Bangladeshi actress Nusraat Faria, who played Sheikh Hasina in 'Mujib', arrested

Bangladeshi actress Nusraat Faria, who portrayed Sheikh Hasina in Mujib: The Making of a Nation, was arrested at Dhaka airport in connection with a 2024 attempted murder case linked to anti-government student protests.

Nusraat Faria (Image source: Instagram/ @nusraat_faria)

Bangladeshi actress Nusraat Faria, known for her portrayal of Sheikh Hasina in the Bangabandhu biopic Mujib: The Making of a Nation, has been arrested at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, local media outlets reported on Sunday.

The Dhaka Tribune reported that Nusraat was arrested for her alleged involvement in an attempted murder case linked to anti-government protests.

A case was filed against 17 actors, including Nusraat, for the alleged attempted murder of a student in the capital's Vatara area during the July uprising last year, according to Dhaka Tribune.

Inspector Sujan Haque of Vatara Police Station said she was arrested this afternoon, as reported by bdnews24.com.

"Our team went to the airport to get her based on information from Immigration Police," he said. "A few days ago, a court approved an attempted murder case against her. She has been shown arrested in that case," the outlet reported.

The case was filed at the police station during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement's protests in 2024, the police said, according to bdnews24.com.

The website of local news outlet Prothom Alo reported that the actress was arrested at the immigration checkpoint at the airport this morning as she was about to travel to Thailand.

Nusraat made her acting debut with the film Aashiqui (2015), where she played the lead role opposite Ankush Hazra. The film was a commercial success.

She also worked in several other hits such as Hero 420 (2016), Badsha - The Don (2016), Premi O Premi (2017), and Boss 2: Back to Rule (2017).

She portrayed Sheikh Hasina in Mujib: The Making of a Nation, released in 2023. Based on the life of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman—the founding father and first president of Bangladesh, popularly known as Bangabandhu—the film was a Bangladesh-India co-production, directed by Shyam Benegal, with Arifin Shuvoo in the titular role.

According to bdnews24.com, Faria said at the time that she could not believe she had the opportunity to portray the Awami League leader.

"When I learnt of it, I felt like the luckiest person in my country. Because no one has ever played her role onscreen before. I don't know if anyone will do it in the future," she said.

"I feel that even if I never act again in the future, I have got the opportunity to play this role, which is the ultimate achievement for me," she added.