Dhaka : Having acted for Buddhadeb Dasgupta in "Lal Dorja" and Gautam Ghose in "Abar Aranye", Bangladeshi actress Champa Khan is eyeing more meaty roles in Indian cinema.

Her Indian film "Lal Dorja" was nominated for the Oscars. In Ghose's "Abar Aranye", a continuation of well-known Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Ray's "Aranyer Din Ratri" ("Days and Night In The Forest"), she shared the screen space with the likes of Sharmila Tagore, Soumitra Chatterjee, Rupa Ganguly, Shomit Bhanja and Tabu.

"It definitely was a proud moment being selected for the movies of such high standards when there were plenty of good Indian actors who could have done the roles," Champa told the Daily Star newspaper about her stint in Indian films.

She had also acted in Bengali director Ray's "Asani Sanket" way back in the mid 1970s.

Talking about the current trend in Bangladeshi films, she said: "No longer can a family go out and watch a movie because they are not sure it will be a decent film. The quality of movies has deteriorated to such an extent that one feels embarrassed to sit in the same row with one's parents."

She feels that one of the major drawbacks of Bangladeshi cinema is the lack of technical expertise, particularly in comparison with Indian films. She welcomes upcoming talents on the film firmament but adds that they don't have a platform to show their talent.

She also appreciates efforts made by TV channels to improve the situation but feels there is still a lacuna, which needs to be filled.


"Talent is not enough, it needs overall support from the movie industry. Bangladesh also needs producers who will support parallel movies instead of always backing commercial movies."

Explaining her disappointment with filmmaking at home, Champa cited her film "Bidrohi Padma". "For the first time in my movie career someone dubbed my voice without my permission and I was extremely dissatisfied. I was also unhappy with the way my role shaped up."

Champa, who started her acting journey with "Babita" and has worked in 300 Bangladeshi films so far, now wants to spend more time with her family and close friends.

"I have dedicated most of my adult life to movies. I want to enjoy the flavour of normal life again."

She will be seen in Zahid Hassan's forthcoming film "Lal Neel Beguni".

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