For Bidushi Bornita, stepping into the shoes of an actress was more than a first acting assignment. It was an opportunity to understand a woman navigating love, relationships and the delicate balance between professional ambition and personal happiness.
In Shihab Shaheen’s upcoming web film Cafe Umbrella, Bornita plays Samira, an actress whose experiences explore the compromises people make in love and the choices they face while building their lives.
Fresh from winning the Lux Superstar 2025 crown, Bornita is beginning a new chapter in her career. Although she is new to acting, she found a connection with Samira that made the character both challenging and enjoyable to portray.
“Samira’s story explores love, compromise in relationships and balancing professional and personal life. I think these issues are relevant to many people in one way or another, and audiences will be able to relate to them,” Barnita said.
For her, the challenge went beyond delivering lines or performing scenes. It meant understanding another person’s thoughts, emotions and circumstances, then translating that understanding into a convincing screen performance. The experience offered her a glimpse into a life different from her own while also bringing her closer to the character.
Working with director Shihab Shaheen became an important part of that learning process. Bornita described the experience as unforgettable, particularly the opportunity to observe how he approaches characters and transforms stories for the screen.
“He is an extraordinary director. I had the opportunity to observe his approach to work, his understanding of characters and the way he brings stories to the screen. He explained many things to us and gave us opportunities to learn. Without Lux Superstar, I would not have gained such experience in such a short time,” she said.
Her co-stars also helped make the transition into acting more comfortable. Bornita particularly appreciated the support of Tawsif Mahbub, describing him as sincere, warm and cooperative.
She said he helped her understand different aspects of acting during the shoot, adding that such encouragement matters when someone is starting out.
She also enjoyed reuniting with three friends from Lux on the project, an experience she described as a special pleasure.
Cafe Umbrella brings together several couples’ stories, each with its own character and relationship dynamics. Love, family, careers and the compromises that shape personal lives run through its narratives.
Bornita hopes audiences will recognise parts of their own experiences in the film, whether through a particular relationship or a character’s choices.
The project marks another step in a journey that began long before her Lux Superstar win. Born in Rajshahi and raised in Dhaka, Barnita is the only daughter of Mehebub Alam and Merry Yasmin.
Her father worked in radio and various news organisations, while her mother was involved in cultural activities.
Bornita learnt music at Chhayanaut and dance from noted dancer Munmun Ahmed. Her introduction to showbiz came in childhood, when her parents helped her take her first steps into the industry. At around six or seven, she appeared as a child artist in Nasiruddin Yousuff’s film Guerrilla.
Her voice also reached audiences through an advertisement for Radio ABC’s popular programme Ki Shunailen Kibria Bhai, where her father worked. She later appeared in several television dramas and advertisements.
Now, with Cafe Umbrella, Bornita returns to the screen in a new role: not as the child performer she once was, but as a young actress learning to inhabit a character’s inner world. The web film will premiere on iScreen on 29 October.
