An actor par excellence

Tariq Anam Khan is a name familiar to theatre and TV audiences in Bangladesh. As an actor and director he has made a mark for himself. Khan has also appeared on the silver screen. His performance as the titular Thakur, in the British-Bangladeshi feature film “The Last Thakur” (directed by Sadik Ahmed) has earned him much accolade.
Shah Alam Shazu recently caught up with the seasoned actor. Excerpts from the interview:
The Daily Star (TDS): What are you busy with at the moment?
Tariq: Shooting for TV plays takes up most of my time. Each month -- from the 20th-30th, I shoot for the TV serial “Gulshan Avenue”.
TDS: Are you currently working on a film?
Tariq: I've been cast in Humayun Ahmed's movie “Ghetu Putro Komola”; shooting for Salahuddin Lavlu's “Warish” will probably begin after Eid-ul-Azha.
TDS: “Gulshan Avenue” recently aired its 400th episode. Tell us about the serial.
Tariq: It follows a family's daily life. The play centres on the conflict involving money and power. Nima Rahman planned it wonderfully. Viewers love the serial because it offers them something new.
TDS: Many allege that “Gulshan Avenue” is based on Indian serials. Your take on this?
Tariq: This is an allegation we have faced for a while now. People watch Hindi serials all the time. They do so because the serials have some attractive features. No one can be blamed for watching these soap operas, or “family drama” as they're popularly known, as they have a significant way to present a story with dynamism and dramatic elements. I won't say “Gulshan Avenue” imitates Hindi serials, but I will say it takes some elements from a popular setting. If we can do so and create something original, where is the problem? I know many viewers who shifted to “Gulshan Avenue” from watching Hindi serials. This is definitely a positive side.
TDS: The Television Producers Association (TPA), Directors Guild and Abhinoy Shilpi Shongho recently formed a policy. As the general secretary of TPA, what is your opinion of the policy?
Tariq: The policy has been formed, but it requires time to realise it. We have a lack of discipline. We claim to be professionals but professionalism is yet to be adopted fully by us. If an order and certain working standards are established then it will be beneficial for everyone.
TDS: What is the biggest obstacle TV plays face?
Tariq: The biggest problem is that the market has not developed in the country. We have many existing TV channels, some more on the pipeline. But the ever-expanding media relies on advertisements. So during an Eid-special play, fifteen minutes of advertisements run for every 10 minutes of a play. The channels' logic is that they have to survive in the competitive market as well.
TDS: Your theatre group 'Natya Kendra' celebrated its 20 years yesterday. What do you consider to be the troupe's achievements and failures?
Tariq: Twenty years is relatively nothing. 'Aranyak' or 'Nagorik' are older organisations than us. Our primary goal while founding the group was to stage plays that would personally benefit us, be meaningful and offer wholesome entertainment. As there were no acting schools back then, learning from the troupe was also our intention. We also managed to create our own audience, which is an achievement. New blood is joining, as well as some leaving. One of our failures has been producing few plays in the past. We couldn't hold on to our members. We also failed to create a small studio theatre as planned. More practice was needed, while we failed to produce playwrights within the group.
We are attending the Cairo International Festival this month; our group has been selected to represent Bangladesh by the government. We also have plans to hold a festival by December this year.