“Within Two Seconds, I Said Yes”

Chayanika Chowdhury’s 24-Year Journey

Published : Sunday, 21 September, 2025 at 6:28 PM Count : 211

In 2001, director Chayanika Chowdhury had not gone to the set of “Light & Shadow” to make a drama. She was there to collect a payment for another project. But when she casually asked producer Mujibur Rahman who would be directing a new script, his reply surprised her: “You.”

“I act first and think later,” Chayanika said. “Within two seconds I said yes.” That decision marked the beginning of her filmmaking career, which now spans 24 uninterrupted years.

Her debut directorial work, Ek Jibone, aired on BTV on October 28, 2001. Actress Tamalika Karmakar served as executive producer, with Zaydan Rabbi backing the project under AdMedia. With no budget to speak of, Chayanika recalls carrying costumes, candles, and even a blower from her home to fake rain.

The early years were spent working with small crews and borrowed props. “I feel lucky that what I introduced 24 years ago is still running,” she said. “Back then, people waited for a Chayanika Valentine drama.”

Music played a central role in her early productions. Artists such as Bappa Mazumder and Fahmida Nabi shared unreleased songs with her before their albums were launched. “Today we celebrate a million views,” she noted. “Back then, nine crore people tuned in at the same hour. No repeats—miss it and it was gone.”

Chayanika’s interest in storytelling developed in childhood. She recited on television as a schoolgirl, read Tagore’s Golpo Guccho from Class Four, and grew up surrounded by music and cinema at home.

Breaking into the television industry was no easy feat. “One channel would have only seven Eid slots, and naturally they went to the giants,” she recalled. Established names such as Giasuddin Selim, Abdullah Al Mamun, Salauddin Lavlu, and Afzal Hossain dominated the scene.

Her breakthrough came in 2005 with Tomake Chuye, an NTV Eid special that reunited Bipasha Hayat and Shomi Kaiser on screen after a decade. Later, her film Prohelika became one of her toughest challenges. Many advised her to delay its release as a Shakib Khan blockbuster was already leading the box office. “Still, the film won over viewers even when every projection suggested otherwise,” she said.

For newcomers, her advice is clear: “Don’t stage one play and disappear. Keep working. That is how I have sustained twenty-four uninterrupted years.”

Reflecting on her journey, Chayanika remains focused on the future. “Someone has to create the opening. Worth becomes visible only after a platform allows you to show it. I validate opportunities through my craft, but the chance itself must first be offered.”

She dismisses any notion of completion. “I once thought this span was enough,” she said. “Now I feel there’s far more to do.” With plans to bring her trademark love stories to OTT platforms, Chayanika Chowdhury says her story as a director is still unfinished.

FP/MI