‘Can’t silence me like this’: Badhan’s bravery and an uncomfortable reality
“Say Joy Bangla!” said the group of miscreants harassing Azmeri Haque Badhan and her family in Venice. What had once been the unmistakable slogan of Bangladesh’s great Liberation War was now being used to terrorise an actress and her family, including a crying child.
But that did not evoke sympathy in individuals who could neither see a representative of Bangladesh on a world stage—the Venice International Film Festival, no less—nor a human being with her family. They could only see a “traitor” who had protested against their beloved former government in July 2024, standing up to a regime that was killing its own people.
They threw carbonated water, eggs, and other paraphernalia, even knocking off her phone and spectacles at one point.
“I am fine now, but shaken,” said Badhan when contacted over the phone. “I just need time to rest. I will be fine.”
Although shaken, the bravery that the actress portrayed in the situation remains exemplary. “You cannot silence me like this,” she said.
When they were attacking her, she kept recording, as if to expose these ‘activists’ for what they really are: misogynists, opportunists, and criminals. “They did not stop, even when we urged them to do so at least for the child. ‘What child? You have to say Joy Bangla’ was their only retort.”
Meanwhile, Dhaka’s cultural circle has flared up significantly in response to this undue attack.
“Time and again, artistes in our country are dragged into the ugly quagmire of politics in one way or another,” said Safa Kabir. “An artiste's true freedom lies in speaking for truth, justice, and humanity—so why must they repeatedly pay a price for that voice?” She continued, “I am deeply outraged by what happened to Badhan apu. I demand a fair trial for this incident and hope she receives justice.”
Pori Moni was unfiltered in her response: “Just a few rabid dogs barking at an actress. They have no sympathy, even for a child.”
Director Shankha Dasgupta vented his frustration, saying, “How strange our patriotism is! Party comes before country. Identity comes before humanity. Politics comes before achievement. In dividing everything into party, religion, faction, and opposition, one day we might wake up to find there is no country left to divide. And perhaps, that is our greatest failure.”
The issue was even raised in parliament, as Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal denounced the attack. “This was nothing but an inhuman, cowardly attack on an actress. We stand against such atrocity against a citizen.”
It is, however, worth noting that even though Azmeri Haque Badhan wears her identity as a ‘July Warrior’ with pride, she has been a consistent critic of subsequent governments and their perceived missteps.
“We all wanted change, but did not want the rise of mob culture and extremism,” she had said, drawing the ire of many.
The actress’s outspoken personality has often landed her in hot water with various schools of thought. “I will keep speaking my mind, and I will stand up for what I feel is right. It is my right as a citizen, and duty as an artiste,” Badhan said in a previous interview with The Daily Star.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Still, an uncomfortable reality lingers: anyone who supported the July movement in any capacity is now a target not only online, but anywhere in the world where these fanatics exist, waiting for their chance to attack an unarmed, unsuspecting person.
Badhan, along with director Rubaiyat Hossain, Zaineen Chowdhury Karim, and Sunerah Binte Kamal, among others, is in Venice for their film “The Difficult Bride”, making it the first official Bangladeshi feature-length film selection. The film premiered on September 6.
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