Romantic heartthrob of the 1960s, Abdur Razzak is still very much present in the film arena. Till 1990, Razzak played roles of the hero, often the romantic hero. He took a break for about five years. Then, quietly, but firmly, he stepped back into the filmi world in 1996, as a character hero and a director with films like Abhijan and Shantan Jokhon Chakor to his name. He still stars as the hero in some films, but not as the kind of hero most are acquainted with, that is, not as the lovey dovey sweetheart who sweeps his love off her feet! At a time when Bangladeshi films are at its nadir, Razzak tries to make films that are social, realistic and of good quality.

Razzak talked to The Daily Star on the sets of Premer nam Bedona, a Purnima, Shilpi, Amit Hassan, Bappa Raj starrer, at FDC. His presence was felt on entry to his set from the silence that prevailed there. It was learnt he liked to work in a quiet environment, even when nothing is being recorded.

"From 1960 till today there has been a 95 percent decline in the quality of Bengali films. This is sad because in most other countries, film industries improved and prospered. I would say, the quality of everything, starting from theatre, music, dance to television has declined. This is not only appalling, but it saddens me to see such a state. In my time, films were very good; we depicted life as it was; we had social values; cinema had a social role to play. Today, most movies are unrealistic, pretentious and melodramatic. They have no touch with the real world; of what happens here. I don't know how we have allowed ourselves to come this low" he said.

For this he feels that the lack of artists is to blame.

"Who do we cast in our movies? What are the criterions? We see a good looking girl walking down the street, we teach her to dance and fight and there we have a heroine. Now, this is not how it should be done."Most other countries have film institutes for training the artists. This is not so here. Actors and actresses of the 1960s had another kind of advantage. They acted on stage (in theatre) before they got into movies. But today, stage actors do not want to come into the movies. One primary reason is that they do not feel the movies can act as the connector between them and the people. Razzak feels that the entry of stage personalities into movies would significantly improve performance.

"Since I was in Calcutta, I had the opportunity to work in theatre groups. I worked with Ranga Shabha and Bahurupi. I learnt a lot from there. That was way back in 1964, just before I came to Dhaka. Years later, people here don't get even that much," he lamented.

On the other hand, he feels that the people have a role to play in quality control. He divides the people into two groups: the regular movie-goers, namely the rickshaw pullers, truck drivers etc. and the 'so called elite' who managed to create a 'drawing room culture'. He feels that the 'elite' group goes crazy watching performances of Indian and English film stars but do not care two pence about Bengali movies. They have tagged Bengali movies as bad and they are adamant in their belief.

"Not all Bengali films are bad. I would say my films like Baba keno Chakor, Shantan jokhon Shatru have powerful messages to convey. And they did well. Yet, the 'elite' do not know about this. Shantan jokhon Shatru is much better than Hathat Brishti, yet we hear of Hathat Brishti from critics all around because it was televised. I could've done that too, but why would I? People here feels elated to see foreign names. If someone does a PhD from here, people would say he cheated. If someone from abroad did it, they would say he really worked hard. This is something like that. There was the name Basu Bhattacharya in Hathat Brishti. Since it was Abdur Razzak here, no one cared. They look at the name, not the quality."

He points out the charity cricket where film stars from Bombay participated. There was hardly any audience there. Why, he questions. Because to our people, the Bombay film stars mean nothing. To them Razzak, Bobita, Kobori, Champa means a lot. And those who can relate to Shahrukh Khan and the rest, they would rather watch the game on television.

"The people who practice such culture would never come out of their homes. They would say mighty things comfortably seated in their living rooms. If they are our target market our films wouldn't do well, because they won't be coming anyway," he said sardonically.

Other than shortage of artists, he feels that the present status quo of the country is responsible for the decline in quality of films. Today, people are restless. Crime and violence has gone beyond bounds. There is no security, of property or life. Children disrespect their parents. Social and political unrest is the order of the day. The film industry is not beyond society. These things get reflected in films.

"Where a society is as turbulent as ours, how can a film industry be healthy?" he questions.

He still insists that some movies are well made with a good story line. He cites the example of Poka-makorer Ghor Basati as one of the good movies of this time that was also commercially successful.

Razzak is worried about the shift in cultural bondage.

"How many people listen to Bangla music? How many watch Bangla movies? Perhaps, the elderly do, but mostly, people are inclined towards foreign production. The other day, my grandson was telling me about a Shahrukh Khan starrer that would be shown on TV.

'They'll show Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge,' he told me excitedly. When I queried about one of my movies that would be shown, he simply replied, 'I'll see yours if I get the time'! This is the trend today. We are going crazy about band music. Yet, we hardly go to listen to Rabindra Sangeet or Nazrul Geeti performances. The same goes for our movies."

He is disheartened by the disrespect that he finds visible in the people of today towards Bangla language. Language was a major part why 1971 took place.

"Our language is our base. This is what binds us together as a nation. When we disrespect this language, we disrespect ourselves. When we disrespect this language, we move away from ourselves. Bangla is our strength, our energy, our force. If we lose that, we have nothing."

Razzak has his own production unit called Rajlakshmi Productions, which has quite a number of films to its credit. Razzak opened this production house with the hope of producing pure Bangla movies for clean entertainment, which also conveys social messages to the masses. So far, he has been very successful. He makes movies that can entertain the whole family. He presents his messages in such a way that it works indirectly on the people, thus making them more acceptable to the people.

"People don't like to be imposed upon. They like to think on their own. I think my movies can make people think, even if for a little while."

He feels that it is his duty to make some good films for the industry. It is his duty to try his best in upgrading the present depraved status of the film industry. With Rajlakshmi Productions, he aims to do just that. "The industry has given me a lot. It is now time for some return. The least I can do is contribute in making some healthy, social, entertaining movies. I can never repay what the industry gave me, but I'll give it my best shot," he said.