It might not be common knowledge that Kazi Nazrul Islam was the first Bengali Muslim film director in the sub-continent. He jointly directed Dhrubo, released in 1934 with Satyendra Nath Dey.
In the film based on Girish Chandra Ghosh’s story Bhakta Dhruva, Nazrul acted in the role of Narada, composed songs, set them to music and directed them.
He also did playback singing for four of Narada’s songs. Of the 18 songs of the movie, Nazrul composed 17.
He was also the first Bengali music director, lyricist and singer in the then nascent film industry, eminent film researcher Anapam Hayat informedNew Age.
Nazrul had directly contributed in around 12 films.
In fact, the national poet had made his bold presence felt in the film industry in the undivided India as a director, screenplay writer, music composer, lyricist and actor in an era when people working in the film industry were looked down upon by the conservative Bengali Muslim society.
‘There is no document of any Muslim director in the subcontinent before Nazrul,’ reads Bangladesher Chalachitrer Itihash, a publication of Bangladesh Film Development Corporation.
‘Nazrul earned huge responses from the common viewers acting as the Hindu legend Narada in the film Dhrubo,’ reads the book on the film history of Bangladesh, authored by Anupam Hayat. ‘He had to face huge criticism from the conservative Hindus for appearing clean shaved in fashionable punjabi in enacting the mythological character,’ eminent cine journalist Anupam Hayat told New Age.
He also faced criticism from Visva Bharati University for directing music in the film Gora, based on Tagore’s Novel having the same title.
The film, released in 1938, contained songs both from Tagore’s songs such as Pratidin hay, Rodono bhora e basanto and a Nazrul’s song Usha elo chupi chupi.
Visva Bharati University denied issuing the clearance certificate for the film showing concern regarding its music. ‘Nazrul immediately took the director of film Naresh Chndra Mitra to Tagore’s residence and requested him to watch the raw print to obtain a clearance. Tagore said “since you directed the music, I am giving my clearance”. Still Nazrul continued to pursue his “gurudev” to watch the film,’ renowned Nazrul researcher professor Rafiqul Islam told New Age.
Nazrul created a new trend as a music director in films, which garnered huge popularity. Nearly 50 Nazrul songs were used for different movies up to 1945, writes professor Rafiqul Islam in the biographical sketch of Kazi Nazrul Islam included in the Banglapedia, the national encyclopedia, published by the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
In the film Shoilojananda, Nazrul wrote and composed a new genre of songs, which was later labeled as ‘nazrul jhumur’ by the Nazrul enthusiasts. He successfully blended Santali rhythm and jhumur taals in such songs, observe the Nazrul experts.
Nazrul got huge popularity composing and directing playbacks of Sapurey released in 1939. Recorded in the voice of the eminent singer Kanon Devi, the playbacks of the film such as Akashey helan diye and Bou kosne katha kose became the songs of masses.
Kazi Nazrul Islam was also the lyricist of the playbacks of Nandini (1940) and Dilkush (1943) and he was the music composer of Chourangi (1942), Graher Pher (1937) and Bidyapati (1937).
Bidyapati was made based on Nazrul’s play having the same title. The film was remade in Hindi and Nazrul had composed and directed the playback songs.
‘As a music composer for the playbacks, Nazrul reached such a height that he was credited as “Suro Bhandar” in those films. The title was unprecedented and no other music director in the subcontinent got that title again,’ Anupam Hayat said.
Kazi Nazrul Islam was the story writer of Patalpuri, released in 1935.
Along with his peers like Ustad Mohammad Hossain Khosru, Abbasuddin Ahmed and others, Nazrul formed a film production house named Bengal Tigers’ Pictures in 1941.
The production house initiated to produce Madina, based on Nazrul’s novel Mrityu Khudha. But, they could not complete the film due to riots and illness of the Nazrul.
-With New Age input
