Mesbahuddin Ahmed (23 March 1947 – 18 April 2021), known by his stage name Wasim, was a

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, eponymous bay. Bangladeshi nationality law, Bangladeshi citizenship was fo ...

film actor. In 1964, he was crowned as 'Mr. East Pakistan' for bodybuilding in the then East Pakistan (currently Bangladesh). He also served as the first secretary general of the National Sports Council. He was instrumental in bringing legendary boxer

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

to Bangladesh during his tenure as the first secretary general of

National Sports Council The National Sports Council (NSC) is the national overseer of the control authorities of 41 different sports in Bangladesh. It is responsible to the Bangladesh Ministry of Youth and Sports and is based in Purana Paltan, Dhaka. History Prior ...

. He has worked in more than 200 Bangladeshi films and many of his movies were commercially successful.

Early life

Mesbahuddin Ahmed was born on 23 March 1947, in Shutrapur in the old part of

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 ...

. Although his roots are from Chandpur, he spent a great deal of his childhood and adolescence in Shutrapur and

Mymensingh Mymensingh () is a metropolis, metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of the Old Brahmaputra River, Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center ...

primarily because his father, who was a government officer, was stationed in those places. He completed his matriculation from

Mymensingh Zilla School Mymensingh Zilla School (MZS) is a public secondary school for boys, located in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. The institution was established in 1846 during the British Raj under the name Hardinge School and was officially renamed Mymensingh Zilla Schoo ...

and thereafter his Intermediate from

Ananda Mohan College Ananda Mohan College () or Government Ananda Mohan College is a fully government-aided public college, affiliated to National University, Bangladesh and Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Mymensingh, Mymensingh Education Board in M ...

in Mymensingh. Right after he enrolled in

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

and graduated with a B.A. (Honours) and later a master M.A. qualification in general history.

Career

Before moving on to the film industry he also worked in

Bangladesh Betar Bangladesh Betar (; ), is the state-owned radio broadcaster of Bangladesh, initially established as the Dhaka station of All India Radio in 1939. It was later made part of Radio Pakistan. After the independence of the country in 1971, Radio Pakis ...

and also served as the first Secretary General of National Sports Council. He also served as the President of Bangladesh Bodybuilding Federation briefly. He started his career in the film industry as an assistant director of the film ''Chhando Hariye Gelo'' (1972), directed by S.M. Shafi. He first acted in the lead role in the film ''Rater Por Din'' (1973) which also included

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 ...

as co-artiste in the cast.

Filmography

Some notable works of Wasim include amongst others:

Personal life

His wife, Parveen Ahmed Ruhi, died in 2003. They had a son and daughter. Their son, Dewan Fardun, is a barrister in England. Their daughter, Bushra Ahmed (born 23 July 1991), committed suicide on 4 June 2006, at the age of 14. Wasim died from a number of health complications on 18 April 2021 at Shahabuddin Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

References

External links

* * 2021 deaths Bangladeshi male film actors 1947 births Mymensingh Zilla School alumni University of Dhaka alumni Ananda Mohan College alumni {{Bangladesh-actor-stub