Nazifa Tushi: Fell in love with method acting after Hawa
The experience of method acting continues to be the highlight of the journey she made during the making of this film, says the Hawa actor
Nazifa Tushi had found enough recognition already to call herself a movie star, but her role as a mysterious 'bedeni' in the blockbuster Hawa this year gave her the chance to become a bona fide method actor, said the supermodel turned thespian.
"During shoots, we almost forgot about our personal lives. I didn't remember if Tushi in real life rode a car or dined in posh restaurants or any other personal activities like that. Not only the artists, but the director and the whole team was completely into it, almost in a spellbound state," Nazifa Tushi, who plays the Gulti character in the film, told The Business Standard.
Tushi lived with the bedey community to prepare for the role, but her approach was more involved than just getting that experience.
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Hawa director Mejbaur Rahman Sumon encouraged the main cast to stay in character even when they were not working. Tushi says that the practice inculcated the characters so deeply into them that she still tends to speak to her co-star Chancal Chowdhury as if he was the Hawa character Chan Majhi.
"Our director had groomed us in a way that we would converse and interact amongst the team as our characters. We did that even when we were not shooting. So, I have always addressed Chanchal bhai as Chan Majhi; even to this day we have this practice."
The actors and the crew only cared about making the film in the way they wanted, but not so much about its reception. "We never worried about whether it would be successful or not," Tushi told TBS.
But they could afford to do this because Hawa was fortunate enough to not worry about keeping a schedule in the conventional way.
"One thing that was not an issue for Hawa was time constraint, unlike with most other projects," the actor said.
Tushi did not feel alienated either among an almost entirely male cast, mirroring her actual role in the film. She says the experience made her "feel human" and not a woman.
But keeping with her method acting approach, Tushi taught herself to not expect anything that her bedey character would not expect to get.
"Because if I'm playing Gulti - who uses the same washroom and sleeps on this boat - how can I expect more than this? I only demanded as much as my character would have during shooting," she said.
However, her passion for the film and a supportive pool of colleagues, most of whom she had never worked with before this film, made the experience not just enjoyable, but something she really cherishes.
She feels that she has been fortunate to play the Gulti character and work in this film.
"Gulti is a very dynamic character. I am very lucky to have been cast for this at an early stage," said Tushi.
Apparently, the actor has actual serpent-like features, making her perfect for the role of Gulti, she jokingly put.
"In my personal life a lot of people do say that my glances resemble a snake or that I have very sharp eyes but I didn't realise that until now." she said.
Tushi suspects that director Mejbaur could have detected something like that in her. "He can answer this better."
The experience of method acting continues to be a highlight of the journey she made during the making of this film, she reiterates.
"Gulti's character had taken over me. I still have some of that left in me," she said.
Tushi is now searching for characters that are fun and challenging at the same time. She says she would prefer to play roles that are most dissimilar to her own life "Because there is much more scope for work."
Despite getting offered for many roles since Hawa came out, Nazifa Tushi says she is still looking to play a deep character, which she can study and transition into, taking her method acting skills a step further.
Hawa, which has been a super hit in Bangladesh, has been finding success outside of the country, especially in the United States, where it secured a spot among the top 30 films in the country's box office. The film is now playing in 73 theatres across the US and 13 in Canada.
