Tangia Zaman Methila started off her career as a model and television host, making her way up to films. She went on to become the champion of the beauty pageant Miss Universe Bangladesh 2020 and has also finished shooting for her first film "Rohingya" in Bollywood. In a candid chat with The Daily Star, the actor talks about her journey, upcoming ventures, and more.

There has been a lot of debate regarding your win at the beauty pageant Miss Universe Bangladesh 2020. How do you feel about such statements?

If we consider the other candidates from foreign countries, models coming to such platforms are very common. Being a model, I already was trained and this had become a plus for me during the contest. I have achieved my presentation, confidence, and modelling sense after 7 years of hard work, and if the other candidates are not prepared that's their drawback, not mine. I have made my way up by competing with 9000 participants, finally winning the crown and the journey had not been an easy one.

Tell us something about your upcoming Bollywood film "Rohingya: People From Nowhere".

I was very nervous when I was approached by Haider Khan to play Husne Ara for this film. Being a model I know how to pose in front of a camera but I had never acted before. This role is of a simple girl from the Rohingya community and to portray her, I had to research a lot on the history and struggles of the Rohingya people. The experience of working in Bollywood has been a rather enlightening one. The shoot schedules and sets were very neatly organised. We had to go shoot at a location that was out of network coverage and live in tents. I had to take a boat almost every day so I even had to learn to ride one. The film is scheduled to release within a couple of months and I hope, my debut becomes a milestone in my career.

You have always been an active social worker. What organisations are you associated with and what social initiatives have you been taking?

I am one of the founding members of Rising Star, an organisation that works to eradicate poverty, eliminate child labour and ensure proper education for underprivileged children. I have worked with them as their chief advisor for over 3 years now. We have also been actively providing food and other necessities to the ones in need since the beginning of the pandemic. Being Miss Universe Bangladesh 2020, my advocacy has always been to help women and children and I wish to work more to ensure development in this regard.

What are your upcoming plans?

I have already signed two films and we will be announcing the names soon. Other than that, I have been busy with Rising Star as the second wave of Covid-19 seems to be more deadly than the first one.