Bhabna on her first film under her father's direction and 'Japito Jibon'

Ashna Habib Bhabna is a woman of many talents — acting, dance, drawing and writing. Her new film, 'Japito Jibon', will be released on 20 November.

The film, based on a novel by fiction writer Selina Hossain, has been directed by Bhabna's own father, filmmaker Habibul Islam Habib. Ibrahim Zahid spoke to the actress about the new film and her other work.

Bhabna had worked on 'Japito Jibon' three years ago, and the film is finally about to be released. Asked how she felt, she said, 'Very good. The first thing is, this is my father's film.' Bhabna said her father is a director and producer, but she had never worked with him in her career. She had wanted to work in her own way, all by herself, but this time she stepped out of that place and worked with her father.

She wants the film to reach viewers. It is not a film from a big production house; it is a government-grant film, made from one of Selina Hossain's widely read novels.

'We want to present the country's stories, its literature, poetry and tales before the audience. Commercial films will certainly exist. But when people go to the halls to watch films made from our own stories, that will be the biggest achievement,' Bhabna said.

The film is special to her because she worked under her father's direction for the first time. She had never worked with him before and had wanted to move ahead separately in her career, but making 'Japito Jibon' gave her the experience of working with her father. At the same time, it is a story connected to the country's history, language and literature, so the film carries a different kind of importance for her.

Asked about the reason for the long delay in the film's release, Bhabna said there were several reasons. Shooting a film alone took nearly a year, followed by editing, censor and many other tasks. The situation in the country also had to be considered. Altogether, it took time to complete the film and prepare it for release.

Asked about the experience of working in her father's first film — whether she got any concessions or faced more challenges — she said there were many challenges. On other sets she is only an actress, but here several responsibilities were attached to the film for her. She also had to look after the other actors. In short, she was not only a performer here but also a member of the team, so both her work and her responsibility were greater.

Asked how difficult it was to bring the novel's character Anjum to the screen, Bhabna said the character was very challenging. She is the Bhabna of 2026, while Anjum is a person of 1947 — the gap in time is huge.

She had to understand the stillness, the mental makeup and the outlook of a person of that time in order to inhabit the character, and staying mentally still was very important for that. But she herself is not a very still person; she does many things at once. So becoming Anjum was extremely challenging for her.

Asked how important the stories of Partition and the Language Movement are for today's viewers, Bhabna said, 'We earned our mother tongue by shedding blood for our language. Where else in the world is there such a history of fighting for language?' She believes the subject should be talked about much more.

She wants to salute her father — a man past seventy who is still doing his duty, speaking of language and of the Liberation War at this stage of his life. For her, this is a place of great responsibility and also of courage.

'King in the Land of Princesses' is finding places at film festivals abroad. Asked when it would be released in theatres at home, Bhabna said she could not say anything for certain about its domestic release; the producer could say it better.

She has joined several new films, including 'Dhaka 1205' and 'Jajabor'. Work on three films is going on together. Work on 'Dhaka 1205', 'Jajabor' and 'Payel' is all nearing its end, though shooting for 'Jajabor' remains. Its first lot has been shot, and the director has said it will be released at Eid. Inshallah, one of her films will be released this Eid — 'Jajabor', 'Dhaka 1205' or 'Payel'.

Asked how her drawing and writing are going, Bhabna said drawing and writing go on as ever. Whenever she writes or draws something, she shares it on Facebook. She is also writing poetry, and Inshallah her book of poems will be published very soon. For now she is busy with 'Japito Jibon'.

Asked whether the book of poems might come out at this year's Ekushey Book Fair, she said she wishes to publish it and, Inshallah, will publish it very soon. But she cannot say for certain whether it will be at this book fair. If she gets the chance to visit the fair, she will definitely meet readers.