Emerging actor and model Sabila Nur shares with Shagufta Tasnim Nur the many challenges that one must overcome to survive and shine in the industry
Getting a taste of fame at the young age of 21 may seem all pleasure and no pain, but of course all that seems might not be true. Behind all the glamour and glitter of a carrier in acting and modeling, lies a demanding work schedule and endurance is definitely a quality that one requires to survive in the industry.
Sabila Nur, an emerging actor and model in Bangladesh has had to overcome considerable hurdles to stand on firm grounds in the industry. ‘I faced some pretty insulting comments on my auditions that were not at all constructive and frankly mean,’ says Sabila to New Age Youth as she stresses the emotional struggles that come with the job. Before an actor becomes well-known in the industry, they have to face regular turbulence. It is only after doing some notable works that now Sabila does not have to audition that often, as potential employers already know what kind of roles she could pull off. However, things were very different in early days. But through her struggles, she also fortunately found people who appreciated her talent and encouraged her into taking it a step further, she mentions.
As a toddler Sabila was made to partake in dance lessons by her family. After graduation from the dance institute she became a regular participant in TV shows, stage shows and recordings; that is how the ball started rolling for her career. In 2012, she appeared in a Grameen Phone TVC directed by Adnan Al Rajeev; she found an opportunity to showcase her acting skills and prove that she could also act.
Many other TVCs followed and made Sabila’s face well-known. ‘One of these ads gave me a lot of exposure, there were billboards all around with my shot,’ she says. It was not until 2014 that she took on bigger projects and acted in dramas. ‘uTurn’ by Redoan Rony, was her first fiction where she played the role of a drug addict. She bagged a nomination at Meril Prothom Alo Award for her debut role. Her other works include telefilm Monkey Business by Rahat Rahman and the popular Closeup Kache Ashar Shahoshi Golpo 2016, Shoto Danar Projapoti. Sabila mentions that she struggled with acting but attempted to improve it with each work that she took on.
Even though she admits to have some achievements under her belt, Sabila thinks there is still a long way to go to prove her aptitude. At an emotional level, she struggles with the fact that some perceive her as fickle. She further emphasises on the topic by telling New Age Youth, ‘People have these assumptions that young stars don’t care about acting at all and only focus on fan following instead, but I work really hard in order to put through my best acting and I hope people see it and it all pays off.’
Sabila, with her vivacious nature, likes to befriend her coworkers as she believes good chemistry on screen can only be portrayed if there is good understanding between actors off it. Sabila is also mostly awed by her more seasoned peers in the line of work. Mosharraf Karim is one of those people who Sabila admires highly and is thankful that the star actor has been supportive of her through difficult times. Currently Sabila is working with Tarin Ahmed and Hridoy Khan for an Eid special titled Khoron.
‘It’s a challenge to keep my acting on a comparable, if not equal, frequency as that of my brilliant co-actors, but I keep trying so that the end results of the whole project ties well together,’ she adds.
When asked if she has any complaints with her lifestyle, she points out how sometimes it gets so hectic that she feels immensely sleep-deprived. Also, her parents disapprove that she cannot possibly concentrate enough on her academics. After all, skipping education for a successful career in acting is not deemed appreciable in Bangladeshi society.
Currently a student of BBA at North-South University, Sabila’s studies do take a blow for her work pressure. ‘I try to manage my studies with the help of friends and the support of my faculties, even though it is undeniable that I could bring home better grades if I had more time to study,’ she says.
Yet another struggle that Sabila has to cope with is that recently viewers literally attack her on social media for stating her opinions or even posting photos with her friends and she just cannot handle it, she mentions. ‘Things like these can inevitably get you depressed and cause lack of concentration in work, but one has to learn to recover with the help of close people who care,’ she adds.
Sabila also has to face dilemmas when dealing with her family and its values. Problems arise when her work content does not go well with her family’s conservative nature. ‘For example, the recent prank video I pulled off with Salman on YouTube was something my parents were mad about and I had to explain how this sort of thing is just for entertainment purposes,’ says Sabila.
‘I know that if I want to be a good actor I have to work hard and give in more hours to acting, it will not simply happen if I sit around and sulk about setbacks in the way,’ she adds.
For plans ahead, Sabila mentions the prospect of starting a YouTube channel of her own but also adds jokingly about fierce competition in the market, her friend Salman Muqtadir, for instance. She also hopes to graduate with good enough grades so as to keep options for future corporate employment open. She seems to realise the long-term consequences where after decades she might not be offered lead roles, then she might not be willing to do the roles she is not accustomed to and might decide to not act at all but to start off a corporate career or even initiate her own start-up.
When asked what she strives to achieve personally, she says, ‘Happiness. I act now because it makes me happy, in the future if something else makes me happy I’ll take that up as well. Happiness is the only thing I want to achieve in my life.’