Ekushey Padak and National Award-winning actress Dilara Zaman started her acting career with theatre in the early 1960s. She soon emerged as one of the most popular faces on television after her debut in 1966 with the tele-fiction "Tridhara", before gradually making her way into films.

In a candid conversation with The Daily Star, the renowned artiste opened up about her journey on television, and how she fell in love with acting.

You have been involved with acting for more than 50 years. Do you think of acting now as more of a career or do you pursue it for passion?

Acting is my passion, and I truly love this field with my heart. My love for acting is the sole reason why I am pursuing it passionately till date. Throughout my acting career, I never thought of any rewards or anything, all I wanted to do is perform my roles to finesse, so that the audience can relate with my characters. It's true that acting is my profession, but one cannot sustain their career for such a long time without the driving force of love.

What do you think is the difference between tele-fictions of yesteryears and the recent times?

A lot of things have changed. For example, the development in technology and the competition have increased in recent times.

We cannot compare the old fictions with the recent ones, as the style of acting has changed. Back then, there was only one television in a house, and people were forced to watch it.

It is not true that we only had great fictions, back then and now we do not have any better ones. Good projects are being done on television, and audiences are appreciating them. An average of 300 to 400 tele-fictions are aired on television these days. It is nearly impossible for audiences to watch everything. As we had only one TV back then, people only had the option to watch those fictions. We are doing a lot of good work, especially with stories that people can relate to.

In 1966, you debuted with the tele-fiction "Tridhara". How was the audience reaction to that?

I am overwhelmed by the love from my audience even today. I remember when "Tridhara" was on air, most of our neighbours in Dhaka didn't have a television. They used to come to our house to watch it. People started recognising me on the streets. Starting from grocery store sellers to random pedestrians, people would tell me that they have seen me on television.

You have an American citizenship. Why did you leave the facilities of abroad to move back to Dhaka?

I moved back to my country out of love. After staying abroad for two years, my heart started to weep for Bangladesh. I couldn't feel at ease there. My daughters were upset with my decision, but I truly couldn't live a second without my motherland. Most of the young artistes here calls me their 'maa'(mother), and I truly adore them. I can never find such love and affection anywhere apart from my country.

Do you have any sadness or regrets in life?

The one regret that I have in my life is that I couldn't work on a lot of tele-fictions. Apart from raising my family, I had to pursue both acting and teaching at the same time for 26 years. I had to raise two daughters but sadly I couldn't spend much time with them due to conflicting shooting schedules.

I always wanted to properly raise my kids, and thus, I gave up working in Chattogram's Arindam Theatre. It still hurts me, but when I realise that one cannot attain everything in one life, I feel at peace.

We have lost many renowned artistes of the industry in recent years. Do you miss them?

I truly miss them a lot. Actors like Abul Khair, Abdullah Al Mamun, Syed Ahsan Ali Sydney, ATM Shamsuzzaman, SM Mohsin, Abdul Kader and KS Firoze have left the world. I worked with ATM Shamsuzzaman last in the tele-fiction, "Jaygir Master."

I miss Azmaeri Zaman Reshma with whom I worked in my debut television project. I shared a lot of wonderful moments with these renowned artistes.

What is your advice for the new generation of artistes?

Throughout my 26 years as a teacher, I have taught a lot of students. People in the industry highly respect me for my work.

I would advise the new generation of artistes to be good human beings, first and foremost. They should also wholeheartedly love acting and follow it with hard work and dedication. They should also have a keen interest for books, and love for their motherland.