Dilara Zaman on celebrating her 79th birthday

Ekushey Padak and National Film Award-winning actor Dilara Zaman celebrates her 79th birthday today. She started her acting career with theatre in the early 1960s. She soon emerged as one of the most popular faces on television after her debut in 1965 with the tele-fiction "Tridhara", before gradually making her way into films.

The actor has been busy with shooting on the sets of "Daimukti", directed by Badrul Alam Khokon, on her birthday this year.

With numerous good wishes and prayers from her family, friends, and fans, her morning has been special. "I have received many birthday wishes over phone calls. My nieces have visited me with gifts, which made my day," she says.

Hearing from her daughters has been the best gift for the actor. "My daughters Zobaira, who currently lives in the States, and Tania, who resides in Canada, were the first people to call me today," she says.

Every year, this day leaves the actor in nostalgia. It reminds her of her childhood days in Jashore, where she used to spend hours collecting mangoes from trees and enjoy the rainy afternoons. "I used to run outside as soon as the weather got cloudy," recalls Dilara Zaman. "There was a kodom flower tree near our house and I loved sitting by it."

The actor also shares her memories of 1954, when she shifted to Dhaka from the narrow familiar lanes of Jashore. "I used to be in college back in the days and we had to take chariots to go to classes," she shares.

Dilara Zaman has been delivering back-to-back commendable performances both on television and on the silver screen. Her film "Suzuki" was released a few days ago and she has finished shooting for a few projects, including Omar Farukh's "Ma" and "Antresṭrikriya", and Shyam Benegal's "Bangabandhu".