The 66th birth anniversary of famous Bangladeshi director, author, dramatist, screenwriter, playwright and filmmaker Humayun Ahmed is being observed today. Many actors are remembering their beloved filmmaker who changed their life with his majestic touch and charismatic personality. Dhaka Tribune caught up with the celebrities:
Mahfuz Ahmed
Mahfuz Ahmed, whose career was inspired by Humayun Ahmed, recalled one of the incidents, saying Humayun dedicated the book ‘Ei Megh Rodro Chhaya’ to him. “There he wrote: Mahfuz Ahmed comes to my office everyday for luncheon but he does not come to eat. He comes to see me and talk to me. He is a big star now and does not come anymore but I still wait for him with food on my table,” said Mahfuz. “A play was later adapted from the book. The central character of the book has the name Mahfuz. I still regret I could not play the character. Legends never die, he is still around me,” he added.
Riaz
Riaz, who received Nuhash Cholochitro Best Actor award, from Humayun Ahmed said: “Appreciation is a great way to motivate people, and sir had the heart to acknowledge art and artist. The award which I received from sir, still works as an inspiration. I was confined to mainstream films, but after working in “Dui Duari” with Humayun sir, my notion changed completely. I believe an artistic movie has its own value. I remember an incident when I started late and reached Nuhash Palli at 3 in the morning. I saw sir standing there and he looked tense. He told me to go inside and take rest. The feeling and care I received was priceless,” he added.
Jayanto Chattopadhyay
Jayanto Chattopadhyaysaid his relation with Humayun was not only limited to their identities as the director and the actor. “I never had this feeling of being professional. I always shared a friendly relation with him. We had great times hanging out at Nuhash Palli, which is an idyllic place. We learned and shared. In a humorous way, Humayun Ahmed gave me a book saying that I would never buy any of his book to read. I laughed and told him that in such a case, he should present me with his whole stock. I was touched when he dedicated the book “Misir Ali Omnibus 2” to me and wrote the words “Favourite person and a great actor.”
Tariq Anam Khan
In the early 80s, I worked with Humayun Ahmed and then in 2010-2011, I was shooting for “Ghetuputra Kamola”. Initially I was not that close to Humayun Ahmed but I observed him talking about life, philosophy, love, science and many more. I always asked myself how a person can become so curious about such small facts. I love the way when he could portray a serious issue in a humorous way, which points out the social awareness. While shooting for “Ghetuputra Kamola”, I was sitting alone and having my food. He sat beside me and said no one would like to sit next to me as I had a negative role in the movie. Then he left and left a mark in my life.
Bidya Sinha Mim
I heard while shooting for “Amar Ache Jol” that when Shaon and Humayun Ahmed watched me in the top ten of Lux Channel i campaign, he said I was going to be the one. I was only 15 when I worked with him. Whenever I made a mistake, he overlooked it and asked me to do in a different way. He believed in speaking in a soft tone rather than being rude. He never forced an artist to do something. He actually leads an artist where the person does it in his own way.
