Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul (1 January 1956 – 22 January 2019) was a Bangladeshi lyricist, composer and music director, active since the late 1970s. He was a freedom fighter who joined the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

at the age of 15. He won

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 ...

and

Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Music Director Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Music Direction ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় চলচ্চিত্র পুরস্কার শ্রেষ্ঠ সঙ্গীত পরিচালক) is the highest award f ...

twice for the films ''

Premer Taj Mahal ''Premer Taj Mahal'' also ( bn, প্রেমের তাজ মহল) is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language film. It was released in January 2002 in Bangladesh. It was directed by Gazi Mahbub and written by Gazi Jahangir. It was produced by Moham ...

'' (2001) and ''

Hajar Bachhor Dhore ''Hajar Bachhor Dhore'' also ( bn, হাজার বছর ধরে, English: ''Symphony of Agony'') is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language film. It was released in 2005 throughout Bangladesh. It was directed by Kohinur Akter Suchanda. Based on ...

'' (2005).

Early life

Bulbul was born on 1 January 1956 in Dhaka. He studied at West End High School in

Azimpur Azimpur ( bn, আজিমপুর) is an old region in the old part of Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh. The region is named after Shahzada Azam, son of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Other accounts attribute the name to Azim-us-Shaan, the Nayeb-e-Nazim ...

, Dhaka.

Career

Bulbul's compositions include a number of works for films, beginning with 1978's ''Megh Bijli Badol''. He has also released independent albums and created works for a number of Bangladeshi performers, including

Samina Chowdhury Samina Chowdhury (born 28 August 1966) is a Bangladeshi singer. She mostly sings modern and classical songs. Her notable songs include ''Jonmo Theke Jolchi Mago'', ''Amar Buker Moddhyekhane'', ''Amar Dui Chokhe Dui Nodi'', ''Ekbar Jodi Keu'', '' ...

and

Andrew Kishore Andrew Kishore Kumar Baroi (widely known as Andrew Kishore, 4 November 1955 – 6 July 2020) was a Bangladeshi playback singer. He is considered as the "Playback King" of Bangladesh music industry who sang more than 15 thousands songs. He sang ...

. He was a judge on the

talent show A talent show is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather ...

'' Closeup 1 Tomakei Khujchhe Bangladesh'' for three seasons.

Discography

Selected composed film songs

Bangladesh Liberation war

Bulbul joined the Bangladesh Liberation war in 1971 when he was 15 years old. He served in a

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini ( bn, মুক্তিবাহিনী, translates as 'freedom fighters', or liberation army), also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was the guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military, paramilitary ...

base in Zinzira. His older brother, Iftekhar Uddin Ahmed Tutul, served in the

Crack Platoon The Crack Platoon was a special commando team of the Mukti Bahini which was formed in 1971 during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was formed by young members of Mukti Bahini which carried out commando operations in Dhaka and its surroundings a ...

of the Mukti Bahini. He trained in India and fought in

Lalbagh Thana Lalbagh ( bn, লালবাগ) is a neighbourhood of the Dhaka District in the division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Geography Lalbagh is located at 23° 42' N, 90° 22' E. It was formerly larger, with a total area of . The district has since split, ...

and

New Market Thana New Market is a Thana of Dhaka District in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. New Market and Chandni Chowk is situated in this thana area. See also * New Market, Dhaka New Market () is a commercial shopping market in north of Azimpur, Dhaka. I ...

of Dhaka. In October, he was captured by the Pakistan military and Razakars while returning to India for more training. He was transferred to a jail in Mymensingh, where he was tortured and witnessed the mass execution of 39 Mukti Bahini prisoners by the Pakistan military. He was transferred to the residence of Dana Miah, which served as the local office of the

East Pakistan Central Peace Committee East Pakistan Central Peace Committee ( bn, পূর্ব পাকিস্তান কেন্দ্রীয় শান্তি কমিটি; ur, مشرقی پاکستان مرکزی امن کمیٹی), also known as the Nagorik Shan ...

. He was tortured there along with other members of the Mukti Bahini. He was able to escape from the camp.

War crime witness

Bulbul testified against convicted former Jamaat chief

Ghulam Azam Ghulam Azam ( bn, গোলাম আযম; 7 November 192223 October 2014) was a Bangladeshi Islamist politician. He was the former leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest Islamist political party in Bangladesh. Azam was arrested b ...

in the International Crimes Tribunal. Following the testimony as a witness, Bulbul's younger brother was killed, and his dead body was found near the Kuril overpass in Dhaka. Bulbul urged the government to ensure his security after the murder of his brother. He said that he had received death threats several times.

Death

Bulbul was taken to Universal Medical College and Hospital in Dhaka around 6:15 am, where the doctors, after necessary tests, declared him dead. He had suffered cardiac arrest.

Awards

(2010) *

(2001, 2005) * President's Award * Shikha Anirban Award (the highest honour conferred by the Bangladesh Armed Forces) *

Bachsas Awards 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 ...

(11 times)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulbul, Ahmed Imtiaz 1956 births 2019 deaths Bangladeshi male musicians Recipients of the Ekushey Padak in arts Best Music Director National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners Crime witnesses