I want to work till my last breath

Abul Hayat, a name recognized by people all across Bangladesh. He started acting from his school days and continues to act even today. He has been acting for a long 70 years. The journey of our stage plays, radio dramas, television dramas, and films began with him and his friends. He and his contemporaries laid the foundation of our acting industry. At least three generations of Bangladeshis have grown up watching their performances.

Among the timeless television dramas of Abul Hayat are 'Ei Shob Din Ratri', 'Ayomoy', 'Bohubrihi', 'Nokhtrer Raat', 'Aj Robibar', 'Akasher Opare Akash', and so on. He has acted in nearly a hundred films. Some of the famous films he acted in include 'Arunodoyer Agnisaakhi', 'Titas Ekti Nadir Naam', 'Bodhu Bidhay', 'Aagun-er Poroshmoni', 'Swopner Thikana', 'Joyjatra', and others. Along with acting, he has also directed several plays. He used to write regularly as well, contributing stories, novels, and columns to newspapers. His autobiography, 'Robi-Poth', was recently published.

He is so popular among the people of Bangladesh that it seems unnecessary to say anything more about him and his family. He joined us during the Eid celebrations of Views Bangladesh, where he spoke with Kamrul Ahsan about various aspects of his long life.

Views Bangladesh: Your acting career has spanned over 70 years. How do you feel when you think about where you have come from on this long journey?

Abul Hayat: I made my own stage and acted when I was 10 years old. Since then, I have acted wherever I get the opportunity. In school. Later, I came to the stage and started acting. From there, on the radio, in television dramas, in movies. At one time, I did a lot of commercials, I was almost a star in the advertising world. There is no place in acting where I have not acted. When you think about it, it is surprising where I came from. At one time, I was a very busy artist. I had work every day. I shoot 30 days a month. These two cupboards are full of my shooting costumes. Now I don't work much anymore. I look at them occasionally. Most of the time, I sit in this room. I write. I read.

Views Bangladesh: Now that you're not as busy with acting, how does this phase feel to you?

Abul Hayat: This is expected. It happens in life. Physical ability is not the same as before. Now, I try to give myself as little trouble as possible. That's why I no longer go outside Dhaka for shoots. I avoid going to remote places. I work only in the studios in Dhaka. And another thing, I used to not be picky about scripts, but now I select them more strictly. Still, I want to stay busy. I want to work.

Views Bangladesh: You were also very active in direction at one time. Do you still direct?

Abul Hayat: Yes, I do direct a little. This Eid, one of my directed dramas will be aired on Channel i. As long as I can, I will stay involved in direction. I always say, "I want to die on stage." By stage, I mean the entire field of my work. I want to die while working.

Views Bangladesh: Apart from acting and direction, you were involved in writing. Are you still writing?

Abul Hayat: Yes, I write too. My autobiography has been published, titled Rabi-Path. Now, I’m thinking about whether I can write a second part of it. I’m working on that. I named my autobiography Rabi-Path because my nickname is Rabi. The book describes the path Rabi has taken, with many travelers who came and went along this journey. The path of Rabi has been my journey from birth to 80 years, and there are still many events I have missed, which I will try to write about in the second part. The second part will be called 'Aashite Ashilam' (Arriving at 80). 

Views Bangladesh: Your journey has been long, and you’ve witnessed many cultural and political events. What are some special events from your life that are shared in Robi-Path?

Abul Hayat: Just like a tree grows straight from its roots to its top, I’ve written in the same way. There are many branches or details that I may have missed out on. But as I was writing, I thought there were some things I didn’t need to include. Even after writing, I felt some things could have been left out. But overall, my autobiography is complete. 

Views Bangladesh: Will the cultural history of our country also be revealed?

Abul Hayat: Yes, I’ve shared how I got into drama, television, radio, cinema, and how I suddenly entered the advertising world. Along with these, there’s a lot about our cultural scene, my family, and my children. It’s primarily about my own story, but many other events come up as well. 

Views Bangladesh: Who are some cultural figures that have been featured in your autobiography?

Abul Hayat: Many of my friends are mentioned. First and foremost, I’ve talked about Amalendu Biswas, whose acting taught me how to act. Then there’s Golam Mustafa, Syed Hasan Imam, Abul Khair, Sirajul Islam, Masud Ali Khan — these people have been given separate attention in small chapters. 

Views Bangladesh: What about Humayun Ahmed?

Abul Hayat: He hasn’t been featured separately, but he does appear here and there throughout the book.

Views Bangladesh: You and your contemporaries laid the foundation for this country’s culture. Unfortunately, in our country, those who gain experience and reach a certain age are often sidelined. Senior actors and actresses don’t get work as much. You know this, right? Senior figures in society, in general, seem to be pushed aside. What do you think about this?

Abul Hayat: I’ve written and spoken about this many times. Whenever we gain experience, we are pushed aside. This is completely wrong. It’s a mistake, a wrong calculation. As you grow older, you gain more experience, and your work matures. If that is not utilized, it is a failure. In acting or in any job, the older you get, the more experience you have. In America, for example, there is no retirement. You can work as long as you want. They’ll keep you if you want to keep working. Now, things are changing a bit here. Many people leave government jobs and join private companies. Private companies welcome retired government employees, knowing they are experienced and can contribute.

But in the field of drama, the situation has not changed. As you age, your opportunities to work decrease. Before, I would get 10 offers a day. Now, it might be one offer in 5 or 7 days. I don’t have much of a problem with that, but I still want to give something back. I want to utilize the experience I’ve gained over my life. I want to help the new generation. But we don’t get that opportunity.

