Alisha Pradhan (born 1993 or 1994)
is a Bangladeshi actress,
television presenter
A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people ...
, and businesswoman. She rose to prominence as a teenager on television. She later starred in several films, most notably with
Emon in director
Chashi Nazrul Islam
Chashi Nazrul Islam (11 October 1941 – 11 January 2015) was a Bangladeshi film director and producer. He won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Director twice for the films '' Shuvoda'' in 1986 and '' Hangor Nodi Grenade'' in 1997. He wa ...
's final two pictures, ''Antaranga'' and ''Bhul Jodi Hoy''. Pradhan retired from acting in 2017.
Biography
Early life
Alisha Pradhan was born to Monir and Hosna Pradhan, both businesspeople. She is the second of three children, born between older sister Faiza and younger brother Ryan. She grew up in
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...
, Bangladesh.
From age 8, she studied classical dance at
Bulbul Academy for Fine Arts
Bulbul Lalitakala Academy (now known as Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts or BAFA) is an institution of fine arts established in Dhaka on 17 May 1955, founded by Begum Afroza Bulbul, wife of Bulbul Chowdhury
Bulbul Chowdhury (1 January 1919 – 17 Ma ...
. Later she learned Western and Latin dance and hip hop.
In 2008, at age 14, Pradhan began her show business career by modeling in a television commercial for Cova chocolate bars.
She returned to the form two years later in an advertisement for Bangladeshi soft drink Uro Cola with actor
Riaz
Riaz (; , or ) is a municipality in the district of Gruyère in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland.
History
Riaz is first mentioned in 900 as ''Villa Roda''. The municipality was formerly known by its German name ''Zum Rad'', however, tha ...
, and did a second commercial for the beverage with
Emon in 2012.
While still in school, she appeared in more than 30 dramas and serials on the small screen, including
NTV NTV may refer to:
Television
* NTV (Bangladesh), a Bengali-language satellite television channel in Bangladesh
* NTV (India), Telugu regional channel
* NTV (Kenya)
* NTV (Mongolia), a television channel based in Mongolia
* NTV (Newport Televisio ...
's ''Dakhinayaner Din'', Fazlur Rahman's ''Swapnochura'', Ferdous Hasan Rana's ''Dahan'', and
Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
Mostofa Sarwar Farooki () is a Bangladeshi film director, producer and screenwriter who works in Bengali films. His films '' Third Person Singular Number'', ''Television'', ''No Bed Of Roses'' were critically acclaimed across the world and r ...
's ''First Date''. In 2011, she performed an
item number
In Indian cinema, an item number or special song is a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. The term is commonly used within Indian films ( Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu c ...
for a film by director Raffael Ahsan, then titled ''69 Patla Khan Lane''.
Legal objections by the owner of that address delayed the film, and it would not be released until December 2015, under the new title ''Noy Choy''.
She completed her
A-levels
The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...
in mid-2012.
Film career
Pradhan made a guest appearance in the film ''Eito Bhalobasha'', which was released in early 2013. Meanwhile, she became a presenter for broadcasts of the
2013 Bangladesh Premier League
Thirteen or 13 may refer to:
* 13 (number)
* Any of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, or 2013
Music Albums
* ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013
* ''13'' (Blur album), 1999
* ''13'' (Borgeous album), 2016
* ''13'' (Brian Setzer album), 2006
* ...
(BPL) cricket season.
Director
Chashi Nazrul Islam
Chashi Nazrul Islam (11 October 1941 – 11 January 2015) was a Bangladeshi film director and producer. He won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Director twice for the films '' Shuvoda'' in 1986 and '' Hangor Nodi Grenade'' in 1997. He wa ...
saw her work as a presenter for the BPL and invited her to co-star with Emon in his film ''Bhul Jodi Hoy''. Shooting took place in May 2013.
While it was in post-production, she signed a four-film contract with Carnival Motion Pictures, a new production company directed by her mother. ''Antaranga'', the first film under their banner, was again with Emon and under Islam's direction. In it she played a double role, Tamanna, a conventional Bangladeshi character dependent on her family in a patriarchal society, and Banya, a more independent, rebellious character.
Filming began in December 2013 at the
Bangladesh Film Development Corporation
Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) is a government owned and operated corporation in Tejgaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Nuzhat Yeasmin is the managing director of the corporation.
History
The organization was founded in 1959 as the East Pak ...
. Islam died without completing the picture. Finishing it fell to his assistant, Tarek Shikdar. It was edited by Pradhan's sister Faiza, who had studied film in India.
Shooting of Pradhan's third film, ''Ojante Bhalobasha'', directed by A J Rana, began in January 2014. In it she played the role of Kajol, "a simple middle class female".
In March 2014, with several pictures in the can, but none yet released, filming began on the second Carnival Motion Pictures property, Zakir Hossain Raju's ''Premer Kajal''. She played opposite Shipon in it.
As of 2021, it is yet to be released.
''Antaranga'' hit cinemas in November 2015, making it Pradhan's debut film in a lead role. ''Bhul Jodi Hoy'', though filmed earlier, didn't premiere until January 2016.
''Antaranga'' was not very successful at the box office, but after its release director Shahin Sumon signed Pradhan to star in his film ''Probashi Don'' opposite
Symon Sadik
Sadik MD. Symon (born 30 August 1985), popularly known as Symon Sadik, is a Bangladeshi film actor, producer, assistant director, lyricist, model and former joint general secretary of the Bangladesh Film Artistes' Association. His films are pred ...
.
The intention was to shoot most of the film abroad, starting in early 2016, but that plan became snarled in visa complications. As of November 2017, it was still in pre-production.
''Ojante Bhalobasha'' was released in May 2016. The production house, Surjo Chalachitra, described it as a flop. Director Rana said he had hoped to at least break even, "But in hindsight, I was thinking the impossible". Pradhan announced in December 2017 that she was retiring from acting.
Beyond acting
As of 2018, Pradhan is general secretary of Bangladesh Heritage Crafts Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to boost the traditional crafts of Bangladesh, such as
jamdani
Jamdani () is a fine muslin textile (figured with different patterns) produced for centuries in South Rupshi of Narayanganj district in Bangladesh on the bank of Shitalakhwa river.
The historic production of jamdani was patronized by imperial ...
and other textiles,
shital pati woven mats, and pottery.
In July 2019, Pradhan became managing director of a new internet-based television channel, HerNet TV, focused on women's wellbeing. Her mother is the chairman of the company.
Filmography
Films
See also
*
Cinema of Bangladesh
The Cinema of Bangladesh, locally known as Bangla cinema, is a diverse and vibrant entity, consisting of films produced across various regions in Bangladesh, each contributing its unique linguistic and cultural perspective. Beyond the dominan ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pradhan, Alisha
Living people
1993 births
People from Comilla
21st-century Bangladeshi actresses
Bengali television actresses
Bangladeshi film actresses