Shimul Yousuf (born 24 March 1957) is a Bangladeshi actress, director and singer.
She was awarded the
Ekushey Padak
Ekushey Padak ( bn, একুশে পদক; lit. "Twentyfirst Award") is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Bengali Language Movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contribut ...
, the second most important award for civilians in Bangladesh in 2023.
Early life
Yousuf was born in
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
on 24 March 1957 and is the youngest of seven siblings.
Odissi
Odissi (), also referred to as Orissi in old literature, is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the temples of Odisha – an eastern coastal state of India.[Minu Haque
Minu Haque () is a Bangladeshi dancer and choreographer. She specialises in Odissi dance.
Early life and career
Haque was born to her parents Meter Billah and Mina Billah. Haque started dancing at the age of 5. She was a trained by Dulal Talukd ...]
is her sister.
Her father Mehter Billah from
Bikrampur
Bikrampur ("City of Courage") was a pargana situated south of Dhaka, the modern capital city of Bangladesh. In the present day, it is known as Munshiganj District of Bangladesh. It is a historic region in Bengal and was a part of the Bhawal Es ...
was a singer in Kamlapur. Shimul started singing at the age of five. She performed on radio and television and went on to sing in a children show named "Kochi Kanchar Mela".
[ She trained in classical and traditional songs from Ustad Helaluddin, P C Gomez, ]Altaf Mahmud
Altaf Mahmud ( bn, আলতাফ মাহমুদ; 23 December 1933 – September 1971) was a musician, cultural activist, and martyred freedom fighter of the Bangladesh Liberation War. He was also a language activist of the Language Movement ...
, and Abdul Latif Abdul Latif ( ar, عبد اللطيف, translit=ʻAbd al-Laṭīf) is a Muslim male given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' ʻabd'' and ''al-Laṭīf'', one of the names of God in the Qur'an, which gave rise t ...
. Shimul completed her Honours in Social Science
Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soc ...
. She was admitted to the Institute of Fine Arts and also went to Baroda School of Fine Arts for schooling.
Career
Yousuf first appeared in theater in one of the Abdullah Al Mamun's plays to raise funds for the freedom fighters in 1972.[ In 1974 she incorporated her in Dhaka Theatre after her siblings asked to be a proxy for another actress. Shimul began to take acting seriously after her 1975 drama "Muntasir Fantasy". She worked on Kasai (1976), Char Khakra (1977), Shakuntala (1978), Phani Monosa (1980), Kitton Khola (1981), Keramot Mongol (1985), Hat Hadai (1989), and Chaka (1990).][ During the 1990s she performed in Joiboti Kannyar Mon (1995) and Bono Pangshul (1998).
]
''Binodini''
One of her works in theater is the drama ''Binodini'', based on a 19th-century actress Binodini Dasi
Binodini Dasi (1863–1941), also known as Notee Binodini, was an Indian Bengali actress and thespian. She started acting at the age of 12 and ended by the time she was 23, as she later recounted in her noted autobiography, ''Amar Katha'' ( ...
. It is a one-person show
A solo performance, sometimes referred to as a one-man show or one-woman show, features a single person telling a story for an audience, typically for the purpose of entertainment. This type of performance comes in many varieties, including auto ...
where Yousuf portrayed the character of Binodini and also delivered the speeches of the remaining characters. The play was written by script writer Saymon Zakaria and directed by Shimul's husband, Nasiruddin Yousuff
Nasiruddin Yousuff is a Bangladeshi stage and film director. He won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Director for the film '' Guerrilla'' (2011). He was awarded Ekushey Padak by the Government of Bangladesh
The Government of the Peopl ...
. The play mainly perpetuated the life of Binodini Dasi as she struggled to prolong her career in theater. Shimul said that " he dramashows the reality, the conflicts and contradiction an actress faces today, has not changed much since Binodini's time. Obviously I am affected by such realities."
Awards
* Diboshri Padak
* Lokonatto Padak
* Aronno Dipu Padak
* Rishi Padak
* Rudra Padak
* Md. Shahidullah Award
* Jahangir Award
* Prothom Alo Jorip Award
* Women's Day Special Award
* Anannya Top Ten Awards
Anannya Top Ten Awards ( bn, অনন্যা শীর্ষ দশ পুরস্কার) is the prize for women in Bangladesh recognition of contribution to the fields of agriculture, industrial, trade, economics, acting, music, sp ...
(2003)
* : 2009 (Geurrilla)
* Bachsas Award for Best Music Director
Bachsas ( Bangladesh Cholochitra Sangbadik Samity) Awards was introduced in 1972 to encourage the fledgling film industry of the country. Bangladesh Cholochchitra Shangbadik Samity (Bangladesh Cine-Journalists' Association) gave out their most p ...
: 2009 (Guerrilla)
* Bachsas Award for Best Female Playback Singer
The Bachsas Award for Best Female Playback Singer is awarded by the Bachsas (Bangladesh Cholochitra Sangbadik Samity) Awards in Bangladesh. The following is a list of its winners:
Year-wise winners of this award
Here is a list of the award winne ...
: 2009 (Guerrilla)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yousuf, Shimul
1957 births
Living people
Bangladeshi stage actresses
20th-century Bangladeshi women singers
20th-century Bangladeshi singers
Bangladeshi television actresses
Bangladeshi film score composers
Bangladeshi songwriters
Bangladeshi female dancers
Bangladeshi choreographers
Bangladeshi costume designers
Best Costume Design National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners
Best Female Singer Bachsas Award winners
Recipients of the Ekushey Padak