Bobita

Bobita
Native name ববিতা
Born Farida Akhter Poppy
July 30[1]
Jessore, East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh)
Nationality Bangladeshi
Occupation Actress
Children Onik (son)
Relatives Shuchanda (sister)
Champa (sister)
Zahir Raihan (brother-in-law)
Riaz (cousin)
Omar Sani (nephew)
Moushumi (niece-in-law)
Awards National Film Awards

Farida Akhter (known by her stage name Bobita;[2] July 30) is a Bangladeshi film actress. She is best known for her performance in Satyajit Ray’s Distant Thunder, a novel adaptation about the Bengal famine of 1943, which won the Golden Bear prize at the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival in 1973. She was active in the 1970s through 1990s as an actress in Bangladeshi films.[3][4]

Early life

Bobita was born to an educated family that had its origins in the west-Bangladeshi district of Jessore, Bangladesh. Her nickname is Poppy. She has two sisters and three brothers. Bobita's mother studied in Lady Brabourne College in Calcutta.[5] In an interview with the Independent newspaper in 2004, Bobita says that it was Afzal Chowdhury who suggested the screen name Bobita for her. In another interview with the Daily Star in 2005, she mentions that Zahir Raihan originally casts her for the movie Shongshaar.[6] A different version of the story is that she adopted the name after appearing in Ehtesham's movie Pitch Dhala Path.[7]

Bobita's brother-in-law Zahir Raihan first cast her for his movie Jaltey Suraj Ka Nichey. The film was not completed in the end but she found a break-through into the Dhaka film industry. Her first released feature was Shesh Porjonto.

Career

Actor

Bobita's notable work includes Shukhe Thako, Taka Anna Pai, Shorolipi, Manusher Mon, Pich Dhala Path, Noyon Moni, Jonmo Theke Jolchi and Anarkoli. Her acting gained the attention of the Indian director Satyajit Ray. In 1973, Ray cast Bobita in Ashani Sanket ("Distant Thunder"), his film about the Bengal famine of 1943. Bobita appeared in the lead role of Ananga, the demure wife of the village doctor Gangacharan, who was played by long-time Ray favorite Soumitra Chatterjee.

She acted in number of joint venture movie projects in her career, namely: a Canada Bollywood-Bangladesh joint production Movie Door Desh in 1983 (Gehri Chot - Urf: Durdesh in Hindi) and also Pakistan-Bangladesh joint venture film Miss Lanka (Nadaani in Urdu) in 1985.

Ashani Sanket won the Golden Bear prize at the 1973 Berlin Film Festival. Bobita's performance was central to the film.

She also acted in Arunodoyer Agnishakkhi (1972) by Subhash Dutta, Quiet Flows the river Meghna (1973) by Alamgir Kabir, Golapi Ekhon Trainey (1978) by Amjad Hossain, Dahan (1986) by Sheikh Niamat Ali, and Dipu Number Two (1996) by Morshedul Islam.

Her male co-actors were Razzak, Faruk, Zafar Iqbal, Bulbul Ahmed, and Sohel Rana.

Producer

After the commercial success of Teen Kannya (1985), a movie produced by her elder sister Suchanda, Bobita became interested to produce movies and hence launched a movie production house named "Bobita Movies." Some of Bobita's produced movies are:

Since 2000

Riaz, Shuchanda, Bobita, Tina and Champa at Cox's Bazar in 2014

In 2002, Bobita won a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Hason Raja, Chashi Nazrul Islam's biopic of the Bengali folk-poet. She has also formed her own film-production company and has expressed an interest in directing in the future.

Bobita has campaigned actively on behalf of various social causes in Bangladesh. Notable among the causes she has supported the campaign against throwing acid on women; the national immunization drive for children; and a support group for children who suffer from leukemia. Starting in 2011, Bobita began working with Distressed Children & Infants International as a Goodwill Ambassador.[8]

Personal life

Bobita's husband died when their son was three years old.[5] Her son studies MSc in Electrical Engineering in University of Waterloo.

Awards

National Film Awards Bobita won the Best Actress Award 4 times[9] and Best Supporting Actress Award 2 times at the National Film Awards for her movies.

Year Category Film Result
1975 Best Actress Bandi Keno Kande Won
1976 Best Actress Noyonmoni Won
1977 Best Actress Boshundhora Won
1985 Best Actress Ramer Sumoti Won
2002 Best Supporting Actress Hasan Raja Won
2012 Best Supporting Actress Ke Apon Ke Por Won

References

  1. ↑ "Bobita celebrates her birthday in Canada". The Daily Star. July 30, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  2. ↑ Leonard Maltin (2 September 2014). Leonard Maltin's 2015 Movie Guide. Penguin Group US. p. 614. ISBN 978-0-698-18361-2.
  3. 1 2 "Babita becomes DCI Goodwill Ambassador". Priyo News. 2011-06-08. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Babita Akhtar". distressedchildren. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  5. 1 2 "'কে কি বলল, মাথা ঘামাতে রাজি ছিলাম না'". Prothom Alo. March 9, 2015.
  6. ↑ "The Daily Star Web Edition Vol. 5 Num 386". Thedailystar.net. 2005-06-28. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  7. ↑ Afsar Ahmed (2005-05-06). "The celebrity name game". Thedailystar.net. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  8. ↑ Ian Burzynski. "Babita Akhtar, Famous Bangladeshi Actress, Becomes DCI Goodwill Ambassador". V2.distressedchildren.org. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  9. ↑ "ববিতার ৫৭তম জন্মদিন". Share News24. 2015-07-30. Retrieved October 25, 2015.

External links

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