Actor Nusraat Faria, Who Played Sheikh Hasina in Mujib Biopic, Arrested in Dhaka
Bangladeshi actor Nusraat Faria, who portrayed Sheikh Hasina in the Mujib biopic, was arrested at Dhaka airport Sunday in an attempted murder case tied to last year’s protests.
Nusraat Faria, 31, was detained at Shahjalal International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Thailand. Authorities acted on an arrest warrant linked to an attempted murder case during the mass uprising against then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in July 2024.
A senior officer at the airport’s immigration unit told Prothom Alo that the arrest was based on a pending warrant. Faria was later taken to Vatara police station and transferred to the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) for further investigation.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Badda Zone, Shafiqul Islam, confirmed the arrest. No official statement has yet been made by the actor’s legal team or family.
The charges against Faria stem from her alleged involvement in the anti-Hasina demonstrations that rocked Bangladesh in mid-2024. The protests culminated in Hasina’s resignation and her subsequent departure to India.
Sources in Dhaka Police allege that Faria participated in “organised violent activity,” though details remain sparse. Authorities have not specified the nature of her alleged role in the attempted murder incident.
Faria gained international attention for her portrayal of Sheikh Hasina in Mujib: The Making of a Nation, a biopic on Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The film, directed by late Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal, was a collaborative project between the Indian and Bangladeshi governments.
The actor had earlier spoken about the “emotional and political pressure” of playing such a significant figure, especially amid rising political tensions in Bangladesh.
Before entering the film industry, Faria began as a radio jockey and TV presenter. She made her acting debut in Aashiqui: True Love (2015), a Bangladesh-India joint venture. She has since starred in several Bengali-language films and is also known for her work in modelling and television hosting.
Her arrest has sparked shock across the entertainment fraternity, though no official response from the Bangladesh Film Artists’ Association has been issued yet.
Faria’s legal team is expected to file for bail early next week. The DMP has yet to hold a press briefing on the charges.
While civil society activists remain divided, rights groups have raised concerns over what they term “politically motivated detentions” in post-Hasina Bangladesh.
