The story behind Kaarina’s beautiful photoshoot at The Daily Star

“Apu, the pictures look so great. I put on dewy makeup so that the photos can turn out beautiful. I thought we were only going to do an office shoot, so I only brought salwar kameez. Next time, I’ll bring the beautiful lehenga I wore on the sets of ‘34-24-36’.”

Kaarina’s words still echo in my ears. The beautiful photos of her that everyone is sharing right now are from that very shoot. But sadly, there will never be another photoshoot again.

When “34-24-36” was released in theatres, everyone was raving about Kaarina’s performance and the film’s message about body positivity. I decided to text her and invite her to The Daily Star. At the time, she was in Cox’s Bazar, but she promised she would come the following week. We fixed a date, and she even arrived with a makeup artiste. She was so excited and had brought along three beautiful salwar kameez.

While enjoying her food, I told her how much I loved the trailer and that I couldn’t wait to watch the film. When I asked how she had been approached for the role, she told me that Farooki bhai had insisted on casting her because he believed she would portray Syra perfectly.

“Haha, I don’t know what they saw in me,” she said with a laugh. “I was quite skeptical about playing Syra on-screen, but they were confident I could pull it off. Syra is completely opposite to me. She is insecure about her appearance and lacks self-love. But I’m totally different, despite society constantly trying to troll me for my appearance. I love myself, and when you have such wonderful friends and family in life, it’s impossible not to.”

While we sipped our tea, Taef bhai, our photographer, called us up to the rooftop. He had brought all the lights and camera equipment so the photos would turn out perfectly as the sunlight slowly faded. Surrounded by greenery, Kaarina looked genuinely excited.

She first wore a black kameez and nervously said, “Apu, I don’t know how to pose. Please tell me which angle makes me look pretty.”

I told her she looked beautiful regardless. She literally cheered like a child when Taef bhai showed her the photos. Later, she changed into a red salwar kameez, and Taef bhai asked her to stand beside the wall across the red door as the light fell softly across her face. She gave the gentlest smile and glanced toward the corner. None of us knew then that the photo would become the image every news outlet would share as her final angelic appearance.

At one point, I shared my own insecurities and how my struggles with weight often made me hate my body. She smiled softly and told me, “People will always talk; that’s just their nature. I know for a fact that, given how I look, I’ll only be approached for certain types of characters. While it doesn’t bother me much, I do think it’s time for greater diversity and inclusivity in body types and skin tones on screen.”

We smiled and continued eating fried chicken while talking about her passions. She admitted, “Most people only know me for comedy, but my heart truly belongs to writing. Comedy is wonderful, but writing is what really drives me.”
She also told me how deeply she loved sports while growing up, but academic pressure eventually forced her to focus more on studies.
When I asked about the response to “34-24-36”, her eyes lit up.

“Well, as you know, this film wasn’t originally supposed to be released in theatres. But once production was completed, everyone believed it deserved a theatrical release. The amount of love and messages I received from girls was overwhelming. One girl told me my portrayal of Syra helped her come out of her shell and feel beautiful again. She was happy to finally see a protagonist who looked like her and wasn’t skinny on the silver screen. That is my biggest achievement.”

As we said goodbye, she told me she wanted to continue writing scripts and focus less on content creation. She asked when the interview would be published, and I told her Saturday. Smiling, she said she would return to The Daily Star office someday just to eat the fried chicken again.

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She was the best of us

It feels surreal that on a Saturday afternoon, I am now writing about my final memories with her — my last interview with a girl who dreamed fearlessly and believed in herself. A girl who laughed endlessly, talked endlessly, and somehow always made you feel special.
Farewell, Kaarina. I hope you continue making everyone laugh in heaven.