Internationally renowned actress Babita has been awarded the prestigious Ekushey Padak 2026, one of the highest civilian honours in Bangladesh. She received the award from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday at a ceremony held at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital.
Expressing her joy after receiving the honour, Babita said, “Finally, I have received the Ekushey Padak. I’m sincerely grateful to the state, the people of this country, and the audience for giving me this highest recognition. I owe so much to the people of Bangladesh. My heart is truly filled with joy and happiness after receiving the award.”
She dedicated the award to the respected martyr intellectual Zahir Raihan. “It was through his hand that I came to films. Therefore, I dedicate my Ekushey Padak to him with respect,” she added.
Babita noted that receiving the award during the month of Language Movement observance made it even more special. “I have received many awards in my life, but the joy of this one is above all. It is a great achievement in my life,” she said.
When asked whether she felt the award should have come earlier, the celebrated actress responded modestly, saying that timing was not the most important issue. “The most important thing is that I have received it. There were times when I saw others receiving awards and wondered about my turn. Finally, I got it,” she said.
Replying to a question about her absence from recent films, Babita pointed to the lack of substantial roles for veteran actors. She observed that in neighbouring India, stories are still crafted around legends like Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha. “Here, we are often offered minor parental roles. If a story revolves around me and appeals to me, I will act again. But if the story and character are not strong, I will not return to acting,” she said.
Babita has won multiple National Film Awards for her performances in films such as “Noyonmoni”, “Bashundhara”, “Badi Theke Begum”, “Ramer Sumoti”, and “Hason Raja”. She also received the Best Producer award for “Poka Makorer Ghor Boshoti” and was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 for her outstanding contribution to the film industry.
She achieved international acclaim through her role in Oscar-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s classic film “Ashani Sanket”, which brought her recognition among Bengali-speaking audiences worldwide.
Babita was last seen in Nargis Akhtar’s film “Putro Ekhon Poishawala”, released in 2015. According to her, she has acted in around 300 films, sharing the screen with legendary actors including Razzak, Javed, Wasim, Farooque, Sohel Rana and Zafar Iqbal.
Some of her notable films include “Shundori”, “Ekmutho Bhat”, “Anonto Prem”, “Shohag”, “Fakir Majnu Shah”, “Lathial”, “Kotha Dilam”, “Laili Majnu”, “Dur Desh”, “Phul Shojja”, “Birongona Shokina”, and “Anarkoli”.
Beyond acting, Babita established her production company “Babita Movies” and produced several films, including “Phul Shojja”, “Agomon”, “Lottery”, “Chondidas Rajkini”, “Poka Makorer Ghar Boshoti”, and “Lady Smuggler”.
Bd-pratidin English/ ANI
