I never imagined playing Bangabandhu on screen: Arefin Shuvoo

Actor Arifin Shuvoo is in the height of his acting career. He starred in the biopic 'Mujib: The Making of a Nation', playing the role of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib himself.

Directed by Shyam Benegal from India, the movie had the biggest budget of any film in the history of Bangladesh, and propelled Shuvoo's fame beyond the borders of the country. 

However, he did not initially audition for the part, Shuvoo was discovered after one of the screenwriters for Mujib: The Making of a Nation watched his 2019 drama 'Ahaa Re'.

"Ahaa Re was being screened at the Mumbai Film Festival when the audition for Mujib: The Making of a Nation was still ongoing. One of the two screenwriters of Mujib, Shama Zaidi, was present at the festival. She watched Ahaa Re and asked about me," said Shuvoo. 

"She collected my number and left me a text message saying Mr Shyam Benegal would be in Kolkata. He had seen my work and asked if it was possible to go meet him. She also wrote that this was an unofficial invitation and they were not committing anything. I caught the next flight to Kolkata," he added. 

Shuvoo had just completed his work for 'Mission Extreme', and was limping due to a leg injury. But he went to meet the director regardless. They met at Park Hotel in Kolkata. 

"I was limping. The first thing Shyam Bengal said to me was, 'Oh! Our limping Mujib.' The director of photography, line producer and casting director all said I wasn't right for the role. But Shyam Benegal and I talked for about an hour,  and towards the end, he said, 'We'll let you know.'"

In this manner, Shuvoo was called five times to audition for the film – three times in Bangladesh and two times in India, after which he was chosen for the role.

"I love Bangabandhu but I never imagined that I would get the chance to play him on the big screen. I played the part in my own way, whether my performance was up to par is for the audience to decide," said Shuvoo.

Filming commenced for the next two years, Shuvoo had to put on 15kg for the role – starting at 83 kg and stopping at 98 kg. He had to transform his look according to how his character aged on screen. "I played Mujib from when he was 25 to when he was 55, the year he was brutally murdered," he explained. 

Shuvoo rehearsed for the role by studying archive footage and books written on Mujib. 

"During rehearsal, I was trying to adopt Sheikh Mujib's movements and looks. But Shyam Benegal told me that I am not Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and I have to accept this fact. If I can achieve even up to 70% of his looks, I'm good. He said to me, 'Try to conceive the soul… Once you conceive the soul, it won't matter what scene you're given, you'll automatically act like him." 

Shuvoo made his debut as a filmstar in 2013, he starred in the movie 'Purnodoirghyo Premkahini', directed by Safi Uddin. Despite starring in a negative role, Shuvoo's performance caught the attention of audiences and filmmakers. His career picked off right after. 

He made good progress in quick succession. Among the movies released so far, Shihab Shaheen's 'Chuye Dile Mon' and Dipankar Dipan's 'Dhaka Attack' earned him the most praise from the audience.

Shuvoo also starred in the recently released movies 'Mission Extreme' and 'Black War'. Several of his other movies are awaiting release. He will also star in a movie based on the Liberation War, filming will begin starting next month.