When growing up, Adnan Hillol had no intentions of taking up acting as a profession. He wanted to be a pilot. Following a close friend’s suggestion, he joined the theatre troupe, Desh Natok. His first TV play “Biprotip” was aired on Ekushey Television; breakthrough performance was in the serial “Sporsher Bairey”. Since then the actor hasn’t had to look back. The Daily Star (TDS) recently caught up with Hillol:
TDS: How did acting became your profession?
Hillol: In college, a friend of mine literally dragged me along to Desh Natok — both of us joined the troupe. This was in 1995. Gradually it grew on me and I started feeling passionately about theatre and acting. My TV debut happened through Giasuddin Selim’s series, “Biprotip”.
TDS: What do you consider to be the turning point of your career?
Hillol: I’d say “Sporsher Bairey”. I played a university student named Mukit, who is infatuated with someone older than him. The latter was played by Suborna Mustafa.
TDS: Acting opposite Suborna Mustafa during the initial phase of your TV career — were you intimidated?
Hillol: I learnt the basics on stage, so I wasn’t a total “newbie”. But being in a hit TV serial and working with Suborna Mustafa were beyond my expectations. I consider myself fortunate for that experience. “Sporsher Bairey” encouraged me to take acting seriously and professionally.
TDS: what other performances/plays do you consider to be milestones in your TV career?
Hillol: After “Sporsher Bairey”, the mega-serial “Neer” cemented my position on the small screen. Other major serials that I’ve worked on were: “Ramiz-er Aaina” and “Eit Kather Khancha”.
TDS: You’ve directed plays as well?
Hillol: That happened out of nowhere. The first play I directed is called “Hashi”. I was chatting with Ibne Hasan Khan at Channel i one day and I said that I wanted to make a play. That’s how “Hashi” happened. After it aired, Masud Mahiuddin and I jointly directed a serial titled “Na Natok, Na Cinema”. It was shot in Bangkok.
TDS: Was the move from the front to the back of the camera challenging?
Hillol: Honestly, no. The only challenging bit for me was getting the script in hand in time. The cast was very helpful. I’ve acted in my production as well.
TDS: Any intention of working on films?
Hillol: I want to do films, but not the typical FDC outputs. I don’t really see myself in those films. I feel that a typical “mainstream” film doesn’t give an actor ample opportunity to demonstrate his skills.
TDS: You were very active on stage once but now you’re not…
Hillol: I want to be on the stage more often; trust me I do. But I’ve also taken up acting as a profession, so there’s that commercial aspect. Theatre needs time and commitment. The equation is simple: if I ask the director of a TV play to give me some time for theatre when we’re shooting, he’d turn me down. Besides, It’d be unfair of me to even ask that.
TDS: What kind of characters draws you the most?
Hillol: Negative roles; I find them fascinating. However, I haven’t had the chance to play a role like that yet.
TDS: You’ve played a key role in the TV adaptation of Samaresh Majumdar’s “Gorbhodharini”…
Hillol: Yes. I played Sudip. I’d read the book several times. Though the setting of the novel was West Bengal, the serial was made for Bangladeshi viewers.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
