Film actors Sohel Rana and Rubel are brothers. Rubel’s affection and respect for his elder brother have come up publicly many times before. This time, remembering a wish from nearly 40 years ago, Rubel has given Sohel Rana an expensive watch as a gift. Moved by the gift, Sohel Rana revisited the old memory.
In a social media post, Sohel Rana recounted the nearly four-decade-old episode. He said he had once been taken to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore for treatment, accompanied by actor Humayun Faridi, filmmaker Shahidul Islam Khokon, and his younger brother Rubel.
Sohel Rana wrote: “This was nearly 40 years ago. I was taken to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore for treatment. After all the tests, the doctor said, ‘You are completely fine.’ I left the hospital in good spirits and checked into a hotel. In the afternoon, I went out.”
He said he had always had a fondness for buying expensive watches. At the time, he was wearing a Rado, which was extremely durable, but he still felt the urge to buy another expensive one.
Sohel Rana said: “I had a habit of buying expensive watches. I had a Rado on my wrist — a truck could run over it and nothing would happen. Even so, I felt like buying another expensive watch. I went to the shop, with Rubel and Khokon.”
At the shop’s large showroom, the most expensive watch was brought out for him. But Sohel Rana was startled by the price. He didn’t have enough money for it at the time, and ultimately had to leave without buying it. Still, his fascination with the watch didn’t escape Rubel’s notice.
Nearly 40 years later, Rubel brought back that old memory. It wasn’t the same watch, but the one Rubel gave him this time was also extremely expensive.
Sohel Rana wrote: “He came to my house yesterday, took my hand and put a watch on my wrist. He said, ‘The watch you were looking at back then now costs one to one-and-a-half crore taka (roughly $80,000–$120,000), more than I can afford. But I won’t tell you the price of the one I’m giving you now.’”
He added: “Not everything can be bought with money — you need heart, you need love. Remembering that wish of mine, he brought his elder brother a very, very expensive watch after 40 years.”
After putting the watch on him, Rubel told him to wear it always. Sohel Rana was moved by his younger brother’s affection. He wrote: “I just looked at him. I thought to myself that he didn’t need to say that. This watch will stay on my wrist for the rest of my life.”
The gift, prompted by a small wish remembered from nearly four decades ago, is clear proof that for Sohel Rana it isn’t just an expensive watch, but a token of love — something evident in his own emotional words.