Entertainment Desk:

Thanks to the release of the nationally beloved film “Utshob” on OTT, it has found its way into social media discussions. Lauded for its family-friendly, emotional, and evocative script, the film arguably peaks in the scene between Sunerah Binte Kamal and Zahid Hasan. A lighter facet of the emotional reunion of the father-daughter duo is Sunerah screeching, “How come this coffee is 350 taka? Outrageous!”, a humorous dialogue which has unexpectedly set off debates on social media.

Memes captioned “wife material” have been circulating for days, owing to her character’s stingy nature. “It is honestly flattering and quite funny to see these memes circulating around,” said the actress, a recipient of the National Film Award for her very first film, “No Dorai”. “If you think seriously, it’s concerning that some men think that a ‘wife material’ should be someone who thinks that way.”

Sunerah further says that such arbitrary standards demean women in general. “Every woman who wants to get married is a wife material, regardless of how she leads her life.”

The actress, on a high from her role in “Daagi” and the subsequent cameo in “Utshob”, still believes that she is on a learning path as an actress. “From the beginning of my career, I wanted to set an example. There was a weird perception that artistes who came from modelling weren’t that good at acting – and I wanted to buck that stereotype.” That, she did. Her portrayal of the verbally mute Likhon in “Daagi”, especially when she communicated solely through her expressive eyes, was something to behold. “Likhon is among the top three characters I have played, along with Ayesha from ‘No Dorai’ and Esha from ‘Utshob’. I hold them very dear to me.”

Sunerah goes on to insinuate that she was previously ridiculed for ‘cameo’ appearances in films. “A lot of people would poke fun at me, saying ‘when is your next cameo?’, but they failed to understand that the screen-time of a role is not necessarily proportional to its impact. I give it my all to whatever I’m doing, and seems like it’s paying off!”

What’s next for the young star? Unsurprisingly, the hard worker is firing on all cylinders – working on television, films and even YouTube. “I don’t subscribe to the notion that a film actress should stay away from other mediums. As I said, it’s a learning journey for me and I am cherishing it.”