Three wins later, Vicky Zahed says he’s only getting started
For Vicky Zahed, the greatest reward lies in winning hearts, but a third Best Director trophy certainly makes the journey sweeter. At the Blender’s Choice–The Daily Star OTT & Digital Content Awards 2025, Zahed took home the honour for his web series “AKA”, adding another milestone to his growing list of accolades.
Having previously won for “Redrum” in 2022 and “Chokro” in 2024, the director continues to strike a chord with audiences through his psychological dramas that delve into the complexities of the human mind.
“Winning for the third time makes the occasion especially meaningful because the awards have only been around for five years. Having three wins in that short period feels very special,” he said.
The win also reinforced his realisation that audiences continue to expect more from him.
“I thought that after winning three awards, I might feel like signing off, assuming there was nothing more to achieve. But that feeling disappeared after the win because I realised how much people still expect from me,” he said.
For the director, that trust is far more valuable than industry recognition alone. While winning an award is gratifying, he believes audience appreciation remains the truest measure of his work.
“I've never felt that I absolutely had to win an award. Of course, winning feels good. Why wouldn't it? Everyone likes receiving an award. But if I don't win, I have no regrets,” he said. “However, the day I stop receiving appreciation from the audience, I would feel that something had gone seriously wrong.”
With “AKA”, the director turned his attention to the underdog, drawing on a familiar cinematic tradition of marginalised characters who eventually rebel against their circumstances. The character draws inspiration from films such as Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” and “Joker”, alongside English and Bangladeshi mainstream cinema.
Rather than borrowing from a single source, Zahed describes “AKA” as a blend of different cinematic influences, shaped by the stories and characters that have stayed with him over the years.
“Whatever a creator watches or reads influences them. That's simply how creativity works,” he said.
His childhood experiences with television programmes and films, he explained, continue to inform his creative instincts. The emotions and images that left a lasting impression on him eventually find their way into his own storytelling, allowing him to pass those feelings on to audiences.
Among the most challenging sequences in “AKA” was the brutal murder of a pregnant woman who is innocent of the crime her killer believes she has committed. The scene was particularly difficult to shoot because of her innocence and the tender moments established between her and her husband earlier in the story.
Zahed also singled out the project’s first intentional murder as one of his favorite sequences. As the character struggles to take a life for the first time, the haunting use of “Beche Thakar Gaan” creates a striking contrast between the song’s message of survival and the violence unfolding on screen.
The performance, music, cinematography, and lighting came together to make the sequence especially memorable for the director.
The night became even more meaningful for him when Afran Nisho and Mehazabien Chowdhury won awards for his OTT projects "AKA" and "Neel Shukh". Celebrating alongside two performers, he deeply admires the recognition as a collective achievement.
“It feels wonderful because they are among the most celebrated artistes in our country, and they received these awards for work we did together,” he said.
For Vicky Zahed, however, the three wins are not a cue to slow down. If anything, the audience’s affection has strengthened his resolve to create better work. The challenge now is to live up to the expectations of viewers who continue to place their trust in him.
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