Native name ববিতা Occupation Actress Children Onik | Nationality Bangladeshi Siblings Champa, Shuchanda | |
Full Name Farida Akhter Poppy Relatives Shuchanda (sister)Champa (sister)Zahir Raihan (brother-in-law)Riaz (cousin)Omar Sani (nephew)Moushumi (niece-in-law) Parents Nizamuddin Ataur, B J Araa Awards Bachsas Award for Best Actress Movies Khodar Pore Ma, Ashani Sanket, The Endless Trail, Ki Prem Dekhaila, Alor Michil Similar Moushumi, Abdur Rajjak, Sucharita, Shabana, Sadika Parvin Popy | ||
Farida Akhter (known by her stage name Bobita; July 30) is a Bangladeshi film actress. She is best known for her performance in Satyajit Ray's Distant Thunder, a novel adaptation about the Bengal famine of 1943, which won the Golden Bear prize at the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival in 1973. She was active in the 1970s through 1990s as an actress in Bangladeshi films.
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Early life
Bobita was born to an educated family that had its origins in the west-Bangladeshi district of Jessore, Bangladesh. Her nickname is Poppy. She has two sisters and three brothers. Bobita's mother studied in Lady Brabourne College in Calcutta. In an interview with the Independent newspaper in 2004, Bobita says that it was Afzal Chowdhury who suggested the screen name Bobita for her. In another interview with the Daily Star in 2005, she mentions that Zahir Raihan originally casts her for the movie Shongshaar. A different version of the story is that she adopted the name after appearing in Ehtesham's movie Pitch Dhala Path.
Bobita's brother-in-law Zahir Raihan first cast her for his movie Jaltey Suraj Ka Nichey. The film was not completed in the end but she found a break-through into the Dhaka film industry. Her first released feature was Shesh Porjonto.
Actor
Bobita's notable work includes Shukhe Thako, Taka Anna Pai, Shorolipi, Manusher Mon, Pich Dhala Path, Noyon Moni, Jonmo Theke Jolchi and Anarkoli. Her acting gained the attention of the Indian director Satyajit Ray. In 1973, Ray cast Bobita in Ashani Sanket ("Distant Thunder"), his film about the Bengal famine of 1943. Bobita appeared in the lead role of Ananga, the demure wife of the village doctor Gangacharan, who was played by long-time Ray favorite Soumitra Chatterjee.
She acted in number of joint venture movie projects in her career, namely: a Canada Bollywood-Bangladesh joint production Movie Door Desh in 1983 (Gehri Chot - Urf: Durdesh in Hindi) and also Pakistan-Bangladesh joint venture film Miss Lanka (Nadaani in Urdu) in 1985.
Ashani Sanket won the Golden Bear prize at the 1973 Berlin Film Festival. Bobita's performance was central to the film.
She also acted in Arunodoyer Agnishakkhi (1972) by Subhash Dutta, Quiet Flows the river Meghna (1973) by Alamgir Kabir, Golapi Ekhon Trainey (1978) by Amjad Hossain, Dahan (1986) by Sheikh Niamat Ali, and Dipu Number Two (1996) by Morshedul Islam.
Her male co-actors were Razzak, Faruk, Zafar Iqbal, Bulbul Ahmed, and Sohel Rana.
Producer
After the commercial success of Teen Kannya (1985), a movie produced by her elder sister Shuchanda, Bobita became interested to produce movies and hence launched a movie production house named "Bobita Movies." Some of Bobita's produced movies include Ful Shojja, Agomon, Lady Smuggler (a Bangladesh-Pakistan-Nepal joint venture movie), Lottery and Poka Makorer Ghor Bosoti (a Bangladesh Government sponsored movie).
Since 2000
In 2002, Bobita won a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Hason Raja, Chashi Nazrul Islam's biopic of the Bengali folk-poet. She has also formed her own film-production company and has expressed an interest in directing in the future.
Bobita has campaigned actively on behalf of various social causes in Bangladesh. Notable among the causes she has supported the campaign against throwing acid on women; the national immunization drive for children; and a support group for children who suffer from leukemia. Starting in 2011, Bobita began working with Distressed Children & Infants International as a Goodwill Ambassador.
Personal life
Bobita's husband died when their son was three years old. Her two sisters Shuchanda and Champa are film actresses.