Actor Shakib Khan says co-star wife Apu Biswas ‘stepped into a trap’

Shakib Khan insists an ‘invisible force’ is pulling the strings from the shadows to soil his reputation in the Dhaka film industry and Apu Biswas has unwittingly played into their hands.

After admitting that he had been married to Apu since 2008 the last day, the actor appeared at a live television interview on Tuesday night to have his say on the claims laid against him.

“Apu Biswas has unknowingly walked into a trap,” he said to Independent Television at one stage of the talk show.

Actress Apu, who had been out of the limelight for about a year, gave a live interview on Dhaka-based broadcaster News24 where she claimed to have married Khan in 2008 and had a child with him last year.

Shakib later confirmed that the child, Abraham Khan Joy, was his son.

Though Shakib had initially called a press conference earlier on Tuesday to discuss the news of his marriage with actress Apu Biswas, he later cancelled it denying having such plans.

He spoke at the live arrangement at night for around half an hour.

“I never wanted this matter to come out like this. I at least didn’t want my son to be presented this way. I wanted my son to be presented like Shakib Khan would,” he said.

“But that didn’t happen, there were some family issues. I hadn’t said many things for my Abraham, because I love my son,” he added.

Shakib said, “Because Apu Biswas is the mother of my son, she is obviously my wife. My child was surely not born of any illegal relationship. Her place is far above as the mother of a child.”

Shakib then claimed some evil forces were at work against his fame.

“Seniors tell me, when someone is at the position in which I am in at the moment, some invisible and evil forces always try to make a mockery out of him to soil his reputation. And they do it through close people. But I never realised it would come from someone so close.”

Shakib and Apu were cast as a pair for the first time in a 2006 film, Koti Takar Kabin. The duo then appeared in a number of box office hits. Rumours swirled around their love affair ever since.

Apu said on Tuesday that Shakib tied the knot with her at his residence in 2008. The ‘kazi’ (who administered wedding under Islamic tradition) was summoned from Faridpur’s Bhanga Upazila. Shakib’s brother and producer witnessed the marriage.

Shakib, however, played down the possibility of them appearing in a movie together again.

“After she acted in this way after walking into a trap, audience will not see the Shakib-Apu pairing anymore. Because the general audience feels against, something I have never seen, is the preference of husband-wife on-screen romance, they are not casted together.”

He then insisted the relation was kept under wraps for Apu Biswas’ career and was part of a plan which they had both agreed on.

But Apu, who recently returned home from abroad after remaining almost out of touch with the film industry for about a year, had claimed that they kept it a secret for the sake of Shakib and his career.

The actor’s producer said earlier in the day that Shakib wanted to settle the matter and wishes for an understanding between the two. He confirmed it.

Apu received news with enthusiasm saying, “It’s a good news. I welcome Shakib’s proposal of an understanding.”

Though the proposal was yet to arrive, she said she was ‘eagerly waiting’ for it and was ready ‘do things how Shakib wants’.