Abu Taher Mohammad Shamsuzzaman (; 10 September 1941 – 20 February 2021), was a Bangladeshi film and television actor, director and screen-playwright. He was awarded

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak () is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of martyrs of the Bengali language movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contributions in a number of fields, including culture, education, and e ...

in 2015 by the

Government of Bangladesh The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...

. He won

Bangladesh National Film Awards The National Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony held annually in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is considered to be the most significant film award ceremony in Bangladesh. The National Film Awards were established in 1975 by the government of Ba ...

five times for his roles in ''Dayee Ke?'' (1987), ''Madam Fuli'' (1999), '' Churiwala'' (2001), ''Mon Bosena Porar Table E'' (2009) and '' Chorabali'' (2012).

Early life and career

Shamsuzzaman was born into a

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims (; ) 'Mussalman'' also used in this work./ref> are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising over 70% of the global Bengali population, they are the second-largest ...

family at his maternal home in Daulatpur,

Noakhali Noakhali District (), historically known as Bhulua (), is a Districts of Bangladesh, district in southeastern Bangladesh, located in Chattogram Division. It was established as a district in 1821, and officially named Noakhali in 1868. The distr ...

on 10 September 1941. His ancestral paternal home is in Bholakot Boro Bari in Ramganj,

Lakshmipur District Lakshmipur District (; ) is a district in Bangladesh with an area of 1,440 km2. It is bordered by Chandpur to the north, Bhola and Noakhali districts to the south, Noakhali to the east, and Barisal and Bhola districts to the west. Lakshmi ...

. His father was Nuruzzaman, a

wakil Vekil or Vakil was the term used for the deputies and ''de facto'' prime ministers of the Mughal Emperor in Mughal administration. He was considered the most powerful person after Emperor in the Mughal Empire. ''Vakil'' was one of the highest posi ...

who worked with

A. K. Fazlul Huq Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq (26 October 1873 – 27 April 1962), popularly known as Sher-e-Bangla, was a Bengalis, Bengali lawyer and politician who served as the first and longest Prime Minister of Bengal, prime minister of Bengal during the Britis ...

, and his mother was Nurunnisa Begum. Shamsuzzaman was the eldest child of a family of five brothers and three sisters. Growing up he didn't plan on being an actor, he wanted to be a doctor. His family moved to Dhaka and lived in Debendranath Das Lane in

Old Dhaka Old Dhaka () is a term used to refer to the historic old city of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It was founded in 1608 as Jahangirabad or Jahangirnagar (), the capital of Bengal Subah, Mughal Province of Bengal and named after the Mughal em ...

. He began his schooling in Dhaka at

Pogose School Pogose Laboratory School and College, IER, Jagannath University () was established in Dhaka on June 12, 1848, as the first private school of the country by Armenians, Armenian merchant Nicholas Pogose, who was an ex-student of Dhaka Collegiate Sch ...

, where he was friends with

Prabir Mitra Prabir Mitra (; 18 August 1941 – 5 January 2025), later adopted Hasan Imam (), was a Bangladeshi film actor. He won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film '' Boro Bhalo Lok Chhilo'' in 1982. ...

, who would also grow up to be an actor. His film career began with filmmaker Udayan Chowdhury as an assistant director in films ''"Manusher Bhagban"'' and ''"Bishwokanya"''. He got his breakthrough through his role in the film ''"Nayanmoni"'' (1976), directed by

Amjad Hossain Amjad Hossain (14 August 1942 – 14 December 2018) was a Bangladeshi film director, actor, scriptwriter and lyricist. He won the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Director twice, for the films '' Golapi Ekhon Traine'' (1978) and '' Bha ...

. Earlier he played the role of Ramzan in the play ''Sangsaptak'', aired in 1960.

Controversy

According to a probe report of "Nilima Ibrahim Committee", a six-member committee led by educationist

Nilima Ibrahim Neelima Ibrahim (11 October 1921 – 18 June 2002) was a Bangladeshi educationist, littérateur and social worker. She is well known for her scholarship on Bengali literature but even more so for her depiction of raped and tortured women in the ...

, Shamsuzzaman was suspended from the television and radio programmes because of his alleged role in favor of Pakistan army during the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

in 1971. According to him; During Liberation war Pakistani Army forced him to attend a radio drama for which he was accused for alleged role in favor of Pakistan

Personal life

Shamsuzzaman married Runy Begum on March 15, 1968. They had three sons and three daughters. In March 13, 2012, his younger son, A. T. M. Kholikuzzaman Kushol (1977-2023), murdered his older son A. T. M. Kamaluzzaman Kabir (1975-2012) by stabbing him with a knife. A. T. M. Kamaluzzaman Kabir got into an argument and misbehaved with Shamsuzzaman, which is why A. T. M. Kholikuzzaman stabbed A. T. M. Kamaluzzaman Kabir. Shamsuzzaman testified in court and in 2014, Kushol was sentenced to life in prison. On October 30th, 2023 ATM Kholikuzzaman was found dead in Barishal Jayanti river.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

(2015)

Death

Shamsuzzaman died at his residence in Sutrapur neighborhood of Dhaka on 20 February 2021 at around 9 am. He had been suffering from various diseases due to old age for a long time.

References

External links

*
ATM Shamsuzzaman
on

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Shamsuzzaman, A. T. M. 1941 births 2021 deaths People from Ramganj Upazila Bangladeshi male film actors Bangladeshi male television actors Bangladeshi dramatists and playwrights Bangladeshi film directors 20th-century Bangladeshi male actors National Film Award (Bangladesh) for Lifetime Achievement recipients Recipients of the Ekushey Padak Bangladeshi comedians Best Actor National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners Best Performance in a Comic Role National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners 21st-century Bengalis 20th-century Bengalis Pogose School alumni