If we look at West Bengal, Soumitra Chatterjee was utilized in many ways! He worked until the day he passed away. Stories were written based on him. Shows and films were made with him. Sabitri Chatterjee, who is older than me, is still acting. They create stories around her. Why doesn’t that happen here? Some people say, “How can we work with you? We don’t have the courage.” There’s no need for courage. I enjoy working with younger people. I want to work under a young director. I want to see how they work. I want to learn from them. They come in with a lot of knowledge. We learned as we worked, but they come in prepared, and they keep improving day by day. If you can’t utilize the experience we’ve gained, it’s your failure, not ours.

Views Bangladesh: What’s your take on the current state of our culture? How are our dramas and films doing?

Abul Hayat: Our culture is a bit like khichuri now. Khichuri can be tasty, but if it’s not cooked well, it’s tasteless. Sometimes our films and dramas are good, and people accept them. But most of the time, the situation is like a bad 'khichuri'.

There was once a strong influence of Western culture here, along with Mumbai culture. Now, Korean films and series have started to enter as well. Among all these, some good works are coming out, but the core of art is authenticity. How much of that is actually happening is a question. 

Views Bangladesh: We are currently going through a cultural-political crisis. But you remain hopeful. What do you see for the future?

Abul Hayat: I am an optimistic person. There’s a symbolic story of hope and despair. There’s a glass that’s half-empty and half-full. I used to be an engineer, and I say this: “The glass could have held a lot more water than it currently does!” I always say, “We will fill that glass.” There’s no reason to be too hopeless. 

Views Bangladesh: Now, let's talk about Eid. What are your childhood memories of Eid?

Abul Hayat: The first thing that comes to mind is seeing the moon for Ramadan Eid. We used to go out with all my siblings to see the moon. We would run home and shout when we saw it. Sometimes, I’d go with my father to pray Tarabi. Often, when everyone else would go into sajda, I’d sneak away because I hated the 20 rakats of Tarabi! I remember the Iftar. When I was younger, I would fast for a few days, and my mom would make special Iftar for me. There was also joy in having Iftar with the people in the mosque. All the neighbors would bring Iftar, and we would eat together. It was such a grand occasion.

Another thing was the new clothes for Eid. New clothes were a must. I didn’t like colorful clothes back then. It had to be white or ash-colored. My father used to say, “You’re already old!”
Now, I prefer colorful clothes. I wear bright clothes more often now, and my daughters are the ones who buy them for me.

Back then, we would get clothes made from the tailor, "Khalifa." Now, no one even knows who a Khalifa is. I remember one tailor, Iqbal Bhai, the Bihari Khalifa. We would give him the fabric ten to twelve days before Eid, and he would say, "Just keep it, it’ll be ready tomorrow or by the morning of Eid!"

Then, on Eid day, we would go with my father to the Eidgah for the Eid prayer, wearing new clothes. After the prayer, I’d run around to neighbors' houses for Salami and Eid gifts. If I got a small amount, I’d be the happiest.

Views Bangladesh: How do you enjoy the joy of Eid now?

Abul Hayat: Now it's a different kind of joy. Before, it was joy to receive, now it's joy to give. Now everything is set in advance, what color do you like, what design do you like. Just like we used to be happy to get one dress, now it's five sets, seven sets. My daughters also got five or seven sets of Eid clothes. The grandchildren are a little reluctant. They say that it's enough. Even then, they come. I gave them, their grandmother gave them, their grandfather gave them, their mother gave them, their father gave them. Or maybe they want to buy something themselves and go out at night. I don't see the same craze among them as before, the kind of craze we had; but there is craze among us too. We are restless about giving. We are restless about what to give to our grandchildren, daughters, and daughters-in-law. Again, daughters and daughters-in-law also give to us. We are in a state of giving and receiving.

Views Bangladesh: What changes have you seen in the culture of Eid over the years?

Abul Hayat: Culture has changed a lot. New technologies have come, and with technology, culture has also changed, and it has also affected the culture of Eid. When we were young, there was no television. There was no radio. When I was in high school, a radio came to our house. Earlier, I used to go to tea shops and listen to music on the radio. I used to listen to Hindi songs. Or I used to listen to Akashbani's request. Later, I saw that modern songs were broadcast on Dhaka Radio during Eid. The songs that were popular in Kolkata were played on Dhaka Radio. And a few of our countrymen, such as Ferdousi Rahman, Sohrab Hossain, Anwar Uddin Khan - their songs were played.

After Eid, many neighborhoods would have Eid reunions, neighbors, and relatives would get together. Now, visiting relatives' houses during Eid has probably decreased a bit.

The biggest change in Eid culture has probably come in the food. Now, many things have been added to the Eid food. Chatti, Fuchka, Doi Bora, these were not there before. Before, only semai, polao. My mother's Lachcha Semai was very famous. And my mother's homemade halwa. chickpea halwa, carrot halwa, papaya halwa.

Views Bangladesh: Let’s end today’s conversation with this. Could you briefly tell us how your life has been in the end, from your long journey?

Abul Hayat: Life is actually a workplace. Work is life. There is joy in work. I have reached the end of my life. I have cancer. I have undergone chemotherapy. I can leave at any moment. I am ready to leave. I have raised my hands to Allah. I say to Allah, Allah, make the pain less.