Chashi Nazrul Islam, who died yesterday of liver cancer at the city’s Labaid Hospital, was born on October 23, 1941, in the Sreenagar upazila of Bikrampur district. A prominent filmmaker and producer, Islam always wanted to be an actor like Dilip Kumar. In his childhood, he would often sell his books, even steal friends’ books to sell, so he could manage money to watch movies.
His father died when he was a boy of 16, prompting him to take up a job at the office of his uncle, the auditor general of then Pakistan. He was irregular in office, and would instead spend time organising cultural programmes. He was a member of the local theatre troupe Krishti Sangha.
After he got fired from that job, he started to perform for radio in 1965. He directed and lent his voice to popular radio dramas such as “Ramer Sumoti” (1965), “Socrates” (1966), “Sokhina Birongona” (1974).
Chashi started his career in the visual media in 1964, after successfully auditioning for a work on the television. He worked as an assistant director for the film “Dui Digonto,” directed by Obaidur Rahman. Later, he worked with director Fateh Lohani. He took part in the 1971 war of liberation, and later, made his first film “Ora Egaro Jon” – the first film in independent Bangladesh based on the themes of the war.
His other war films include “Shongram,” “Hangor Nadi Granade” and “Megher Pore Megh.” He also directed mainstream movies such as “Dhrubo Tara,” “Shahid Captain Salauddin,” “Debdas,” “Shuvoda,” “Padma Meghna Jamuna,” “Hason Raja,” and “Shasti and Suva.”
Winner of Ekushey Padak in 2004 for Best Director, Islam made around thirty films.
