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 the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Screenplay for the film ''Jadur Banshi'' (1977). Besides, he won Bachsas A ...

, 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 Records and statistics Multiple wins and nominations The following individuals received two or more Best Actor awards: See also * ...

five times for his roles in the films ''

Ki Je Kori ''Ki Je Kori'' () is a 1976 Bangladeshi film directed by Zahirul Haque. It stars Razzak and Bobita. Razzak earned his first Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film. Synopsis Shahana Chowdhury, a witty lady ...

'' (1976), ''

Ashikkhito ''Ashikkhito'' (English: Illiterate) () 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 his performance in the film. I ...

'' (1978), ''

Boro Bhalo Lok Chhilo ''Boro Bhalo Lok Chhilo'' (; 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 categories. Plot Yasin is a well-educated son of ...

'' (1982), ''

Chandranath ''Chandranath'' () is a 1984 Bangladeshi film directed by Chashi Nazrul Islam. This was the adaptation of the novel of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay by the same title. It stars Abdur Razzak, Shuchanda, Doyel and Golam Mustafa in the lead. Cas ...

'' (1984) and ''Jogajog'' (1988). He was awarded the

Independence Day Award The Independence Award (), formally known as the Independence Day Award or Swadhinata Padak (), is the highest state award given by the government of Bangladesh. Introduced in 1977 by President Ziaur Rahman, this award is bestowed upon Banglade ...

in 2015 by the Government of Bangladesh. He acted in more than 300 Bangladeshi and Indian Bengali and Urdu films, and also directed 16 films. He is considered one of the greatest actors in Bangladeshi film industry.

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, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary fin ...

. 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 '' Jalsaghar'' (''The Music Room'', 1958), ''Devi'' (''The G ...

. In 1961, he went to

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

to get a diploma at the Filmalaya Film Institute.

1964 Calcutta riots Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

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 Abdul Jabbar Khan may refer to: * Abdul Jabbar Khan (20th-century politician) (1902–1984), speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan * Abdul Jabbar Khan (director) (1916–1993), Bangladeshi filmmaker * Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan Abdul Jabb ...

's Iqbal Films, and assisted in Kamal Khan's ''Ujala''. 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 critically acclaimed Bengali-language East-Pakistani film directed by Zahir Raihan. Released in 1970, it has been described as an example of "national cinema", using discrete local traditions to build a representation ...

'' (1970). After the

1971 Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which resulted in the independence ...

he continued working on the films ''Manusher Mon'', '' Ora Egaro Jon'' 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 1940 – 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 B ...

, Sohel Rana,

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 Lifetime Achievement (2021 ...

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 ...

, Shabana,

Bobita Farida Akhtar Poppy, known by her stage name Babita, (born 30 July 1953) is a Bangladeshi film actress. She is best known for her performance in Satyajit Ray's ''Distant Thunder (1973 film), Distant Thunder'', a novel adaptation about the Benga ...

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'' ...

, Sujata,

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 (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

movies. Razzak made his directorial debut in 1977 with the film ''

Ononto Prem ''Ononto Prem'' is a 1977 Bangladeshi film directed by Razzak and starring Razzak and Bobita. This was the first film directed by Razzak. Controversies The film became very controversial due to a two minute long kissing scene between Razzak and ...

''. 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) is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies and protocols, increasing access to birth control, and leadin ...

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 ; , ), 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. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

Filmography

* ''All films are in

-language, unless otherwise noted.''

Television drama

Awards and achievements

Film

Other

References

External links

The Beginning of Super Star – Nayakraaj Razzak The Legendary Actor
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abdur Razzak 1942 births 2017 deaths Bengali male actors Film directors from Kolkata Male actors in Bengali cinema Male actors from Kolkata Bangladeshi male film actors Recipients of the Independence Award National Film Award (Bangladesh) for Lifetime Achievement recipients 21st-century Bangladeshi male actors 20th-century Bangladeshi male actors Burials at Banani Graveyard Meril-Prothom Alo Lifetime Achievement Award winners Best Actor National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners