MAZNUN MEZAN

Recently Star Showbiz caught up with Maznun Mezan, someone we've all seen on both the big and small screen several times over the past decade. We tried to find out what it's like to be a full-time professional actor and a concerned member of the society at the same time.

1. What inspired you to take up acting?
I grew up in my home village and was there till my HSC. However, when I was in grade four I went to visit my elder brother who was studying in college at the time. While there we decided to watch a movie at the cinema, it was at that point in my life I knew I wanted to be on the big screen.

2. Was the road to becoming an actor a troublesome one?
It always is, especially for someone with a background like mine, but I was determined and adamant in doing so and I kept figuring out the things I needed to get done in order to become an actor. I did this by taking the day to day aspects of my life and treating them as roles, for example, when having dinner with my mother, I told myself, this is my new role, that I should act as if I'm having dinner. Even now, while we are talking, I'm treating it as a new role.

3. What did you do before taking up acting?
Well I grew up in my home village; my father was a farmer who owned a grocery shop. After obtaining my HSC certificate, I applied to Jahangirnagar University to study drama in their Theater Department, but due to admission policies, I had to study Geography instead. But I worked with the theater department and studied drama as well on the side.

4. How did your family respond to your career choice?
To be honest, there was no pressure from my family of any kind. You see, I was the youngest member of my family and had almost no specific responsibilities, and therefore I had total freedom. My family members didn't understand the situation at all; what I wanted to do, what I plan to do and so on. So I had total freedom to do whatever I wanted.

5. How long have you been working as an actor? Are you living your dream?
I worked with Dhaka Theater from 1996 till 2006, after which I moved to acting in movies and on television which I still do. So far my passion for acting has led me to portray characters in more than 600 television and film roles. I am living my dream, and right now is my time to shine – because in acting, maturity only comes after a certain period of time.

6. Tell us about some of your most notable works.
One of my most notable roles was in a huge social campaign against AIDS in 2002, which was directed by Amitabh Reza and was broadcasted across the nation. It was to educate and inform those in our country who do back breaking labor, farmers and villagers about AIDS. Since then I've worked with Humayun Ahmed in two of his movies, 'Noy number Bipod Shonket' and 'Amar Ache Jol'.

7. Now that you've matured as an actor, what kind of work are you looking for?
I can't really say that I've matured entirely, because I feel that it is a process that takes 20 years or more to do so. Right now I feel like I haven't really done anything, I feel that it is now that I must do something legendary, perhaps something regarding the liberation war, or regarding the language movement. I've already spoken to a few filmmakers about this and it's under process.

8. Since you've been acting for such a long time do you see yourself making films?
No, I still don't see myself as an actor with that much experience, that and I'm happy acting, I prefer acting over filmmaking. I say this because I still haven't fulfilled my desire to act. Like I said before I still haven't done anything major yet. I do have a desire to work in art films, granted they aren't always commercially successful but at the end of the day they are good films.

9.  What kind of TV dramas do you prefer?
I believe that TV dramas have a responsibility towards the audience, the nation, society, and the people. You see I don't think dramas should just be about laughs, I think they need to carry more meaning and depth; they need to make people think. But personally I prefer dramas that deal with the liberation war.

10. Tell us about your future plans.
I plan to continue acting for as long as I can and hopefully land a few roles of my preference. I also want to spread awareness of the hardships farmers go through as a kind of a social campaign; I mean after all, they are the backbone of our nation.