Kabari, Sarah Begum
Kabari, Sarah Begum (1950–2021) a Bangladeshi actress, film director, producer, and politician. However, her main identity is as an actress. She was one of Bangladesh’s most famous film actresses in the 1960s and 70s and even in the 80s. The name of Sarah Begum Kabari as given by her family was Meena Pal. But, as an actress, she is known as Kabari in the film industry. Meena’s name was changed to ‘Kabari’ by Syed Shamsul Haque, the story writer of her first film ‘Sutarang’.
Meena Pal (Kabari), daughter of Srikrishna Das Pal and Srimati. Lavanya Prabha Pal, was born on 19 July 1950 in Boalkhali upazila of Chittagong district. She spent her childhood and adolescence in Chittagong city. She was first married to Chitta Chowdhury. However, this marital relationship did not last long. After divorcing Chitta Chowdhury, she married Safiuddin Sarwar, a member of a renowned political family in Narayanganj, in 1978 and converted to Islam, adopting the name Sarah Begum Kabari or Kabari Sarwar. She used the name Sarah Begum Kabari following the divorce of Safiuddin Sarwar in 2008.
In 1963, Kabari’s journey into the sphere of the cultural world began as a dancer. However, she made her film debut in 1964 by acting in the film ‘Sutarang’ directed by Subhash Dutta. In her debut movie, she received particular praise for her acting. In the following five decades of her acting career, Kabari acted in more than 150 films. She worked in 41 popular films paired with legendary Bangladeshi film star Razzak. At that time, the Razzak-Kabari pair gained popularity in Bengali films, competing with popular pairs like Shabnam-Rahman and Shabana-Nadeem in Urdu films. In addition to Razzak, She has appeared with many famous Bengali film heroes other than Razzak. Even Alamgir, Uzzal, Zafar Iqbal, Sohel Rana, and Faruk made their film debut as heroes opposite her. This is a rare event in the history of the Dhaka film industry.
Kabari’s popular and commercially successful films include ‘Bahana’ (1965), ‘Heeraman’ (1967), ‘Sat Bhai Champa’ (1967), ‘Arun Varun Kiranmala’ (1968), ‘Abirbhaab’ (1968), ‘Agantuk’ (1968), ‘Mainamati’ (1968), ‘Paruler Sansar’ (1968). 1969), ‘Neel Akasher Niche’ (1969), ‘Je Agune Puri’ (1970), ‘Dwip Neve Nai’ (1970), ‘Darpachuran’ (1970), ‘Kanch Kata Heera’ (1970), ‘Binimoy’ (1970), ‘Jol Chobi’ (1971), ‘Joy Bangla’ (1972 ), ‘Lalan Fakir ‘(1972). ‘Titas Ekti Nadir Nam’ (1973), ‘mar Janmabhoomi’ (1973), ‘Rangbaaz’ (1973), ‘Masud Rana’ (1974), ‘Obak Prithivi’ (1974), ‘Adhikar’ (1974), ‘Suzan Sakhi’ (1975), ‘Matimhal’ (1977), ‘Sareng Bau’ (1978), ‘Badhu Bidya’ (1978), ‘Aradhana’ (1979), ‘Kalmi Lata’ (1981), ‘Devdas’ (1982), ‘Dui Jiban’ (1987), ‘Ayana’ (2006) and ‘Raja Surya Kha’ (2012), etc. Kabari has performed as an actor on small-screen television in addition to movies. Among the well-known dramas with Kabari that have been telecast on Bangladesh Television (BTV) are Sanshaptak (7 episodes), Taraar Alo, and Mati Kole, among others.
Kabari worked as a film director and producer in addition to being an actress. She first directed a short film called Ekatarar Michili (2001). In 2006, she made her directorial debut with the film Aayana. She gained praise and a reputation as a director for the same film, which is about acid terrorism. The movie received accolades in several categories at the National Film Awards. Kabari herself received the Meril-Prothom Alo Award for this. With funding from the government, Kabari began directing the movie Aei Tumi Sei Tumi in 2019. But she was unable to complete it because of the corona epidemic. So, after a few years of acting, she started working as a producer. Her debut as a producer came with the movie Shit-Basant (1968). Srimati’ was the original name of Kabari’s production house. Later its name was changed to ‘Kabari Productions’. Gunda (1976) was one of the last commercially successful movies produced by Kabari.
Kabari was known as the ‘sweet girl’ of the Dhakai film. She was given this title by the viewers of her movies, who were impressed by her endearing smile and heart-touching performance. It is considered that the appeal of Kabari’s sweet smile, understated demeanor, and dedication to acting made her the uncontested actress of Bengali cinema. In addition to being adored by the viewers, Kabari has won recognition for her acting from the domestic and international film critics. She has received many awards, including the National Film Award for her works. In 1978, Kabari won the best actress award at the National Film Awards for the film ‘Sareng Bau’. She won the ‘Bangladesh Film Journalist Samiti Award’ four times for best actress for her impeccable performances in ‘Lalon Fakir’ (1972), ‘Suzan Sakhi’ (1975), ‘Sareng Bau’ (1978), and ‘Dui Jiban’ (1988). ‘Meril-Prothom-Alo Life Time Achievement’ was another award given to her. The film starring Kabari, ‘Titas Ekti Nadir Naam’ (1973, directed by Ritwik Ghatak) and ‘Satbhai Champa’ (1968) were ranked first and tenth, respectively, in the British Film Institute’s list of the ten best Bangladeshi films. After the indisputable star of the Bangladeshi film Kabiri, a road in Chuadang town has been named ‘Kabari Road’.
Since the 1990s, Kabari has been involved in politics in addition to the cultural sphere. It should be highlighted that Kabari, despite not having any direct involvement in politics at the time, took part in the great War of Liberation of Bangladesh in 1971 as a politically aware individual. She traveled to Calcutta during the War of Liberation to influence public opinion in favor of it and spoke at several gatherings and events, and arranged cultural shows. She joined the politics of the Bangladesh Awami League in the 1990s. In the 9th national parliament election held in 2008, he was elected a Member of Parliament by contesting from the Narayanganj-4 constituency as a nominee of Bangladesh Awami League. She was involved with numerous women’s rights and social service organizations. She served as one of the founding advisors of the ‘Bangabandhu Shishu-Kishor Mela’ [Bangabandhu Children Organizations].
Kabari has experienced many professional, political, and personal setbacks. In her autobiographical book, Smriti Tuku Thak, she drew a pen picture of her life. This book was published in 2017 at the Ekushe Book Fair of the Bangla Academy.
On 17 April 2021, Sarah Begum Kabari died in Dhaka while under treatment for Covid-19. She was 70 years of age at the time of her death. [Mohammad Siddiqur Rahman Khan]
