Actress Sumaiya Shimu has withdrawn from director Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Raj’s upcoming serial Fire Asar Golpo after suffering a corneal injury, with Deepa Khandakar taking over the role of Ruqaiya.

Shimu had been looking forward to returning to acting after a long break through the serial. She attended its press conference at a shooting house in Uttara on September 6 and also completed one day of shooting.

However, her eye condition worsened soon afterwards, making it impossible for her to continue filming. Shimu said she had experienced discomfort in her eye from the first day of shooting. The following day, her eye became swollen and painful, while her right eye turned completely red.

A medical examination later revealed that she had suffered an injury to the cornea. The pain became so severe that she could no longer take part in filming.

“I was very excited about the project. I attended the press conference and also shot for one day. But ultimately, I could not continue because of the eye problem. On the doctor’s advice, I had to take complete rest for more than 10 days,” Shimu said.

She added that her condition has now improved and she expects to return to normal soon.

Shimu initially suspected that she had a viral infection. However, the doctor later found that her cornea had been injured when a mascara brush accidentally poked her eye during makeup.

“The next day, my eye became swollen and the pain increased. When I went to the doctor, he asked whether I had suffered any injury to my eye. I told him that a mascara brush had poked my cornea during makeup. The doctor also confirmed that this was the actual cause. The pain became so severe that I was extremely distressed,” she said.

After learning about Shimu’s condition, director Mostafa Kamal Raj discussed the situation with her before changing the casting.

Deepa Khandakar, who was already associated with the serial, has taken over the role of Ruqaiya. She was initially cast as Mariam, but veteran actress Rosie Siddiqui has now taken over that role.

Although Shimu will no longer appear in Fire Asar Golpo, the serial marks the return of Zahid Hasan and Tanzim Saiara Totini after a long break.

Shahiduzzaman Selim, Khairul Bashar, Monira Mithu, Faizul Yamin, Mahmudul Islam Mithu, Mukit Zakaria, Ejazul Islam and Raju are also part of the cast.

Fire Asar Golpo will premiere on the Cinemawala YouTube channel from October 7 and will air every Wednesday and Thursday at noon.