‘I miss Bangladesh every single day’: Aparna Ghose
Actress Aparna Ghose has won the National Film Award twice. She has won praise for her performances in “Bhuban Majhi”, “Gondi”, “Mrittika Maya” and “Meghmallar”. She has also acted in numerous television dramas and worked as a model. Her career began on stage.
Aparna now lives in Japan, where she teaches at a school. Her husband lives with her there. She spoke to The Daily Star about her life and career.
“My father used to work in theatre,” said Aparna. “From my school days, I went with him to watch plays and rehearsals. That is where my interest in stage drama began.” She started acting on stage in the play “Court Martial”.
Her first television drama was “Bhalobashi Tobuo”. Actor Apurba played opposite her, and veteran actress Dilara Zaman played her mother. “I was naturally nervous before standing in front of the camera for the first time,” she said.
Soon after that drama aired, Aparna did an advertisement for ACI, directed by Amitabh Reza Chowdhury. “That advertisement was the turning point of my career,” she said. “It became very popular and brought me wide recognition.”
Her first popular television series was “Housefull”, broadcast on NTV. “That drama created a huge sensation at the time,” she said. “I played the character of Faria, and viewers began calling me by that name.”
Aparna won her first National Film Award for “Mrittika Maya”, directed by Gazi Rakayet. She won her second National Film Award for “Gondi”. The film also featured actress Suborna Mustafa and the celebrated Indian actor Sabyasachi Chakrabarty. “Acting alongside them was an amazing experience. I learned a lot from them,” said Aparna.
She also won praise for “Bhuban Majhi”, a film about the Liberation War. “It is my favourite film,” she said. “I have always had a special fondness for stories from the war, because I grew up listening to accounts of it from my family. I received a great deal of praise for playing the character of Farida in that film.”
Asked about her parents’ contribution to her career, Aparna said it was significant. “If I had not had a good environment from my parents in my childhood, I do not know whether I would have become an actress,” she said. “Going to art school and learning singing and dancing all happened because of them. My mother, in particular, always wanted this for me, even when my father sometimes said no.”
Aparna has lived in Japan for several years. Her husband and her father are both there with her. “I am teaching here,” she said. “But I miss Bangladesh every day and every moment. I am doing well here, but I still love my own country the most.”
Asked whether she misses her acting career, she said, “I really miss those days.”
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