Pyari Begum of Mukh O Mukhosh no more

Pyari Begum, renowned actress and the female lead of the first ever Bangla feature film produced here, "Mukh O Mukhosh", breathed her last yesterday at her Uttara residence.

She was 87 years old at the time of her passing.

The news of her death was confirmed to the media by her son, Robiul Amin.

Pyari Begum was married to actor Aminul Haque.

Funeral prayers were held at a mosque in Uttara after Esha prayers, followed by her burial at the Sector 12 cemetery.

Directed by Abdul Jabbar Khan, "Mukh O Mukhosh" was released on August 3, 1956, merely four years after the historic Language Movement of 1952.

Growing discontent among Bengalis regarding the exploitation and discrimination by West Pakistan was on the rise. Bangalee technicians and workers in the film industry were becoming disillusioned with the Pakistani film industry. Kolkata, having become the centre of the Bangalee film industry due to partition, was progressing in film production at the time.

Finding female artistes for such a project was a challenge in the 1950s. Initially, director Abdul Jabbar contemplated having a man dressed as a woman for the film, a common practice in stage plays at the time.

Later, Abdul Jabbar Khan placed an advertisement in the newspaper to find an actress for "Mukh O Mukhosh". Pyari Begum, an intermediate student at Eden College, and her friend Zahrat Ara responded to the advertisement published in Chitrali magazine. They would go to the office of Iqbal Films in Nawab Katra. Thus, the journey of Pyari Begum in the Bangla film industry began.

Pyari Begum's demise follows the passing of Zahrat Ara, her co-actress in "Mukh O Mukhosh", on July 19, 2021.

In her final interview with The Daily Star in 2021, Pyari Begum spoke about the loss of her friend and co-artiste Zahrat Ara, "My close friend and co-actor Zahrat Ara has passed away. I am quite old now. There are a lot of things I do not remember. Even then, I am glad to have been an actor in the first ever Bangla feature film."