Profile - Sara Zaker

Sara Zaker

General Information

Actress, Entrepreneur

Actress, Director, Business Entrepreneur and Social Activist

Full Name: Sara AminZaker

Affiliation: Asiatic 3sixty

Current Position: Executive Vice Chairperson

Place of Birth: Bangladesh

Nationality: Bangladeshi

Profile:

Sara Amin is a Bangladeshi actress, business entrepreneur, writer and social activist, well known as Sara Zaker, became a household name in the 1990s for her remarkable performance in the popular Bangladesh Television (BTV) drama series Ayomoy. Written by the famous writer Humayun Ahmed and directed by Nawazish Ali Khan, the TV drama changed the way how mainstream media perceived her.
Sara had already left her mark in the theatre decades ago when she was merely a college student. With utmost dedication and love for the theatre, Sara appeared in myriad theatrical acts since 1973.

Sara was the third child of army officer Salahuddin M Amin and Alia Amin. Both of liberal inclination, Salahuddin and Alia nurtured their children in an environment congenial to grow up pursuing careers of their own choice. Extracurricular activities were Sara’s childhood obsession. She was so fortunate that her paternal family members used to appreciate art-related activities like painting, singing and acting. Additionally, her maternal family members were not conservative. She did not face any restriction from both paternal and maternal families.

Sara, concerns for family life always eclipsed other engagements. She would spend more time with her family members who were also her co-activists on theatre as well as business partners. A career that went through many curves, saw Sara at the outset in the broadcasting and cinema. But, her dedication to theatre seemed to have transported her to broader social arena — she even found herself in the roles of advertising executive, social activist, etc.

The government awarded the theatre exponent with Ekushey Padak in 2017 for her contribution in the field of acting for more than four decades. For her right-based activism, Sara was also honoured with Effie Award for Ending Child Marriage Campaign and Accolade Award for Ending Child Marriage Campaign in 2018. Social communication is Sara’s favourite topic, an expertise that fed her activism as well as professional career. As a communication executive, she has built skills on social and behavioural change communication, social mobilisation and communication strategy development, besides her acting career.

In 1972, Sara gave audition for Dhaka Radio while performing in the play Doctor Faustus. Nagarik founding president Zia Hayder directed the play. That was the first and probably the last participation of Sara in radio.
Sara Zaker’s important theatrical performances include Baki Itihas, Shen Te or Shui Ta, an adaptation of Brecht’s Der Gute Mensch von Sezuan, Bidagdha Ramanikul, Nishiddha Palli, Syat Manusher Khoje, Dewan Gazi’r Kischha and Naam-Gotraheen: Manta’r Meyera and Irsha.

Baki Itihas (1973) was the first-ever ticketed show in the contemporary theatre history in Dhaka. For the series of shows of the play, Nagarik had booked the British Council auditorium for eight consecutive evenings. They were committed to continue the theatre show without mulling over financial return. The play was directed by Aly Zaker, whom Sara married in 1975. In the year of marriage, Sara enrolled into the Biochemistry Department of Dhaka University. But she had decided to switch to the English Literature in the same university.

When her son Iresh was two and half years old, Sara got a call from her Nagorik co-activist Badal Rahman for acting in his juvenile film Emiler Goenda Bahini. Emiler Goenda Bahini was released in 1980.

In 1981, Sara visited United Kingdom to participate in a three-month directorial course under the British Theatre Institute. One year after the course ended, Sara started her post-graduation studies on English Literature in Dhaka University.

After the birth of her daughter in 1985, Sara became worried over her future career. Sensing her mental anxiety, Aly offered Sara a position at his business venture. However, Sara was reluctant to work in an advertising firm. Hence, she began her corporate career in the field of market research and joined at Market Research Consultancy Mode Limited. Till 1996, she served the company as its managing director.

She took part in a management workshop jointly organised by Institute of Business Management and UNICEF in 1988. Next year, she attended a conference at National Council of Research on Women in the US. Ford Foundation sponsored her participation.

In 1996, Sara starred in another film — Nodir Naam Modhumoti. The film was directed by Tanvir Mokammel.

Sara was dedicated to theatre. She performed in Badal and Tanvir’s films on request. When Tareque Masud and Catherine Masud came to her for acting in their drama film Ontarjatra, She took the call very seriously. Sara took movie acting seriously when she was old enough to groom myself as a movie star, she confessed.
Ontarjatra was released in 2005 and received appreciation by both audience and critics. However, Sara does not rue over for not becoming a prominent movie star, as she believes that a person busy in more than one job cannot be a master of all.

Since her three-decade business career, she also worked as the project head of Nayantara Communications since its inception in 2004. Nayantara is the co-producer of Sesame Workshop New York and is responsible for producing Sisimpur, the Bengali edition of the Sesame Street.

In addition to her other engagement, Sara served as the executive director of Asiatic Marketing Communications Limited, director of Asiatic Events Marketing Limited, and the managing director of Dhani Chitra Ltd.

Since 2012, Sara has been serving as the group vice chairperson of Asiatic 3sixty (Asiatic Group of Companies). She has to undertake core responsibilities including operational leadership, strategic direction and business quality control of the group of companies.

Albeit being a busy corporate professional, Sara is engaged in social activism — she prioritises women and children rights-based campaign for positive change.

Sara is among the founding trustee board member of the Liberation War Museum established in 1996 in Dhaka. She served as chairperson of Group Theatre Federation between 2002 and 2004. She has directed Mukhosh-an adaptation of Ariel Dorfman’s Death and the Maiden, Anton Chekhov’s The Sea Gull and Open Couple — an adaptation of Dario Fo and Franca Rame’s The Open Couple.

Awards: