Zerifa Wahid is the leading lady of Assamese cinema. She is the quintessential actress who places her craft above accolades and box office successes.
Her prominent features include Baandhon, which won the Best Feature Film in Assamese in the 60th National Film Awards and the Best Film Award in the Indian Films Competition held at the Bengaluru International Film Festival in 2012.
When Saturday Fare contacted Zerifa for this feature on her life and work she was brimming with energy and her effervescent charm. This was despite the fact that it was a late evening hour and the actress had a packed day. "Whatever I am today is the outcome of my upbringing and the influences of several people who have mentored and inspired me in my life's journey," she smiles. "My paternal grandfather was an Army doctor. A staunch disciplinarian and stickler for rules he had a very soft and endearing side to him. He loved my grandmother to bits and used to painstakingly take care of all her needs. It was almost a love story from the classics," as Zerifa paused one could clearly see two things – she was a diehard romantic and took great pride in her family lineage. "My maternal grandfather on the other hand was a leading entrepreneur of the hotel industry of our state. He is the man behind Lakhimpur's Joya Hotel. In those days there were hardly any hotels of stature and reckoning in the small towns of our state and my grandfather strived and toiled to make this a landmark hotel of the region," she proudly states and adds, "Although I have never seen my maternal grandmother (for she passed away before my birth) I can well picture her for I am told she was the epitome of grace and beauty. My mother is a very balanced woman and although she has been actively involved in the management of my grandfather's hotel she has never compromised on quality time for me and my sister."
Zerifa who studied in Nichols High School was a bright and meritorious student. She is a law graduate and topper in History. "My father who is a very gentle and unassuming man had always hoped that I would follow his professional footsteps and etch a career for myself in the legal sector," says Zerifa and shares that her father was a judicial officer associated with the Central Administrative Tribunal.
So how exactly did she venture into cinema? "Well although it might sound like a cliché I actually never dreamt of becoming an actress but I guess it was all predestined," she says. Her debut as a child actor in Abhimaan was coincidental as her uncle (who owned a production house) was scouting for child actors and she happened to be around. Zerifa says that she essayed the role with effortless ease and connoisseurs and makers of Assamese cinema started noticing her. "And after this opportunities just started presenting themselves. In those days Assamese television serials were starting to make a mark and I acted as a child artist in many. Eventually video films, music albums and television commercials came my way," she remembers.
So was her father disappointed? "Well my parents were always quietly supportive of all my decisions. Yes they had certain expectations but never questioned or admonished me either if I took my own decisions. In that sense they have always been very mature and pragmatic. When I embarked on my acting projects as a school girl they very clearly told me that they would be proud of my acting achievements as long as I could devote equal time and attention to my studies. Yes there were initial hiccups in terms of accepting the fact that I wanted to take the acting profession full-fledged. However, in the course of time my parents have accepted my choice more wholeheartedly," says Zerifa and adds, "During my high school days I would often come home after school to learn that some director or producer had come to sign me for a role and that my parents had been dismissive of the role and suggested the role of the hero's sister for me instead." A very young, school going Zerifa had played leading heroine in films like Agnigarh, Atikram, Dhua etc.
Zerifa has been a trailblazer of sorts in Assamese cinema. She has played the lead heroine in Zubeen Garg's 'Tumi MOR Mathu Mor' and epitomized the quintessential modern Assamese woman who is progressive in her outlook. Some of her successful films are Seuji Dharani Dhuniya, Anya Ek Jatra, Gun Gun Gane Gane, Agnisakhi (for which she was awarded Best Actress by the Government of Assam), Nayak, Kadambari, Prem Geet, Deuta Diya Bidai and Ahir Bhairav.
Incidentally, Ahir Bhairav, where Zerifa played a schizophrenic, is the first Assamese feature film to be shot entirely in London. "This was one of my very favourite films as the portrayal of the character was challenging and entailed a lot of research on schizophrenia and the ways in which patients manifest this mental condition," she shares.
Being very intimately associated with the theatre movement in Assam with powerful performances in several stage plays Zerifa loves to call herself a theatre worker.
Incidentally Zerifa Wahid is the first heroine of Assamese Cinema to have launched her own production house- Zerifa Wahid Productions. Talking about the vision and objectives of her production house she says, "I want Assamese cinema to evolve in terms of its original essence. Some years back Assamese cinema had started blindly aping Bollywood in terms of the plotlines and presentation formats. This is indeed disturbing for regional cinema needs to flourish on the might of its own nuances that stem from the cultural fabric and myriad influences of the region. Through my production house I want to consciously work towards this end. Secondly I want to build a robust ecosystem for the technical/production crew. These people are indispensable for the success of any film and it is high time that they are given a facilitating environment and the adequate recognitions with the industry," she concludes.
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