First and foremost, I am a musician: Pritom Hasan

Adnan Al Rajeev's "YouTumor" lit up this year's Eid with its unique presentation and message, with musician turned actor Pritom Hasan at the forefront as the gullible and (un)fortunate Don. Pritom not only nails the character, but puts his own twist to it, resulting in a captivating back and forth with seasond actor Ziaul Hoque Polash. We talk to the young star for his experience, future plans and more.

YouTumor has received applaud from the audience. How do you feel after starring as the lead in it?

It was a surreal experience, but I doubt if I deserve any credit for it. Adnan Al Rajeev's team, Runout Films, deserves most of the praise for being the most professional and disciplined units out there. Moreover, even if in conventional sense, I was the lead with Polash bhai, all the content creators who came together for 'YouTumor' are the face of this story.

What was it like, working with social media influencers with vastly different personalities?

It was a fantastic experience, and it was a huge undertaking for me, preparing to work with such talented individuals. I was given rigorous training by Adnan bhai for playing the coy Don. It was so much fun working with people that are so different, and yet share similar aspirations. Tahseenation, Opu Bhai, Rafsan the ChotoBhai, these people added authenticity to the experience, which I find refreshing. A special shoutout to Sharif Shiraj, who played 'Jackson Bhai', he was truly hilarious.

Do you think the story draws parallels to reality?

To some extent, yes. My character, Don, is an aspiring actor who comes to Dhaka for a shot at fame, instead getting wrapped up in YouTube and creating a fake wholesome persona for himself. He even pretends having a malignant tumour to gain support from his audience. More and more people today are reaching out to attain fame by any means possible, even if they have to resort to ridiculous actions, deception, lying and other shady activities. It is truly sad.

You have gained quite the success as an actor. Will you focus on this craft more in the future?

Over the years. I have had the fortune of working with directors like Piplu Khan, Kajal Arefin Ome, Nuhash Humayun and Anam Biswas – I will say that I am truly lucky in this regard.

However, first and foremost, I am a musician, and I believe this will stay the same. I act because I want to get out of my shell every time I make new music.

That being said, I do look forward to working in front of the screen, if I find a suitable and enjoyable script for me.

What musical project are you working on right now?

I am working on a song, for which I will direct the music video myself. I do not want to spoil it, but it will by unlike anything I did before, so I am excited for that!