Aly Zaker (AZ): My first memory of Dhaka is one of Abhoy Das Lane in Wari where we came to live for a few months when my father was transferred to the city. I was a kid then. It was in 1954. There were some landmarks in that area at that time; some of which must still be there. There was Kamrunnesa Girls High School, the residential area of Tarabagh, Rankin Street with all its impressive old buildings. Begum Sufia Kamal used to live in Tarabagh that was a high point.

Dhaka then was like a district town; very few cars were seen on the roads. There were horse-drawn carriages and rickshaws. Obviously with the opportunity of our visits to Kolkata and being exposed to a sort of metropolitan life, Dhaka did not hold a lot of attraction for us at that time. But then life was tranquil and that was very special.

SC: What memory of Dhaka do you cherish most?

AZ: Many. A visit to the one and only ice-cream shop in Dienfa building which later became Gulistan, travelling through the lanes and by-lanes in horse-drawn carriages to our grandmother's ancestral house in Badamtoli, an occasional boat-ride in the river Buriganga, the wrestling competition in Sadarghat, walking through the roads in Ramna area adorned by tall trees and dotted with red brick houses et al.

SC: What was the city like when you first came to Dhaka?

AZ: As I have said earlier that Dhaka was a very peaceful city and there was no pollution of any sort. There were some traditional cuisines atypical of the city of Old Dhaka like bakorkhani, nehari (stew made of mutton legs) and of course the famous tehari that could be described as poor man's biriyani.

SC: How have the changes in the city affected your life?

AZ: Tremendously. It is a mad city now and perhaps also most ill planned. Despite my love for this city, now that I have lived here for over 50 years, at times I feel like saying aloud, "Give me a break". Dhaka is on her way to becoming an unliveable city. When I get a chance, I scurry away from Dhaka to the villages of Bangladesh-- to be able to breathe normally, see green pastures and hear only the rustling leaves and singing birds.

SC: Which part or what about Dhaka are you proud of?

AZ: The Dhaka with her golden heritage until such time that it was mutilated. I am also proud of being very closely associated with the Dhakaiyas in the old town. I think they are people with a golden heart to say the least. I am a romantic man but I do not find Dhaka romantic anymore.

SC: What do you envisage for Dhaka in the nest 20 years?

AZ: Unless something drastic is done, this poor city will soon become a cauldron of human misery and suffering.

Aly Zaker, renowned actor, managing director and CEO of Asiatic Marketing Communications Limited spoke to Durdana Ghias of Star City.