'I have become religious now': Hasan Masud

Acclaimed Actor Hasan Masud says he has largely withdrawn from acting following a significant personal and spiritual transformation, choosing to work in advertisements only when he feels inclined to do so.

“I have actually withdrawn into myself a little. I don't act anymore. There has been a change in my life, and because of that, I only work in advertisements when I want to. Otherwise, I don't,” he said.

Describing himself as more religious than before, the actor said he recently performed Hajj and spent 41 days in Makkah and Madinah. He added that the change within him had begun even before the pilgrimage and that he now considers himself “completely changed”.

The actor also recalled his previous work with Hayat on the mini-series ‘Grandmaster’, directed by Mahfuz Ahmed. Seeing Hayat again recently brought back memories of the project, in which the two actors played two characters.

“I did a mini-series with Hayat bhai called ‘Grandmaster’, directed by Mahfuz Ahmed. Hayat bhai and I played two characters. We shot for around four days at Dhirasram railway station in Gazipur,” he said.

Reflecting on his earlier life, the actor said he had reached a point where he felt emotionally detached from the world around him.

“The chapter of reading books ended for me a long time ago. I read so many books that, towards the end, I had become like a machine. There was no emotion or sentiment working inside me,” he said.

He recalled feeling detached even when confronted with tragic situations, saying, “If someone in front of me was run over by a truck and died, I would think that the person had died because of their own mistake.”

He eventually sold around 1,200 books at a very low price in Nilkhet and has not returned to reading since.

The actor said he stopped acting around two or three years ago and feels the lack of good content has also contributed to his decision to remain away from the industry.

“There isn't good content anymore, actually. What creates the strongest negative reaction in me is that there is no content,” he said.

He also criticised an approach to content-making that, in his view, is centred primarily on making audiences laugh.

“The only motto seems to be ‘people will laugh’. That is something I am not used to,” he said.

Concluding with a message for audiences, the actor said, “I would only say one thing to the viewers and listeners: stay well, stay honest and always try to speak the truth. Truth is beautiful.”