Kabori in the eyes of her co-stars

FE Team | Published: April 19, 2021 00:07:42

As an actor, Sarah Begum Kabori enchanted audiences with her charm and grace, for which she became fondly known as the 'Mishti Meye' or 'Sweet Girl' of the silver screen in Bangladesh, reports bdnews24.com.
With her affable personality and boundless curiosity, she also left an indelible mark on many of her co-stars, with many of Dhallywood's most popular figures, including Alamgir, Farooque, Zafar Iqbal, Uzzal and Sohel Rana, making their big-screen debuts opposite the 'heartthrob' heroine of the sixties.
Following the death of the legendary actress on Friday, actors Sohel Rana and Alamgir reminisced about the first heroine of their careers with the news agency.
Formerly known as Mina Pal, Kabori, who grew up in Chittagong's Firingi Bazaar in the 1960s, started her journey on the big screen with the film 'Sutorang' by producer Subhash Dutt at the age of just 14.
In the space of a few years, several films, including producer Zaheer Raihan's Urdu film 'Bahana' and producer Khan Ataur Rahman's 'Soye Nadia Jage Pani', raised eyebrows from Teknaf to Tetulia.
A young Sohel Rana made his debut as a hero opposite Kabori in the seventies in the movie 'Masud Rana' released on May 24, 1974. Besides acting, Sohel Rana also produced and directed the film under the name Masud Parvez.
As the first leading lady of his career, Sohel Rana would address Kabori as 'heroine' all her life. And Kabori would refer to him as 'Parvez Bhai'.
Although 'Masud Rana' was Sohel Rana's first film as a protagonist, he had earlier made a name for himself as a producer with 'Ora Egaro Jon'.
In an interview on Saturday, Sohel Rana talked about various issues, including his work experience with Kabori.
"Back then, star artists were hesitant to work with new directors or heroes. But when I asked Kabori to act in my film, she said she would do the job. Later, she smiled and said, 'who is the other heroine in the film?' I said, Olivia. This time she said mischievously, 'Don't look at her again!'"
"She had a unique ability to easily befriend people. I have respected her ever since. She talked to me in a playful tone so that I would not feel uncomfortable working with her as a new director or hero. "
In a career spanning five decades, Kabori captivated movie-goers with almost 200 films, notably 'Sat Bhai Champa', 'Je Agune Puri', 'Deep Nebhe Nai', 'Smritituku Thak', 'Sareng Bou', 'Neel Akasher Neeche', 'Mainamati', and 'Dheu-er Por Dheu'.