Prominent actress Azmeri Haque Badhan has recently been honoured with the National Film Award in the 'Best Actress' category for "Rehana Maryam Noor". Alongside this prestigious achievement, Badhan has also been showered with international awards including, 'Best Actress' in both Valencia International Film Festival and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Australia.

Sitting down with The Daily Star, Badhan shared her feelings about this monumental achievement.

This is your first National Film Award, how are you feeling?

I am absolutely elated. This is a huge achievement for both me and the team. I got this award for "Rehana Maryam Noor" and for that I am extremely grateful to the film's team. In particular, I am thankful to my director Saad—who made this film earnestly. Moreover, "Rehana Maryam Noor" has been honoured in Cannes, which helped people all over the world learn about my country.

How did your family react to you winning this award?

Everyone, including my parents and daughter, are overjoyed. I would consider this the biggest achievement of my 17-year-long career. However, there is also a bittersweet feeling attached to this moment, as I believe that "Rehana Maryam Noor" could achieve even more.

After receiving such a recognition, do you feel even more compelled to be creative?

A National Film Award is a big achievement, so is the love of the people. I had the opportunity to represent my country in places like Cannes, that is a big achievement as well. So, I believe that being an artiste means having both love and responsibility for your art. Achieving this award simply increases the responsibility to do better. I have always strived to do quality work in my life and have never stopped believing in this ideology.