RECALLING DITI

“Diti was an actor with good soul”
...Farooque

Farooque, the once-powerful actor of the silver screen, presented his audience with numerous hit films. During his screen time, he shared space with many actors, and Diti was one of them. Diti and Farooque together had a number of memorable films. In a recent chat with The Daily Star, Farooque reminisced on his co-actor.

“I could go on about Diti and it would be a volume of books. I am shocked; I am heartbroken to learn about her death,” said the actor.

“We did a number of films together. She was the heroine in the film 'Shuud Ashol', which was my production. Narayn Ghosh Mita was the director, and during the shooting I noticed a rare talent in Diti. She acted with total dedication.

“And the most important part was that, Diti was an actor with good soul. If an artiste does not possess a refined mentality, I would not call them an artiste. But Diti embodied all the qualities that an artiste should have. She was a big star, and a human being of great stature.

“Just before Diti was diagnosed with cancer, some of the popular faces from film arena gathered my home for a party. Diti was not there, but someone from my home called her. Diti was upset to hear that we were hanging out without her.

Photo: Sheikh Mehedi Morshed

“Diti would keep her colleagues close, and treat them like her family members. She was very close to me, and I was like a member of her family. Today she is not among us, and this hurts me more than everything else.

“I am gradually losing my close people from the film arena. I cannot take this and it hurts badly.”

“Diti was a cool-headed person, and had very good sense of humour. When she lost her husband, Diti brought up her children with great care and love. Besides, she continued her passion in acting.” 

“Why did she have to leave us so early?”
-- Champa 

Multiple National Film Award-winner Champa worked with Diti in several projects. Recalling Diti, Champa expressed her sorrow at the death of the popular actress of '90's.

“I felt very sad for her. I still can't believe Diti is not among us anymore. Why life is so short-lived and why did she have to leave us so early?”

“There was a time when we dominated the film industry. Even then, Diti was never jealous of my success. Not only that, she never even felt proud for her position. We were so friendly that others thought we came from the same family.

“To become a skilled artiste, you need to be passionate and dedicated. It's not possible overnight. Diti was an experienced artiste but she left us all so early. If only she lived longer, she could have contributed more to the industry.

“In her last days, we hardly met but we were very attached. Although we co-acted in only a few films, we were very close.

“Once we had to stay at the same shooting location for the film 'Bhai; that also cast Iliyas Kanchan and Manna. It was an outdoor shoot. My room was opposite to Diti. There was a door between the rooms. After wrapping up the shooting, we would chat along for hours together. There are many fond memories of the film. She was gorgeous and elegant. During shooting, I would often stare at her and told her how beautiful she was!

“Once Diti told me that she wanted to produce a film under the direction of her daughter Lamia. She also informed that we would work together in the project. 

“I shot an Eid programme for a satellite channel at Diti's home. We were the anchors of the programme. I was very nervous of being an anchor but Diti assured me that I could do it. This is how Diti always extended a helping hand for her co-artistes.

May Almighty bestow peace upon her departed soul.”