It was a different experience: Sudip on working in HBO drama

Sudip Biswas is a young actor from Bangladesh. In the middle of last year, he acted in the HBO original drama series "Invisible Stories". In this six-episode series, Sudip is seen playing the role of a migrant worker living in Singapore. 

The drama series was produced by HBO Asia, the South Asian arm of the popular television channel. The series, starring Sudip, won the Best Drama award at the Singapore-based "The ContentAsia Awards" a few days ago. This is the artist's first international work.

How does Sudip feel about his achievements as a young man from Bangladesh? "The whole journey of Invisible Stories has been a great experience for me," the actor told The Business Standard yesterday. "I never imagined that such an opportunity would come my way," he added.

When asked how he got involved with HBO Asia, Sudip said, "In 2014, I worked on a short film directed by the Bangladeshi director Ruhul Robin Khan. In 2016, it was screened at several international film festivals, including Singapore. HBO's Singapore representatives then contacted Ruhul Robin Khan. That is how I was associated with HBO."

"They offered me a specific character and I shot and sent them a video according to the instructions," Sudip said, adding, "A few weeks later they contacted me. That's how I got involved with the team."

Sudip started shooting for the first phase of Invisible Stories in June last year. After a break, Sudip shot for 12-13 days. 

The shooting of Invisible Stories took place in Singapore. Sudip returned to the country in August after shooting till June. HBO started airing the series in January this year. Sudip was seen acting in the fifth episode of this six-part series, which was aired in February.

Speaking about the experience and his character, Sudip said that everyone, including director Ler Jiyuan, did a lot of work. He continued "I have never seen such tidy work in my career. In the series, I played the role of an expatriate worker named Sayeed. Ler Jiyuan brought the character to life on-screen in an extraordinary way."

Sudip's character highlighted all the positive aspects of Bangladesh. He said, "I have an Indonesian girlfriend named Aisa in the series, who used to work as a house-maid and I end up healing her with my love."

Acting in such a role, as well as receiving awards, is not only a matter of joy for Sudip, it is also a matter of pride. "I never thought my first international work would be so rewarding and received so well. I am grateful to the entire Invisible Stories team, including HBO and director Ler Jiyuan."

Photo: Collected

It is to be noted that ContentAsia has long been rewarding Asian content on the basis of merit. This time, for the first time, the most watched and acclaimed dramas in Asia have been given special awards amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sudip has been associated with theatre since the beginning of his career. He was a member of Prachyanat from 2009 to 2015. Later, he started to acting in TV shows and movies. After starring in Invisible Stories, Sudip has had the opportunity of working in more series and films. 

However, the schedules were postponed due to the pandemic. Sudip has acted in the Bangladeshi film "Mission Extreme", with two installments awaiting release. 

Sudip has also starred in the government-sponsored movie "1971 Shei Shob Din", directed by Hridi Haque.