Bidya Sinha Mim: I want to play a role completely outside the ‘glamour girl’ niche

Popular Bangladeshi actor Bidya Sinha Saha Mim joined The Report’s Eid celebrity show ‘Meet In’ on Eid-ul-Azha evening on July 21. Maliha Mostofa Suchana, head of digital content at The Report, moderated the Facebook live session to know more about the actor’s Eid, her recent works, future plans and overall life during the pandemic.

Some of the key highlights of the interview session are stated below: 

The Report: How did your Eid go?

Mim: I always try to put a smile around the people I am around with. As most of the people working at my home; including all the staff, drivers and security personnel are Muslim. The pandemic situation is also not very safe to move around so a lot of them could not go to their hometowns. So, I decided to do a Qurbani for them. The whole Eid day went with that and they were so happy.

The Report: Tell us a bit about the project’s on Eid and what are you working on now?

Mim: I did not do anything specificvally for this Eid. My upcoming film ‘Poran’ was set to release this Eid but had to be rescheduled due to the lockdown situation. Four of my other films are awaiting release. And also did some portion of the upcoming film ‘Antarjal.’

The Report: We are also eagerly waiting for your ‘Antarjal.’ You’ll be playing a completely different sort of role in this cyber-thriller. Do you want to continue working on different rules like these?

Mim: Of course. My role in ‘Antarjal’ is of a very bold and smart woman. Both the film’s plot and my role are very interesting and hope I can do proper justice with it. 

But, yes. I want to do different roles like these more often. I really want to star in a role of a historical film. Also, I want to play more simple roles. Roles that will completely deconstruct the Bidya Sinha Mim we know and outside the ‘glamour girl’ typecast I am known for. I would love act in those sort of roles.

The Report: Recent media reports suggest that you have upcoming projects in India. Tell us a bit about that.

Mim: I received scripts for a few projects from a couple of directors in India, right before the lockdown began. After several meetings the project had to be postponed as the Covid-19 situation was worsening. Then I became a brand ambassador for an Indian brand and started working with them and that too was delayed as lockdown was imposed at both countries. So, nothing right at this moment but hopefully when situation starts to get better I will work on those. I have made some planning for that.

The Report: Your daily fitness and workout posts are very popular among Bangladeshi netizens. This dedication towards fitness is not a common trait among celebrities in our industry. Tell us about what keeps you ticking about fitness?

Mim: Honestly, the year-long lockdown last year forced us all to stay at home, including me. That much time staying at home changed my over all routine and also ate a lot. I worked out at my home gym but that isn’t the proper gym with a proper trainer overlooking you. After the initial lockdown ended I wanted to lose the weight I gained at that time. And my fitness trainer worked hard for four months straight and helped me lose more than eight kilograms. Most importantly I got to work on the shape that I wanted for my body. My next target is to get some abs and don’t know yet how that will work out.

The Report: From ‘Amar Ache Jol’ till now, you have wowed the audience with your performance. Which character you want to play again that marked you forever.

Mim: ‘Jonakir Alo,’ the film I received national film awards for. I would love to play that again. Audience praised a lot for that role. My role in ‘Padma Patar Jol’ also helped me to mark myself as an actor in the hearts of our audience. These roles always remind me if I could have done something differently.

The Report: Any new OTT content you are working on?

Mim: I received several OTT series scripts to star in recently. All of them were very large scale productions with shootings at different locations. All of that is a bit risky during this pandemic situation. Hopefully, I will get back at those as soon the situation gets a bit better.

The Report: How did you cope with the whole lockdown situation?

Mim: The whole world has changed with this situation. The positive thing I gained during this lockdown was I learned a lot of cooking. And another great thing is that I have launched my YouTube channel while staying at home. We produced a short film which we completely shot at home with the things we had with us and launched it on our YouTube channel. I also posted some recipe videos, some fitness workout videos and a regular show called ‘Mim’s Custody.’

The Report: Share some unique fan experiences with us.

Mim: A strange experience once happened couple years back was that a fan on Twitter posted a photo of my name cut in his arms. I tweeted back to him instantly and messaged him to ask why he did such a horrible thing to himself. The fan replied he only did that so he could get a text from me. These sort of fandom is really harmful to the fans themselves. But I like the fans who regularly celebrate my birthday and do charitable things on the occasion. Fan groups of mine around the country feed the poor on different occassions and this warms my heart. I even saw a post today on a Facebook fan group dedicated to me that gave Eid dresses to homeless children. These activities give me joy.

The Report: A recent discussion among netizens are the negativity in Bangladesh’s social media scene. What experience do you face with millions of followers in different social media accounts of yours?

Mim: I always welcome critical responses from my fans. They should always point out what lackings I had in a certain role I played or what could have been done better. But we see that some people comment on such negative and absurd stuff that has no relation with the work I did. All female and even male actors face such situations online. My personal strategy is that I do not pay attention to such remarks.

The Report: Which team did you support during this Copa America final?

Mim: I always supported Brazil. But I have to say that I do love Messi and his football skills.    

The Report: How does Bidya Sinha Mim spend her leisure time?

Mim: I usually like to spend time with my family when I get free time. I also enjoy watching movies, reading books and also go out and visit places if I can. I like to give myself some time. Also, my gym. I regularly go to my gym. Also, Candy is the new member of our family since the start of the lockdown.

The Report: Anything you want to share with our audience before we wrap things up?Mim: All I want to say is that Covid-19 infections have again hit record numbers in our country. Many of us are fighting this deadly virus. I want to request everyone to stay safe during these tough times. Our cautiousness can lead to a quicker recovery of the situation we are in right now. I hope we can pull ourselves out of this pandemic together. Also, I want the prayers and blessings of my well-wishers so I can become a better artiste. Eid Mubarak to everyone.