Syed Zakir Ahmed Rony

Young entrepreneur Syed Zakir Ahmed Rony stepped into the world of acting when his friend, TV play director Ananta Hira, offered him a role in one of his productions. The play was never aired, but Rony's acting career did take off. He made his debut in a TV serial Mohona, aired on ATN Bangla in 2005. The Daily Star recently caught up with this upcoming actor.
With a Master's degree in marketing, Rony went into the business world with ease. However, he discovered his true calling in the media. In his words, "In my university days, I was keen on sports and student politics. However, I never thought of a career in the media. I am enjoying it thoroughly.”
So far, Rony has been featured in 12 TV plays and serials including Kobi, Seat Khali Bhara Hobey, To let, Aguner Alo and Aloknagar.
The character of Atahar, one of the three poets in Humayun Ahmed's Kobi, gave him a firm niche. As Rony puts it, “Though Kobi was my breakthrough role, I had a sense of dissatisfaction about it. The play was an adaptation of a Humayun Ahmed classic. It was hard to retain the depth of the novel in the play. I felt that I could and should have done better.”
Rony has his hands full at the moment. He plays the role of Paban Pankhiraj, a charming yet "flop" lead actor in Aloknagar, an ongoing TV serial on ATN Bangla. "I am getting positive feedback from viewers at home and abroad. Underlying an apparent comical approach, Paban is a multi-dimensional character. Several episodes of Aloknagar centre on him."
Asked about his choice of characters, Rony smilingly says, "I don't want to play characters that are similar. In fact, when I started out, many said I would not fit into the serious or unconventional roles. I think I proved the sceptics wrong."
In fact, Rony is so charged with his progress as an actor, he is now contemplating taking up acting as a fulltime career. The actor says, "I am so involved in acting now that I don't mind if my business is affected. Given the positive response from the audience and directors, I am now considering dedicating myself to it. I have plans to act in films too."
"Despite several limitations, our media has become a thriving industry. With so many creative, experimental and quality works, we have reasons to feel positively about it," says an optimistic Rony.
The actor now looks forward to his role in Belal Ahmed's upcoming 52-episode TV serial Cinemawala, an adaptation of a novel by eminent Bengali litterateur Shamaresh Majumdar.