Tanjin Tisha and Samia Othoi's Memberships Suspended; Tisha Responds in Facebook Live

Staff Report | PNN

The Bangladesh Actors' Equity Association has taken a strict decision following allegations of physical assault on a shooting set and subsequent exchanges of accusations between two actresses. The organization has suspended the memberships of actresses Tanjin Tisha and Samia Othoi indefinitely. General Secretary of the association, Rashed Mamun Apu, said the decision was taken after repeated attempts to resolve the dispute failed due to a lack of cooperation from both parties.

Separate letters were sent to the two actresses on October 4, informing them of the decision to suspend their memberships. The letters stated that show-cause notices had previously been issued to them on July 7. However, neither of them submitted a written response to the association's office within the stipulated timeframe. Subsequently, following a decision at an arbitration meeting and a regular meeting of the executive committee, their memberships were suspended indefinitely. The matter became public on Friday (November 6) night.

Following the circulation of the news about the suspension, Tanjin Tisha went live on Facebook to present her position. During the approximately 25-minute live session, she discussed the dispute on the shooting set, the arbitration meetings organized by the association and various developments over the past several months.

During the live session, Tisha alleged that disagreements or misunderstandings could occur in professional workplaces. However, she said such matters should not be publicized on social media to embarrass anyone or attempt to damage their professional careers. According to her, this type of publicity creates an unhealthy working environment for artists.

Referring to various controversies surrounding her over the past year, Tisha said the true picture of all the incidents would eventually emerge with time. She added that she was waiting for the facts to come to light.

The dispute between Tanjin Tisha and Samia Othoi began on March 3 during the shooting of the television drama Putuler Biye in Manikganj. Samia had alleged that although the script required Tisha to give her a light slap in a particular scene, Tisha struck her forcefully several times. She also claimed that she was injured in the incident.

However, Tisha has denied the allegations from the beginning. She maintained that the scene was filmed in accordance with the drama's script and the requirements of the characters. She said she had no personal intention of hurting Samia Othoi.

During her Facebook Live session, Tisha claimed that the artists and crew members present on the shooting set had witnessed what had happened. She also remarked that watching the scene from the drama would help people understand the matter.

Following the dispute, the Bangladesh Actors' Equity Association arranged several meetings involving the two actresses in an effort to resolve the matter. According to Tisha, the statements of both parties were heard during an arbitration meeting that lasted approximately five hours. Senior members of the organization acted as arbitrators during the meeting.

Tisha said both actresses had been advised to issue written statements apologizing to each other and publish a joint video message. However, Samia Othoi did not release the video message, and Tisha herself was also unable to do so for personal reasons. The actress commented that she received the membership suspension letter because the organization's instructions had not been properly followed.

Towards the end of her Facebook Live session, Tanjin Tisha also spoke about the difficult circumstances she had faced over the past several months. Expressing her determination to continue acting despite various controversies and pressures, she said no obstacle would be able to stop her. She also expressed confidence in her own position.

Meanwhile, Rashed Mamun Apu, general secretary of the Bangladesh Actors' Equity Association, said the organization had made several attempts to settle the dispute between the two artists. In addition to hearing their respective statements, the association had proposed resolving the matter through mutual understanding. They were even advised to release a joint video statement announcing that the dispute had been settled. However, as neither party agreed to the organization's proposal, the decision to suspend their memberships was taken in accordance with the rules, he added.

Meanwhile, although Tanjin Tisha has publicly explained her position regarding the suspension, no fresh response has been received from Samia Othoi's side. The association's next steps regarding the final resolution of the dispute and the possible reinstatement of the two actresses' memberships remain unclear.