Azmeri Haque Badhan’s new journey on Netflix

Azmeri Haque Badhan, a household name and creative force to be reckoned with, is now aiming far and beyond with her first look at Vishal Bhardwaj's spy thriller "Khufiya," in a Netflix teaser.

The upcoming Netflix movie, Khufiya, is inspired by true events, based on the popular espionage novel "Escape to Nowhere," by Amar Bhushan. Despite the current hype, this movie was first offered to actresses Mehazabien Chowdhury and Bidya Sinha Mim, who later decline the role due to some highlights of political issues connected to Bangladesh. The script allegedly shows Bangladesh in a bad light.

Mehazabein told Prothom Alo in an interview, "As a citizen of Bangladesh, I did not want to involve myself in any such story." Whereas Mim added on a separate interview, "Despite liking the character, I did not agree to act in the film after reading the entire story. Because Bangladesh has been presented negatively in the film."

With all of that being said, the release of the teaser had her fans all riled up, making it go viral. However, the journey of the renowned actress has not been as linear as one might assume. With a love for literature, Azmeri Haque Badhan always had a fascination for acting. Even after becoming the second runner-up in the pageant called Lux Channel I Superstar in 2006.

Since she came from a conservative family, Badhan could not really explore her potential until 2017. She stated, "It was only in 2017, after having gone through many tribulations in my personal life, that I decided to pursue my career seriously."

The actress never really thought that acting was a viable profession. The stigma that comes with professions such as the media industry not being respectful, and decent girls don't belong there were some of the issues that set her back. "I never really got the chance to examine how I was passionate about my work or whether it fulfilled me," she adds.

Fast forward to 2021 and many turbulences later, Azmeri got to see her real success after playing the role of the protagonist in the movie Rehana Maryam Noor. Her stellar performance in the film shot her to the stars and even got to walk the red carpet at the 74th Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Abdullah Mohammad Saad, Rehana Maryam Noor was the first Bangladeshi film in history to be officially selected for the Cannes Film Festival, in the Un Certain Regard section.

In an interview, she stated that playing the role of Rehana made her discover a new part of herself. Perseverance, grit and a strong belief in herself made Azmeri who she is and after Rehana, her versatile involvement in several local and offshore projects speaks volumes about the capability of the thespian.

Her fans are now eagerly waiting on what store she has in the new upcoming Netflix spy thriller show "Khufiya."