industry in Bangladesh? Who are your favourites?

I love the works of Bangladeshi media, their concepts, the movies and telefilms, everything. The industry is growing with time. It’s hard to mention anyone’s name. But if I have to, then I would say I like Chanchal Chowdhury. I really like Mosharraf Karim’s acting. I also like Badhon. I love her acting. Jaya Ahsan is working with our industry as well. I love her. I just mentioned a few names but there are so many Bangladeshi artistes whom I love. It’s hard to mention everyone.

While portraying Bangladeshi characters in movies or on TVs, directors in Kolkata try to put a peculiar accent on them which they think as ‘Bangal’ accent opposite to ‘Ghoti’ accent. But the reality is such an accent hardly exists in Bangladesh. Why does Tollywood use such an accent?

It is really tough for me to answer such a question standing in a country that shed blood for their language. It requires a detailed discussion and in short, I can say it is up to those who use the accents and how. The onus lies on the industry people how they would portray and speak in the language. I think I shouldn’t comment on that.