Abdur Razzak (23 January 1942 – 21 August 2017) (known as Razzak) was a Bangladeshi actor and film director. He was dubbed Nayak Raj Razzak (King of Heroes), a term introduced by
Ahmed Zaman Chowdhury
Ahmed Zaman Chowdhury (28 December 1947 – 6 March 2013) was a Bangladeshi film journalist, screenwriter and lyricist. He won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Screenplay for the film ''Jadur Banshi'' (1977). Besides, he won Bachsas Award ...
, editor of the magazine ''Chitrali''. Razzak won the
Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actor
Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actor is the highest award for film acting in Bangladesh.
List of winners
;Key
Records and statistics Multiple wins and nominations
The following individuals received two or more Best Actor awards:
See ...
five times for his roles in the films '' Ki Je Kori'' (1976), ''
Ashikkhito
''Ashikkhito'' (English: Illiterate) ( bn, অশিক্ষিত) is a 1978 Bangladeshi film directed by Azizur Rahman starring Abdur Razzak and Anjana Sultana opposite him. Razzak garnered Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actor for h ...
'' (1978), ''
Boro Bhalo Lok Chhilo
''Boro Bhalo Lok Chhilo'' ( bn, বড় ভালো লোক ছিল; English: He Was a Good Man) is a 1982 Dhallywood drama film directed by famous journalist and director Mohammad Mohiuddin. This film received National Film Awards in six ca ...
'' (1982), ''
Chandranath
''Chandranath'' ( bn, চন্দ্রনাথ) is a 1984 Bangladeshi film directed by Chashi Nazrul Islam. This is the adaptation of the novel of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's same title. It stars Abdur Razzak, Shuchanda, Doyel and Golam Mus ...
'' (1984) and ''Jogajog'' (1988). He was awarded the
Independence Day Award
The Independence Day Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পদক), also termed Independence Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পুরস্কার), Swadhinata Padak, and Swadhinata Puroskar, is the highest state award given by t ...
in 2015 by the Government of Bangladesh. He acted in more than 300 Bengali and Urdu films and also directed 16 films. He is considered one of the greatest actors in
Bangladeshi film industry
The Bangladeshi Cinema, better known as Dhallywood ( bn, ঢালিউড), is the Bengali-language film industry based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It has often been a significant film industry since the early 1970s. The dominant style of Bangla ...
.
Early life
Razzak was born in
Naktala
Naktala is a neighbourhood in South Kolkata in West Bengal, India. It is bounded by Ganguly Bagan to the north, Bansdroni to the west, Garia Crossing to the south and Baishnabghata Patuli to the east.
History
Previously forest, swampland a ...
,
South Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commerci ...
. His parents Akbar Hossain and Nisarunnesa died at early ages. He joined the troupe ''Rongo Shobha Natya Dal'' led by
Chhabi Biswas
Chhabi Biswas (''Chabi Biśbās'') (13 July 1900 – 11 June 1962) was an Indian actor, primarily known for his performances in Tapan Sinha's '' Kabuliwala'' and Satyajit Ray's films '' Jalshaghar'' (''The Music Room'', 1958), '' Devi'' ...
. In 1961, he went to
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
to get a diploma at the Filmalaya Film Institute. Communal violence in Calcutta in 1964 made work difficult. That year he moved to Dacca to try to break into the nascent East Pakistani film industry.
In Dhaka, Razzak found work at
Abdul Jabbar Khan
Justice Abdul Jabbar Khan (30 June 1902 – 23 April 1984) was the 6th Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan. He was preceded by Fazlul Qadir Chaudhry.
Early life
He was born on 1 January 1902 in Baher char, Barisal. He graduated ...
's Iqbal Films, and assisted in Kamal Khan's ''
Ujala
Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) was a project to distribute efficient LED lighting, launched by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on 5 Jan 2015. The project is spearheaded by the Energy Efficiency Services Limited. In non-subs ...
''. He then worked in small roles in the films ''Akheri Station'' and ''Tero Nombor Feku Ostagor Lane''.
Career
In 1966, Zahir Raihan was looking for someone to play the lead role of his new film ''Behula''. He chose Razzak who was then serving as one of his assistants. Razzak went on to act in films including ''Abirbhab'', ''Moynamoti'', ''Taka Ana Pai'', ''Dorpochurno'' and ''
Jibon Theke Neya
''Jibon Theke Neya'' () is a 1970 Bengali-language Pakistani film directed by Zahir Raihan. The film is a political satire based on the Bengali Language Movement under the rule of Pakistan metaphorically, where an autocratic woman in one family sy ...
'' (1970). After the
1971 Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...
he continued working on the films ''Manusher Mon'', ''
Ora Egaro Jon
''Ora Egaro Jon'' ( bn, ওরা ১১ জন) is a 1972 Bengali historical drama film written by Al Masood and directed by Chashi Nazrul Islam, based on the Bangladesh Liberation War. Director Islam and lead actor Khosru Noman were both memb ...
'' and ''Osru Diye Lekha''.
Razzak got his major breakthrough by acting in the action film ''Rongbaj'' (1974), directed by Zahirul Haq.
Razzak acted in leading roles with many prominent actors and actresses, including Anwar Hossain,
Bulbul Ahmed
Bulbul Ahmed (born Tabarruk Ahmed; 4 September 1941 – 15 July 2010) was a Bangladeshi actor and director. He won the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actor award three times for his roles in the films ''Shimana Periye'' (1977), '' Badhu Bi ...
Ilias Kanchan
Idris Ali (born 24 December 1956; known by his stage name Ilias Kanchan) is a Bangladeshi actor and activist. He appeared in more than 350 films during the 1980s and 1990s. He earned Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actor for his role in t ...
,
Shuchanda
Kohinoor Akhter (known by her stage name Shuchanda) is a Bangladeshi film actress and director. She started her career in the mid 1960s and acted in about 100 movies. She won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Director for the film ''Hajar ...
Bobita
Farida Akhtar Poppy, known by her stage name Babita, is a Bangladeshi film actress. She is a popular actress in Bangladeshi films of the 1970s. She is best known for her performance in Satyajit Ray's '' Distant Thunder'', a novel adaptation abou ...
,
Kabori
Sarah Begum Kabori (also Kabori Sarwar; born Mina Pal, 19 July 1950 – 17 April 2021) was a Bangladeshi film actress and politician. Her notable films include ''Sutorang'', ''Sareng Bou'', ''Abhirbhab'', ''Shat Bhai Champa'', ''Sujon Sokhi'' ...
Shabnam
Jharna Basak (born 17 August 1946), known by her stage name Shabnam, is a Bangladeshi–Pakistani stage and film actress. Actor Waheed Murad introduced her to the Pakistani film industry by offering her a lead role in his film ''Samundar'' in ...
and others. He appeared in a number of films opposite actress Shabana.
Razzak went on to make more than 300 appearances in
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
and
Urdu
Urdu (;"Urdu" '' Ononto Prem''. He created his own production company ''Rajlokkhi Productions ''. He went on to become the first Bangladeshi actor to be a
UNFPA
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies a ...
Goodwill Ambassador. He later founded the Bangladesh Film Artistes' Association.
Personal life
Razzak was married to Khairunnesa (nicknamed Laxmi). Together they had three sons, Bapparaj, Bappi, and Samrat, and two daughters, Nasrin Pasha and Afrin Alam. He died on 21 August 2017 in
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest ...