Pocket full of dreams for Pranto

"My father was a theatre actor, but he never had the opportunity to pursue acting and became a journalist instead," shares Pranto. "I believe that his unfulfilled dream was passed down to me, and I was meant to carry it forward." In recent years, few rising actors have been more determined to prove their range than Abid Bin Parvez Pranto. From TVCs to short films and eventually fiction, he has steadily marked himself as an actor intent on versatility.

The young actor first appeared in commercials, including Grameenphone, KFC, bKash, and eventually as the face of Duronto Bicycle. At that time, even he admits he wasn't chomping at the bit to jump straight into heavy roles. "Ads gave me a chance to face the camera, to learn, but I knew I couldn't stay there forever."

That test came with "Lift Together" and "Ek Guccho Kodom"; romantic shorts under Closeup's "Kache Ashar Golpo" series. They gave him warmth from audiences, but they also pushed him beyond being a passing screen face.

The real transformation, however, came with his debut in fiction, "Khalid", directed by Taneem Rahman Angshu. Though it was only a cameo, Pranto pushed himself with method acting; fasting for a full day before a crucial scene. "If I weren't hungry, the scream wouldn't have carried that raw edge," he recalls, still writhing at the memory of the physical strain. "But it paid off. Sometimes you have to push your body that far if you don't want the scene to fall flat."

For a young actor, this embrace of method acting is rare. "It boggles my mind that many newcomers still treat small parts as a throwaway," Pranto says. "Even a short scene can change people's impression of you." "I experimented so much that sometimes audiences couldn't recognise me from one TVC to the next. If I had sunglasses in one, then in the next I'd show up with long hair; different looks, same person," he recalls.

That experimentation later fed into his short film "Ek Guccho Kodom", starring opposite Parsha Mahjabeen Purnee. "TVCs and short films give you the shortest amount of time, but within that limited window, you still have to change into different expressions. In long dramas, you get time to settle into emotions, but here you play against the clock," he explains.

Alongside acting, Pranto has also tapped into his creativity behind the camera. With his group Mafia Entertainment Original, he has directed a number of independent projects, including the hip-hop music video "Ganjam – Guerrillaz of Dhaka", a tribute to Deshi MCs that brought together young musicians and producer Aziz Badhon. He has even worked as an associate director on the short film "24 August (Blood of Love)" on YouTube. These projects may not have had the spotlight of television dramas, but for Pranto, they were opportunities to experiment with filmmaking, teamwork, and direction. Still, he is clear that acting remains his main focus, directing is more of a creative playground than a serious career move.

Beyond romance and thrillers, Pranto's admiration for Shakib Khan has also steered him toward action. He credits the Dhallywood superstar as his idol. Inspired by that, Pranto has begun training in mixed martial arts to add physical credibility to his craft. "When I say I want to do action, I want my body to know it too," he explains. "Shakib bhai is my inspiration, but I want to build my own style of versatility. I don't want to be boxed in."

For now, Pranto stays grounded, often talking about how much he has learned on set. He says it's the directors who keep guiding him to find the subtleties in a character. "Every director I've worked with has shown me another angle; how to carry myself, how to switch into expressions." That guidance, he adds, is slowly helping him create a signature look of his own.

Pranto now has his eyes set on what's next. He is currently working on NTV's upcoming drama "Delete History", and "Mayamoyee", Vicky Zahed's "Khowabnama" airing on YouTube, and will return in the Angshu directorial "Khalid 2", which begins shooting later this year.