Actress Azmeri Haque Badhon returned to Dhaka on Monday days after she was physically attacked in Italy and said her own film team had distanced itself from her following the incident.
Badhon was in Italy for the 83rd Venice International Film Festival where her film "The Difficult Bride" directed by Rubaiyat Hossain was screened. She was assaulted on the night of September 7 in Mestre, allegedly by expatriate Bangladeshis linked to the banned Awami League. Speaking to reporters at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport after landing on Monday morning Badhon said she received strong support from state and festival authorities but felt abandoned by her colleagues.
"The Venice Film Festival director, Italian government, Bangladesh's government and our embassy in Italy all supported and helped me" Badhon said. "But my team disowned me." She alleged that team members barred her from further festival events and later blocked her from attending the Toronto International Film Festival as well. Among her co-stars, she said only Sunerah Binte Kamal and Zaineen Chowdhury Karim along with Karim's mother stood by her.
Badhon thanked the Bangladesh government also the prime minister's office and the foreign ministry for contacting her on the night of the attack. She said the Bangladesh ambassador in Italy was especially supportive while Italian authorities including the culture ministry and police provided round-the-clock protection and arranged secure accommodation near the festival venue in Lido.
She also expressed gratitude to ordinary citizens the ruling party leaders and expatriate Bangladeshis across political lines who voiced support. "Allah does everything for good" she said. "I will never forget this support."
A video of the attack in which she was called a "July fighter" spread widely on social media. Badhon filed a police complaint in Italy on September 8. The matter was also raised in parliament where State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir described the attack as an assault on democratic values.
