She was the heroine of my dreams: Sohel Rana on Shabnam
Shabnam, one of the most celebrated and successful actresses of the 1960s, was the quintessential romantic heroine of her era. She enjoyed immense success in her illustrious career.
Over the course of her glorious career, Shabnam worked with many leading men, including actor Sohel Rana. The two first appeared as a pair in a film directed by Ashok Ghosh.
As Shabnam celebrates her 80th birthday today (August 17), Sohel Rana spoke to The Daily Star about his memories of working with the legendary actress.
“When I was in school, Shabnam was already a major heroine. I was probably in Class 10 when I went to a cinema hall to watch her film ‘Harano Din’. I still remember the famous song ‘Ami Rupnogorer Rajkanya, Ruper Jadu Enechi’ and the visuals from it,” he recalled.
“So I can say this with certainty–Shabnam was the heroine of my teenage dreams, and I eventually became a hero opposite her. To be honest, she truly was the heroine of my dreams.”
Years later, when Sohel Rana entered the film industry, Shabnam was already an established superstar, with a string of hit films in both Bangladesh and Pakistan.
“By the time I started acting in films, Shabnam was the heroine of countless superhit films in both countries. She was hugely popular in Pakistan as well. At one point, director Ashok Ghosh decided to make a film with Shabnam and me. Ashok Ghosh was also the brother of Shabnam’s husband, Robin Ghosh. I cannot remember the name of the film now, but everything was finalised, and we began shooting.”
Recalling his first day of shooting with Shabnam, Sohel Rana said he was struck by her humility.
“I remember it very clearly. I was getting my make-up done when, about five minutes later, Shabnam arrived. The first thing she said was, ‘I’m sorry, I’m five minutes late.’ I was stunned. What was she saying? She was such a hugely popular actress, while I had only recently entered the film industry. Someone of her stature was apologising for being five minutes late. Even if she had arrived an hour late, I would not have dared say anything. That was when I realised how big her heart was.”
He recalled another small but telling moment from that day.
“She sat down, and I was given a cup of tea. Shabnam very politely said, ‘What’s this? Are you only giving tea to the hero? Won’t you give me one too?’ She could simply have asked for a cup of tea, but she said it so gently. That was when I realised that Shabnam was not only a great actress but also a person with a very generous heart.”
The two soon began talking, and Shabnam surprised him again.
“During our conversation, she said, ‘I’ve heard you are very particular about time. Apparently, you get angry if people are late to the set?’ I was surprised for the second time. I asked her, ‘Who told you that?’ She laughed. In my mind, I thought it must have been Ashok Ghosh, who had probably told her these made-up stories about me,” he said with a smile.
The Dhaka portion of their first film together was completed before the unit travelled to Cox’s Bazar for the seaside sequences. It was there that Sohel Rana experienced another side of Shabnam’s caring nature.
“We had to shoot quite deep into the sandy area along the Cox’s Bazar beach. There were several intense fight scenes, and it was extremely hot. I was struggling quite a bit under the scorching sun. Shabnam made me a glass of lemonade and said, ‘Have this. You’ll feel better.’ After drinking it, I realised she was right—I genuinely felt more comfortable in the heat. That was Shabnam. She had an extraordinary sense of compassion.”
Another memory from that trip remains particularly vivid for him.
“That day, we returned to the hotel by the same car after shooting. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep. At some point, my head kept hitting something that felt like an iron rod. While I was asleep, Shabnam placed her hand there so that my head would not get hurt.”
“When we reached near the hotel, she woke me up and said, ‘How much longer are you going to sleep? You have to get up now.’ I woke up and felt terribly embarrassed. Then, as we were heading towards our rooms, she said, ‘Let’s go see the sea after sunset.’”
Sohel Rana remembers that evening almost like a scene from a film.
“We went out after sunset. Shabnam wore a beautiful white sari. We walked towards the beach. The sun had already gone down, and there was no night shooting in those days. The sea was roaring, and we could hear the waves. The two of us walked along the shore, talking.”
“That day, I felt that Shabnam was the kind of person and artiste with whom you could share so many life stories. We had finished shooting, yet Shabnam and I walked along the sea and talked. That memory came back to me on her birthday.”
After their walk, the two went to a restaurant nearby.
“We went to a restaurant together after watching the sea. I told her to try the local rupchanda fish because it was very good. She listened to me and ordered it, and I had it too. Afterwards, we had coffee. After tasting the fish, Shabnam said, ‘It’s delicious.’”
Looking back on his time working with Shabnam, Sohel Rana says the lessons he learnt from her went far beyond acting
“I don’t want to talk about how great a heroine or artiste Shabnam was because she was an artiste who made her mark in two countries. I learnt a great deal from her in the few films we did together. Later, I often thought that if I had had the opportunity to work in more films opposite her, I could have learnt so much more.”
“I have acted opposite many heroines, but I have rarely come across someone with a heart as big as hers.”
On Shabnam’s 80th birthday, Sohel Rana offered his heartfelt wishes to the legendary actress.
“I pray for her and send her my love on her birthday. May she remain healthy and happy. May her life always be beautiful.”
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