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Momotaz

Singer of the masses hits the big screen

ERSHAD KAMOL
Many of us have watched Momotaz on the small screen. Come Eid, viewers will get to see her on the big screen as well.
This is a landmark because for the first time in the history of our film industry a full-length movie is being
made based on the biographical sketch of a folk singer. Momotaz, as the film is titled, is made by upcoming director Uttam Akash.
Momotaz has released a record of 665 solo albums. On her current venture, the melody queen says, “It is really exciting to perform in one's own biopic.”
Eminent actors of the country like Humayun Faridee, Anwara, Helal Khan and others have performed in the movie as well. Faridee has performed in the role of a Baul with whom Momtaz used to perform. In fact she caught the attention of the audience singing Palagaan while playing her violin with the Baul named Abdur Rashid Sarkar. Anwara performs in the role of Momotaz's mother while Masum Aziz acts as her father Modhu Boyati, her first mentor. Helal Khan plays the role of her present husband M Ramzan Ali Chairman.
To quote Momotaz, “The story of the movie takes me back to my struggling days, when I used to perform Palagaan with the acoustics of violin, bansi, dhol and mondira in the nightlong concerts in rural areas of Manikganj district. In those days, I used to play violin while singing. The mystic lyrics and melodious tunes of those songs were very rich. Later, in 1992, I began to release commercial folk songs with substandard lyrics, getting only Taka 2,000 per album, which was the bread and butter for many recording companies, lyricists, music composers and instrumentalists. In those days I used to release two albums a day without any rehearsal. And at the end of the movie the viewers will get tcome to the city for treatment.” She, along with her husband, Ramzan Ali Chairman, also supports many schools, colleges, mosques and madrasas in Manikganj district. o know about my current life. They will watch Momotaz, a folk singer, performing in metros of USA, Canada, UK and other countries.
“I've delivered the dialogues in the movie using the Manikganj dialect, that's how I normally speak. The main attraction of the film is its music. I have sung most of the 18 songs included in the movie. In one of the songs, Runa Laila has lent her voice.”
Besides acting in the film, Momotaz sings playbacks of films based on rural stories. And as usual she has been releasing one solo album a month on an average. Commenting on her current albums, Momotaz says, “I admit that for the sake of money and popularity I had to release numerous cheap songs in the previous years. However, nowadays I am selective about the lyrics and tunes of the songs. In the coming Eid, I plan to release six albums of which Palki should be popular like my other successful album such as Return Ticket, Ashol Boithoki, Bhaab Boithoki, Murshider Talim and Ronger Bazar.”
Momotaz, in her capacity as President of Bangladesh Baul Shilpi Samity, is now busy with social activities. “My future plan is to do something for the betterment of rural Bauls who are struggling to eke a living. Nowadays, they cannot even put up shows as urus and other huge gatherings are not permitted by the government because of security reasons.”
There are other facets of Momotaz's social work. She established an eye hospital in her village. She says, “The poor people in the villages do not have the resources to come to the city for treatment.”
Momotaz has won many awards such as the Bangladesh Cine Reporters Association Award (BACHSAS) and Dhaliwood award among others.