The fairy tale turned into a Greek tragedy starting in late 2017. Shakib Khan, in a shocking press conference, alleged that Apu was an unfit mother and that their marriage was effectively over. Apu retaliated with her own tearful media blitz, accusing Shakib of mental torture, infidelity, and preventing her from seeing their son.
The romantic storylines she had once acted out—of betrayal, of a woman wronged, of a lover turned enemy—became her reality. The fairy tale turned into a Greek tragedy
Like all great actresses, Apu has gracefully transitioned. In the last five years, while she still plays romantic leads in tele-dramas, she has increasingly taken on roles as the mother, aunt, or wise elder. But even here, her "romantic" influence persists. The romantic storylines she had once acted out—of
She now often plays the confidante to younger romantic leads. In a recent hit serial, her character—a widowed university professor—advises her teenage daughter about love, while also exploring her own hesitant, late-life romance with a retired colonel. This meta-role is fascinating: Apu, the icon of on-screen love, is now teaching the next generation how to love, both in the script and through her craft. But even here, her "romantic" influence persists
Her more recent romantic storylines have tackled issues that would have been unthinkable at her career's start: marital rape, emotional infidelity, same-sex love (in a subtle, path-breaking drama), and love across religious lines. Apu remains at the forefront, not by chasing youth, but by lending her gravitas to complex, adult narratives.
No discussion of Apu’s romantic storylines is complete without addressing the Apu-Apurba phenomenon. Her on-screen pairing with actor Ziaul Faruq Apurba (coincidentally sharing a phonetic name) became the most bankable romantic duo of the 2010s. Their relationship arcs, however, were surprisingly complex.
Unlike the saccharine couples of Indian TV, the Apu-Apurba dynamic was defined by conflict as foreplay. In serials like Mayer Daak and Bojhena Se Bojhena, their characters rarely agreed. They argued over class differences, family honor, and personal ambition. The romance was not in the kisses (which are rare on Bangladeshi TV) but in the screaming matches and the eventual, tearful surrender.
