Abdullah Al Mamun (13 July 1942 – 21 August 2008) was a Bangladeshi playwright, actor, and filmmaker. He earned the

Bangla Academy Literary Award The Bangla Academy Literary Award (; ''Bangla Academy Shahitya Puroshkar'') is given by the Bangla Academy of Bangladesh in recognition of creative genius in advancement and overall contribution in the field of Bengali language and literature. ...

in 1978 and the

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 2000 from 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 ...

. As a filmmaker, he won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Director twice for the direction of the films ''Ekhoni Somoy'' (1980) and ''Dui Jibon'' (1988).

Early life and education

Mamun was born on 13 July 1942 in

Jamalpur District Jamalpur District () is a district in Bangladesh, and part of Mymensingh Division. It was established in 1978 during the rule of Ziaur Rahman. It has its headquarters in Jamalpur. Etymology The district is named for its headquarters, Jamalpur ...

. He completed his bachelor's and master's degrees in history from the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

. He wrote in his memoirs ''Aamar Kotha'', which was serially published in the fortnightly ''Tarokalok'', "When I first got admitted in the Dhaka University, I turned to Najmul Huda Bacchu vai to get a chance in theatre. He took me to

Natyaguru Nurul Momen (25 November 1908 – 16 February 1990) was a Bangladeshi playwright, educator, director, broadcast personality, orator, humorist, dramatist, academician, satirist, belletrist, essayist, columnist, translator and poet.Bangla Natyasha ...

Nurul Momen Nurul Momen (25 November 1908 – 16 February 1990) was a Bangladeshi playwright, educator, director, broadcast personality, orator, humorist, dramatist, academician, satirist, belletrist, essayist, columnist, translator and poet.Bangla Natyasha ...

. Hearing that besides acting, I write plays also, Momen Sir asked me, 'Have you read Bernard Shaw?' He cast me in his next play. That was my beginning. Since then I never had to look back". In 1950, he wrote his first stage play, ''Niyotir Parihas''. Subsequently, under the guidance of Muneir Chowdhury, he further developed his skills as a playwright, director, and actor.

Career

Since 1965, Mamun was associated with Pakistan Television (PTV), later renamed

Bangladesh Television Bangladesh Television (), commonly known by its acronym BTV (), is the state-owned television network of Bangladesh. The network was originally established as the East Pakistan branch of Pakistan Television Corporation, Pakistan Television in 1 ...

(BTV). He wrote 25 dramas, seven novels, an autobiography titled ''Amar Ami'', and a travelogue titled ''Manhattan''. His literature mostly depicts the middle-class lifestyle of Bangladesh. His notable plays include ''Ekhono Kritadas'', ''Tomrai'', ''Amader Sontanera'', ''Kokilara'', ''Bibisab'', ''Meraj Fakirer Maa'', ''Mayik Master'', '' Songsoptok'', ''Pathar Somoy'', ''Jibon Chhobi'', and ''Baba''. He was a founding member and playwright-director of the theatre troupe ''Theatre''. Mamun was also a filmmaker. He made his debut as a filmmaker with ''Angikar'' in 1972. His other notable films include '' Sareng Bou'' (1978), ''Ekhoni Somoy'', ''Dui Jibon'', ''

Sokhi Tumi Kar ''Sokhi Tumi Kar'' (English: Darling you're whose?) (Bengali: সখি তুমি কার?) is a 1980 Bangladeshi film starring Shabana, Farooque and Razzak. Shabana earned her maiden National Film Award for Best Actress for the film. St ...

'', and ''Bihanga''. He wrote stories and songs for films including ''"Oshikkhito"''. His last films, ''Doriya Parer Doulati'' and ''Dui Beayar Kirti'', were released in 2010 and 2015 respectively. Mamun joined BTV as a producer in 1966 and retired in 1991 as a director. He served director general of the National Institute of Mass Communication (NIMCO) and director general of

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (; ) or simply known as Shilpakala Academy is the principal state-sponsored national cultural centre of Bangladesh. It is a academy of fine and performing arts. History It is the national academy of fine and pe ...

Health and death

Mamun was suffering from acute coronary syndrome along with

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

hypertension Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a Chronic condition, long-term Disease, medical condition in which the blood pressure in the artery, arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms i ...

, and

kidney In humans, the kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped blood-filtering organ (anatomy), organs that are a multilobar, multipapillary form of mammalian kidneys, usually without signs of external lobulation. They are located on the left and rig ...

and liver complexities. He died on 21 August 2008.

Works

;Theatre plays ;Films ;Television plays

Awards

(1978) *

(2000) * Bangladesh Television Award * Alakta Sahitya Purashkar * Tarokalok Padak

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mamun, Abdullah Al 1942 births 2008 deaths People from Jamalpur District Bangladeshi dramatists and playwrights Bangladeshi male novelists University of Dhaka alumni Recipients of the Ekushey Padak in arts Recipients of Bangla Academy Award Bangladeshi film directors Bangladeshi male stage actors Bangladeshi male television actors Bangladeshi male film actors Best Director National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners 20th-century Bangladeshi novelists 20th-century dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Bangladeshi male writers Best Screenplay National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners 20th-century Bangladeshi screenwriters Jamalpur Zilla School alumni