Ilias Kanchan on career, regrets and current projects

Photo: Star

National Award winning actor Ilias Kanchan has achieved a lot during his career, being one of the most successful leads of his time.

He has also successfully forayed into production, and has worked tirelessly as the head of  "Nirapad Sharak Chai", making roads safer for everyone with his efforts.

This Eid, the actor has starred in the much talked about "Moronottom", a web film produced by Bongo, which was also televised by four channels.

We talk to the eminent actor for his thoughts on the industry, future plans and more.

"Moronottom" was your first web film. What was your reaction when you first saw it?

I have been a rebellious voice all my life, so I was exceptionally happy when I saw "Moronottom" myself.

The film, which tells the story of a man standing up for a girl who undergoes harassment and commits suicide, is a touching tale by Sanjoy Samadder.

It was telecast on four channels at once, so I must say that it was a record for me, and I am proud of "Moronottom".

How was your experience working on the film?

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, I have not gone out much, unless it was an emergency. However, I took four days to shoot for this film. I must say, Sanjoy Samadder is an excellent director and handled it very well. I have done more than a hundred small-screen projects, but outside of films, I have rarely seen such a great production team.

Everyone on the unit was careful, wore a mask and followed the safety protocols. I had a great experience shooting in Pubail, Shahid Minar and Old Dhaka for this project.

What was your most memorable memory from the shoot?

When I was shooting at a very old residence in Old Dhaka, and later realised that it was the home of the publisher of "Begum Potrika". It was a great moment for me, as I had the chance to speak to him when we received the "Nagar Padak" from former mayor, Sadeque Hossain Khoka back in the day. Since he is not with us anymore, I reminisced him during that time.

Yourecently  worked with long-time colleague Rozina for a new film. Tell us about that.

Rozina and I go way back, we did many films together. She recently directed a film named "Fire Dekha", which is based on our great Liberation War. It is a government granted film, and more importantly, I took up the offer because I am very fond of the subject.

I'd like to say that there are unfortunately no institutes in the country where you can formally learn direction. Greats like Amzad Hossain and Subhash Dutta learned from others. My belief is that Rozina, having acted in more than 300 films in her career, will do well in direction.

Do you have any regrets in your career?

My only regret is that I have not been able to continue my "Nirapod Shorok Chai" movement because of this pandemic. We usually go around schools, and give motivational training to drivers as well.

However, I am very grateful for the career that I have had. I was able to star in "Beder Meye Jochona", one of the country's most commercially successful films. I have been able to help people with "Nirapod Shorok Chai", after I started to appear less in films. The Almighty has given me a very respectable life, and I cherish it very much.