Stunned, says Tollywood after Nusraat Faria arrested in Bangladesh for ‘murder link’

KOLKATA: Bangladeshi actor Nusraat Faria, who played the role of Sheikh Hasina in the 2023 film ‘Mujib: The Making of a Nation', directed by Shyam Benegal, was arrested on Sunday for her alleged involvement in an attempted murder case linked to anti-govt protests. The news has stunned many in the film fraternity in India and Bangladesh.Faria was produced in a Dhaka court on Monday morning and was sent to judicial custody. She made her Tollywood debut in 2015 with Ashoke Pati's ‘Aashiqui: True Love' opposite Ankush Hazra. The next year, she appeared in Sujit Mondal and Saikat Nasir's ‘Hero 420' with Om and Baba Yadav's ‘Badsha – The Don' opposite Jeet. In 2017, she starred in Yadav's ‘Boss 2: Back to Rule' with Jeet and Subhasree Ganguly. In 2018, she was back opposite Jeet in Pati's ‘Inspector Notty K'.In 2019, Birsa Dasgupta cast her in ‘Bibaho Obhijaan' and also in its sequel titled ‘Abar Bibaho Obhijaan' in 2023.Reactions to Faria's arrest have triggered varied responses, ranging from studied silence to anger and sadness. Bangladeshi actor Azmeri Haque Badhon, a known face in both India and Bangladesh and a strong supporter of the August uprising, has taken to social media to protest, saying: "What a shame! This girl has nothing to do with what a fascist regime did to the people. I am deeply concerned about the situation and the system.We do not live in a country where fair play is common, but this is truly unacceptable."Speaking to TOI, Badhon said, "I have not acted with her but share a personal relationship with her. She gave me a lot of mental support when I was going through the guardianship case of my daughter. This is a political case where she figures among many other artists who I feel have been falsely charged. I am sad that she did not get bail on Monday. I am disappointed that many who have been involved in dubious activities were allowed to flee while Faria faced so much public humiliation and harassment.I strongly condemn this."Tollywood director Raja Chanda, who directed Faria and Ankush Hazra for ‘Bhoy', a film released on an OTT platform in 2023, is currently shooting in Bolpur and was unaware of the details of Faria's case. "I asked my unit about it. I feel sad to hear about this. As a director, all my artists are close to me. I have done one film with her. She is a very good artist and great as a person. We had rounds of adda while shooting. I would want her to return to normal life soon and wish to see her on the big screen soon," Chanda said.Director Sujit Mondal said, "I worked with her almost 10 years ago and have not been in touch with her. I am not aware of the details of the case."