Born to be a Star

Actor F S Nayeem
Talks to
Fauzia Sultana

"In reality I play the character of Nayeem only. But through acting I am playing different characters every day, forgetting all the worldly affairs and living the characters at that moment."

Courtesy: Nayeem

I was a very naughty kid, at home and school. I went to Motijheel Government High School where I was known for my mimicry. We had this Bangla teacher whom I used to mimic really well, though I got scolded a lot and not to mention punishments for that. So this one day he caught me red handed while mimicking him in front of the entire class. Complaining to my parents he said, “Amake nokol kore ki obhineta hobe naki?” (Does he want to be an actor by mimicking me?) Little did he or I know then, that these words would actually turn out to be true.

My appearance on TV began while studying HSC at College of Development Alternative (CODA). My first assignment was still modeling for the boutique, KayKraft. I then auditioned as a station VJ on Channel i for time to time announcement of programmes. I also hosted the famous programme I Speed on Channel i, which was the only show on automobiles at that time. After graduating from the Department of English Literature from American International University of Bangladesh (AIUB), I joined Channel i as an executive in marketing that I did with my other jobs.

I would have to say my career as an actor was an out of the blue thing. I, along with my boss happened to be at a shooting location for the natok Ak Nijhum Oronne. Realising that the character would suit me better than the original cast, she asked me if I would act in the natok and that was the start of my journey in acting. However, the turning point in my career came about with the popular film, Jaago. I also worked in a few but notable advertisements including the Meril Petroleum Jelly ad directed by Amitabh Reza, not to mention the Murgi marka dheu tin ad and many more.

I am a full time actor now, working in about fifteen serials directed by renowned directors in the country. What I love about acting is the dynamism and fun incorporated in the art. In reality I play the character of Nayeem only.But through acting I am playing different characters every day, forgetting all the worldly affairs and living the characters at that moment.

I have been a very dedicated person all throughout, be it in earning a scholarship at college or hosting for I Speed. My full name is FS Nayeem and back in school, my friends used to call me Film Star Nayeem. Might sound romantic, but the teacher incident in school or my friends calling me a film star makes me think that maybe I was born to be a star after all.