Photo : Collected
Zeba Jannat, a newcomer actress in the small-screen industry, has been banned by the Director’s Guild, a platform for television drama makers of Bangladesh. She claims that the ban is due to personal conflicts with actor-producer Sazzad Hossain Dodul, who allegedly proposed her for a love relationship and got rejected. Dodul denies these allegations and says that he only knew Zeba through his wife Lazuk, who discovered her from TikTok and gave her a chance in his series ‘Musa’. In an exclusive interview with Nisha Mahmuda of The Daily Messenger, Dodul shares his side of the story and provided insight to his recent projects. Here are some excerpts from the interview:
The Daily Messenger (TDM): What is your reaction to Zeba Jannat’s complaints against you?
Dodul: I am very disappointed that many media outlets published news based on Zeba’s statement without talking to me. I have never met her before, she was introduced to me by my wife who cast her in her own drama. I did not even visit the set of that drama. I agreed to involve her in my series ‘Musa’ at Lazuk’s request. The accusations she is making now are completely false and fabricated. I have been working in the media for a long time and I have always maintained a professional attitude. If I had done anything wrong, why didn’t she complain earlier?
TDM: Zeba complained that she was not provided with transport facility during the shooting days. Is that true?
Dodul: There have been several complaints against her. She would not come on time, she would leave early, she would make excuses. Lazuk warned her several times and asked her to solve her problems. She came to our house once and apologised to my wife. She even had dinner with us and slept with my elder daughter that night. But she did not change her behaviour on the set. She herself said that she did not need transport facility as the shooting location was near her house and she would come by herself.
TDM: Why do you think she is complaining against you now?
Dodul: I don’t know what her motive is. Lazuk filed a complaint against her to the Director’s Guild. They called her many times to settle the matter but she did not respond. Now when they banned her, she started blaming me. Why didn’t she say anything when they called her? Maybe she could not accuse Lazuk because she is a female director, so she targeted me instead. Maybe she wants to divert attention from her ban or damage my reputation before the producer’s association election. Maybe someone is instigating her to do this. Or maybe she just wants to go viral. She also said that she did not say anything out of respect for me. Now I ask, where is my respect?
TDM: Will you take any legal action against her?
Dodul: I am currently out of Dhaka. I am waiting to see what the Director’s Guild does. I have worked in the media for so many years and no one has ever said anything bad about me. And now, because of her, the drama could not be aired on time and we lost Tk 12 lakh. I am a senior citizen and I feel very ashamed by such accusations at this stage of my life.
TDM: What are your current projects?
Dodul: I’m working on ‘Musa’, a series that airs regularly. I’ve also made ‘Mohabbat Bepari’ for the upcoming Eid. I have a plan to make a movie as well. The script is ready, but I’m still looking for the right cast. I’ll announce it once they are confirmed. There’s also a big surprise coming after Eid, but I’ll keep it secret for now.
TDM/SD
