Most of characters I played more of a humour, not comedy

Mukit Zakaria, a common face in the media industry, is now passing a busy time. He has already created a big fan base with his acting skill. Apart from acting in daily soaps, tele-dramas and cinemas, he is also a known face in advertisements too. In a conversation with The Business Post’s Purba Zannat, Mukit talked about his life and career.

What keeps you busy nowadays?

I’m currently busy with Eid projects. Along with that, I’m busy with the serials which are currently running on different television channels. I’m now working on nine or ten daily soaps which include ‘Online Offline’, ‘Shanti Malam 10 Taka’, ‘Family Crisis Reloaded’ and more. But, mostly I’m busy with the single projects. The audience will be seeing me in some TVCs too. The TVCs include Pran, Marico, Nagad and some more. I’ve already completed shooting for two TVCs for Pran.

Do you have anything on your mind while selecting a character?

I don’t usually choose my characters. It’s totally up to the writer and director who choose which character suits me. And I don’t know why people say that I play comedy characters most of the time? The fact is most of the characters I play, which make people laugh, are not a comedy but have more humour in them. Think about ‘Chaayer Dame Shorbot Pailam’ (Getting sorbet with the price of tea), where is comedy here? Isn’t it more of a humorous joke, humour? Maximum TVCs or dramas I’ve worked for have humour in them. I try to adapt what’s needed for the character. I want to play various characters.

How did your journey in acting begin?

The story behind my acting career has a long story. I never got family support and had to struggle a lot in my childhood. In between, I was even a part of a band for a while but I also had to do music secretly. Then, I got a job at a multinational company which also makes TVCs and dramas. Even in my profession, I had to face workplace malpractice and bias. I was forbidden to even go to the shooting floor. My co-workers were also getting paid more than I. Then I met Mostofa Sarwar Farooki and he introduced me to Sharaf Ahmed Jibon. I made my acting debut in 2008 with Sharaf Ahmed Jibon’s ‘Saari’. I used to do shooting in holidays but after my boss got to know that I am acting in dramas, he cancelled my day-offs and forced me to work seven days. After a point, I resigned from there and started my full time acting career. That’s how my journey was. I want to thank the journalists and another person I want to mention is Mostofa Sarwar Farooki. Because of them, I could reach where I’m now.

Which one of your works you do consider the best till now?

For me, every character I played is the best one. People loved me and sometimes even call me by the names of my characters. So, I can’t define which one is my best till now.

Do the kinds of characters you usually play reflect in your personal life?

Not at all. The characters I play are something I adapted for the sake of shooting. Sometimes I play as a characterless boss; sometimes I play caretaker or a banker and whatnot. It’s because of the characters I get changed on screen but in real life, I’m not that. I am a cool-headed person in my personal life.