It is not just the death of a great teleplay writer and producer, but the demise of a mentor and promoter of artistes.
Death of Atiqul Haque Chowdhury on Monday night is, indeed, a great shock to actors, directors and playwrights and millions of
TV audience across the country.
In his artistic career spanning over three decades at the state run Bangladesh Television, Atiqul has authored and produced around 200 teleplays of which Babar Kalam Kothai?, Durbin Diye Dekhun, Jadi Durer Path, Anneshwan, Jalashay Katadur, Dhushar Prasad, Taar Rahasyamoy Hasi and others earned huge plaudits.
He also promoted and nurtured many leading actors of the country during the period.
Above all he was a great soul, who loved people and his fellowmen.
Atiqul Haque Chowdhury was born on December 15, 1931 in Bhola. After completion of his master degree in political science from Dhaka University, he began his career in the then Pakistan Radio in 1960. Many artistes like language martyr Munier Chowdhury, Shabnam, Sharmily Ahmed, Najma Anwar, Dilara Zaman and others started their career acting in radio dramas produced by Chowdhury.
He joined the state run BTV, the then Pakistan Television, two years after its inauguration in 1964 at Dhaka centre. He developed a unique style of depicting and directing teleplays as a BTV producer, which deals with human relation and social issues.
His colleague at BTV, eminent Mostafa Manowar said, ‘Atiqul Haque Chowdhury was a natural talent who served mankind through his artistic skills, ideologies and devotion towards work and people.’
In his service at BTV, Chowdhury also launched many renowned actors, playwrights and producers.
One such actor and playwright is Mamunur Rashid. ‘Atiqul Haque Chowdhury was a great man in his personal life, and he was also a skilled director and teacher,’ Mamunur Rashid told New Age.
‘He was among those first few television personalities who had immense contribution to developing teleplays in the country. I was really close to him as a friend and also a distant relative. His demise is a great loss for the television arena,’ he added.
Atiqul Haque Chowdhury’s another fellow Nasiruddin Yousuff analyses his mentor saying, ‘He was a great humanist, which is also reflected in many of his plays. He was a representative of his age and his plays reflect various socio-economic crisis of that era.’
The current director general of BTV, M Hamid learnt a lot from Chowdhury when he joined the state run TV channel in 1970s. ‘He was a great teacher and a stunning director. He really wanted his students to learn,’ Hamid shared with New Age.
‘He was a perfectionist. During rehearsal, he used to separate weaker artistes and train them personally for hours. In fact, work was like worship for him. He used to get lost in his work,’ he added.
Chowdhury continued his service in the same manner till his last days on BTV in 1990s and contributed a lot when a new generation artiste emerged in the period.
‘I’ve acted in many teleplays produced by him. And I got critics award, which I believe is the most prestigious achievement in my career, for my acting in his play Tar Rahasyamoy Hasi, an adaptation from Tolstoy’s What Men Live by. Actors of our generation and our seniors like Humayun Faridee and others learnt a lot from him,’ Shahiduzzaman Selim told New Age.
‘He used to experiment with the artistes, who he thought had potentials,’ he added.
After his retirement as the deputy director general of BTV in 1990, Chowdhury joined drama and dramatics department of Jahangirnagar University as a teacher.
‘He taught “Play in Mass Media” for 11 years in the department. He enjoyed his service and took his job very sincerely,’ professor Afsar Ahmed, pro-vice chancellor of Jahangirnagar University told New Age.
Chowdhury’s search for talents and creating novelty continued till his last days as an advisor to private TV channel ETV. Though he had been suffering from different old-age complications including diabetes, high blood pressure and prostate cancer, Atiqul Haque Chowdhury initiated a new project to launch new directors for teleplays for the channel.
He was buried at the Martyred Intellectual’s Graveyard in Mirpur on Monday.
-With New Age input
