Shanarei Devi Shanu is a Bangladeshi actress and model. She was the first crowned winner of the beauty pageant "Lux-Channel i Superstar" in 2005. After winning the beauty contest, she began acting in television dramas. Some of the notable television dramas she has acted in include "Bairati", "Palash Phuler Nolok", "Kobi", "Sakin Sarisuri", "Ah Football Bah Football", "Arman Bhai Birat Tension-e", "Chorokabya", "Aponghar", "Kobiraj Golap Shah", and "Kortakahini". In 2018, she made her film debut by acting in the movie "Mister Bangladesh".
Early life.
Shanu was born into the Hindu Manipuri community of Sylhet. Her father is A. K. Sheram and her mother is Chandra Devi. From a very young age, she was involved in dance, music, recitation, debating, and acting. During her school and college years, she earned multiple awards, including gold medals at the national level in National Children's Week and National Education Week. She was among the top ten finalists in the "Lux-Anandadhara Miss Photogenic" contest and became a listed artist at the Sylhet center of Radio Bangladesh. In 2004, she acted in "Bairati", a drama directed by Shakur Majid in the Sylheti regional dialect. For this work, she received the Jhilik-Channel i Eid Program Award in the Best Supporting Actress category. In 2005, she participated in the inaugural season of the "Lux-Channel i Superstar" competition and won the crown.
Career.
In 2005, Shanu acted in the television drama "Ek Nijhum Aranya", directed by Rumana Rashid Ishita. Her husband, Xavier Shantanu Biswas, also acted in this drama. In 2013, under the direction of Aranyo Anwar, she portrayed the character Khushu in "Kabiraj Golap Shah" on Maasranga Television and acted in the RTV television series "Oloshpur". She also appeared in Aranyo Anwar's "Kortakahini" and "Buke Tar Chandoner Ghran", Debashish Barua Deep's "Jyotiraj Tipu Sultan" and "Election Election", Apel Mahmud's "Chhobir Haat", and in Faisal Rajib's "Pordar Arale Ke" and "Rupali O Rupali Pordar Golpo" television series. Additionally, she acted in "Dui Bon", a one-episode television drama based on a novel by Rabindranath Tagore, directed by Shafik Babu.
In 2014, she acted in the SA TV drama series "Come to the Point", directed by Manik Manobik, and in the Asian TV drama series "Protipokkho", directed by Ashish Roy. She also appeared in GM Saikat's television drama "Mohua".
Her first film was "Mister Bangladesh" (2018). Before that, she was supposed to act in Humayun Ahmed's film "Noy Number Bipod Shongket". In "Mister Bangladesh", directed by Abu Akhter Ul Iman and centered around the theme of militancy, she played the role of a housewife. Since 2018, she has been portraying the role of the elder queen in Channel i's mega serial "Sat Bhai Champa".
Literary career.
Alongside acting, Shanu is also involved in writing. In 2017, her first book of poetry, "Neel Foring Kobbo" ("The Blue Dragonfly Poems"), was published at the Ekushey Book Fair by Anannya Publications. The collection contains 58 poems. The following year, three more poetry books of hers were published: "Lal Epitaph" ("Red Epitaph") by Anannya Publications, "Tribhuj" ("Triangle") by Tamralipi, and "Oshomoyer Chirkut" ("The Letter of Untimely Hours") by Chaitanya.
In 2019, her novel "Ekla Akash" ("Lonely Sky") was published by Tamralipi, and her children's storybook "Shanarei and Her Magical Leitreng" was published by Anannya Publications.
At the 2020 Book Fair, her poetry collection "Lal Epitaph" ("Red Epitaph") was published again, featuring 70 poems.