January 11 marked second death anniversary of noted film director and freedom fighter Chashi Nazrul Islam. On the occasion of his death anniversary, different cultural and social organisation arranged memorial meetings at different places in our country.
About Chashi Nazrul, Kobori said, "He was a towering figure in the territory of Bangladeshi film, and one of the best film directors the industry ever had. He was gentle, well-mannered and secular by nature. He was a bookish and studious person. I had a good relationship with him; we were emotionally attached."
About Chashi Nazrul, veteran actress Anowara said, "He was an internationally acclaimed film director. He was very simple, well-behaved and liberal person. I first met the deceased director when I was a promising actress who had just begun working in cinema. We had a very good family relation, and we maintained that throughout. He was one of the best directors I have worked with. He was an exceptional director who had the power to make the best out of his actors. I also worked under his direction in "Shubhoda""
Islam was born on October 23, 1941 at Shomoshpur village of Bikrampur district to Mosleh Uddin Khan and Shayesta Khanom. He was the eldest among four brothers and three sisters. His father was a service holder at Jamshedpur, India. Chashi always wanted to be a hero like Dilip Kumar. He often sold his own books, even stole friends' books to sell so he could manage money to watch movies. At the age of 16, his father died. He got a job at the office of his uncle, the auditor general of Pakistan. He was irregular in office. Instead, he was working on cultural programmes. He was a member of theatre organisation Krishti Sangha.
After he got sacked from that job he started to perform in programmes at radio in 1965. He directed and voiced popular radio dramas Ramer Sumoti (1965), Socrates (1966), Sokhina Birongona (1974) etc. Chashi started his career in visual media in 1964 when he got chance to work on television programme through audition. He worked as assistant director of film "Dui Digonto", directed by Obaidur Rahman. Later he assisted Fateh Lohani.
He participated in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. After Bangladesh got independence, he made the first film on Liberation War "Ora Egaro Jon".
Some of his notable works are "Ora Egaro Jon", "Sangram", "Bhalo Manus", "Devdas", "Chandrakotha", "Shuva", "Behula Lakhindar", "Biraha Betha", "Mahajuddha", "Padma Meghna Jamuna", "Ajker Protibad", "Shilpi", "Hangor Nodi Grenade", "Hasan Raja", "Kamalpurer Juddha", "Megher Pore Megh", "Shuva", "Drubhatara", "Devdas" and others.
Chashi Nazrul received many awards for his outstanding contributions to Bangladeshi cinema, including International Kalakar Award, Ekushey Padak, Binodan Bichitra Award, National Film Award,1997, National Film Award,1986, Bangladesh Film Critics Award, Sher-e-Bangla Memorial Award, Bangladesh Cine Journalist Association Award, Jagadish Chandra Basu Gold Medal, Zahir Raihan Gold Medal and others.
The writer is a freelance contributor.
