‘Audiences are the ones who keep cinema alive’: Siam Ahmed

For Siam Ahmed, Eid this year has unfolded inside cinema halls—among crowds, reactions, and moments that linger beyond the screen.

The actor, who rose to prominence with “Poramon 2” and has since built a steady run in Bangladeshi cinema, returns this Eid with “Rakkhosh”. Following its release, he visited three theatres to witness audience reactions up close—an experience he describes as both energising and deeply personal.

“I’ve visited a few halls after ‘Rakkhosh’ was released. Altogether, I managed to go to three,” Siam said. “I may go to more in the coming days. The response has been very encouraging. Audiences have accepted the film warmly—it brings a sense of excitement and fulfillment.”

What struck him most was the immediacy of that response.

“People came up to me and delivered dialogues from the film right in front of me,” he said. “Some spoke about the songs, others about my character. When audiences connect like that, when they express it so directly—it really touches me. It’s a different kind of feeling.”

But one encounter, he says, left him visibly shaken.

“Yes, something happened that made me truly emotional,” Siam said. “I went to Sony Cinema Hall one day to check on the screenings. After the show, I noticed a large crowd. In the middle of it, I saw a viewer in a wheelchair. With that kind of crowd, I was worried he might face difficulties, so I asked my team to make sure he didn’t.”

Siam then approached the man and spoke to him briefly.

“I went up to him and spoke for about 50 seconds. I asked him, ‘Brother, why did you take so much trouble to come watch the film?’ He told me he has been watching my films since ‘Poramon 2’, and that’s why he came to see ‘Rakkhosh’. I was honestly taken aback.”

The exchange stayed with him.

“Seeing someone come to watch ‘Rakkhosh’ in a wheelchair—it really moved me,” he said. “A person who cannot move on his own, who has to rely on someone else, still made the effort to come to the cinema. That moment… it stayed with me.”

For Siam, the incident underscored a truth he holds close about his work and its audience.

“The audience is my real source of love,” he said. “They are the ones who keep artistes alive. From the very beginning, I have received their support.”

“Everything comes from them—support, love, everything. I will keep working for the audience. There is nothing greater than their love,” Siam added.