‘We were never competitors’

Asaduzzaman Noor and Abul Hayat, two household names in the entertainment industry, have known each other for over 50 years now. They have performed together not just on the screen, but also on the stage for Nagorik Natya Sampradaya. Yesterday, Asaduzzaman Noor celebrated his 75th birthday.  Abul Hayat spoke about his bond with him in a recent conversation with The Daily Star.

I first got acquainted with Asaduzzaman Noor in 1989. He was very busy with politics back then. At that time, it seemed that he would do quite well as an organiser.

That is how our friendship got stronger. My journey with DU cultural programmes also began around that time.

Noor and I first acted together in the famous play "Raktakarabi" even before Nagorik Natya Sampradaya was formed.

Looking back now, we have known each other for fifty-two years. With time, our friendship never soured but only got deeper. We are like a family, together in every joy or sadness, victory or struggle.

We performed together with the theatre troupe Nagorik Natya Sampradaya for many years. I still remember the discussions we had after production while we were on our way back home. Those moments are still vivid to me.

Our journey together never faced clouds of conflict, rather our bond has only been a great boon for us.

Our performances in the serials "Ayomoy" and "Bohubrihi" had mesmerised the audience. We both earned much appreciation in all our collaborative ventures.

However, the two of us have yet to perform as characters in conflict with one another. We both played very different types of roles, and were never competitors.

Our characters always supported each other and I think our friendship made this possible.

We performed in the theatre play "Mukhosh" together many times. Fortunately, the audience loved both our performances. The play got quite a response back then.

Alongside acting, Noor is also an excellent director. I came across his talents when I performed in the play "Dewan Gazir Kissa", under his direction.

Be it as a human being or as an artiste, Noor's contribution will remain unparalleled.

Translated by Akhlakur Rahman