Khan Ataur Rahman (known as Khan Ata; 11 December 1928 – 1 December 1997) was a Bangladeshi film actor, director, producer,
screenplay writer
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
T ...
,
music composer, and singer, best known for his role in the film ''
Jibon Theke Neya
''Jibon Theke Neya'' () is a 1970 Bengali-language Pakistani film directed by Zahir Raihan. The film is a political satire based on the Bengali Language Movement under the rule of Pakistan metaphorically, where an autocratic woman in one family ...
'' (1970). He received the
for the films ''Sujon Sokhi'' (1975) and ''
Danpite Chhele
''Danpite Chhele'' (English: The Bad Lad; bn, ডানপিটে ছেলে) is a 1980 Bangladeshi film starring Razzak and child artist Master Shakil. It is a children's film.
Cast
* Razzak as Teacher of School
* Azad Rahman Shakil, kn ...
'' (1980).
He was awarded
Ekushey Padak posthumously in 2003 by the
Government of Bangladesh
The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Con ...
.
Early life and education
The son of Ziarat Hossain Khan and Zohra Khatun, who lived in
Singair Upazila,
Manikganj District
Manikganj ( bn, মানিকগঞ্জ ) is a district in central Bangladesh. It is a part of the Dhaka Division, In 1845 AD it was at first declared as a sub-division. It was at first, under Faridpur district (Faridpur Zila) then it was in ...
, Rahman was born on 11 December 1928. When he was a student in
class three, he won the first prize of the
Dhaka Zilla Music Competition. He rendered the song ''Mon paban-er dinga baiyya''.
Rahman attended
Dhaka Collegiate School,
Dhaka College
Dhaka College ( bn, ঢাকা কলেজ also known as DC) is the oldest secular educational institution of Bangladesh located in Dhaka. It offers higher secondary education ( HSC). It has Honours and Masters programs as well which are aff ...
, and
Dhaka University
The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...
, completing a Bachelor of Science degree. Rahman was extremely obsessed with films. After enrolling in
Dhaka Medical College, a career he later decided not to pursue, he made an attempt to escape from the family home and join the film industry. He had only Taka 60 in his possession at the time. His brother-in-law spotted Rahman in the Rail Station and he was forced to return home.
As a result of Rahman's bohemian attitudes, he left Dhaka University in 1949 and ran away from home for the second time. This time he went to
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
(present-day
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
).
He started frequented the film industry and slept on the side walks. He met Jyoti Studio's cameraman Jal Irani, who gave Rahman the chance to work as an apprentice but it was not satisfying enough for him.
Career
In 1950, Rahman went to
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
and took a job as a
News Presenter
A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...
for
Radio Pakistan. Here he met with another notable Bengali media personality, Foteh Lohani. At this time, Khan Ata started taking music lessons from renowned Pakistani ''Sarnagi'' player Jawahari Khan. After some days Foteh Lohani moved to London. In 1952, Khan Ata went to London as well. There he performed as a singer and actor in several Bengali programs. He met with artist
SM Sultan and helped him with his savings to buy art supplies. Rahman and his companions also made arrangements for displaying and selling Sultan's paintings.
In 1953, Rahman enrolled in the Theatre department at
City Literary Institute.
Rahman studied in the Netherlands when he was awarded a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
fellowship in 1954. Thereafter, he worked as a teacher in London but also took to the stage for several years. In 1956, he returned home and starred in a film called
Jago Hua Severa
''The Day Shall Dawn'' ( ur, جاگو ہوا سویرا, Jago Hua Savera) is a 1959 Pakistani drama film directed by A. J. Kardar. The film was selected as the Pakistani entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 32nd Academy Awards, but w ...
directed by AJ Karder. He played many roles with notable Bengali actress
Tripti Mitra
Tripti Mitra (''née'' Bahaduri; 25 October 1925 – 24 May 1989) was a popular Indian actress of Bengali theatre and films, and wife of Sombhu Mitra, noted theatre director, with whom she co-founded pioneering theatre group ''Bohurupee'' in 19 ...
.
In 1963, Rahman made his directorial debut with the film ''Anek Diner Chena'', and continued making many notable films like ''
Nawab Sirajuddaula'' (1967), ''Sat Bhai Champa'' (1968), ''Arun Barun Kironmala'' (1968), ''Abar Tora Manush Ho'' (1973), ''Sujon Sokhi'' (1975), ''Ekhono Onek Raat'' (1997).
In addition to acting, Rahman was a songwriter with over 500 compositions, some of which remain popular.
Personal life
Rahman married three times.
When he was in London, completing a higher course in
Cinematography
Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography.
Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...
, he met an Englishwoman named Shirley and married her.
On their return to Bangladesh and after having a child, they got divorced. Shirley returned to London with the child. Then Khan Ata married
Mahbuba Rahman
Mahbuba Rahman (; born 3 March 1935) is a Bangladeshi singer. She worked in the film industry during 1950s and 1960s. She was the playback singer of ''Mukh O Mukhosh'' (1956), the first Bengali language feature film produced in erstwhile East Paki ...
. They met in a radio station. They had a daughter named Rumana Islam, a Bangladeshi singer. In 1968, Rahman married
Nilufar Yasmin
Nilufar Yasmin (13 February 1948 – 10 March 2003) was a Bangladeshi singer of Nazrul Sangeet, Rajanikanta Geeti, Dwijendra Geeti and Atul Prasdi genre. She was the fourth of five Yasmin sisters of Bangladesh music. Her siblings are Farida ...
, a Bangladeshi singer. They had a son,
Agun
Khan Asifur Rahman Agoon, known as Agun is a Bangladeshi musician. The son of actor Khan Ataur Rahman and singer Nilufar Yasmin, he is notable for songs like "''Baba Bole Chhele Nam Korbe''", "''Amar Shopno Gulo''" and "''O Amar Bondhu Go''".
Ca ...
, who is also a Bangladeshi singer.
Filmography
As director
As actor
As composer
Awards
* Pakistan Film Festival Award
*
Nigar Award
The Nigar Awards ( ur, , translit=Inʿām Negār, lit=Picture Awards) were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The Nigar Awards a ...
* International film festival awards at Moscow and
Tashkent
Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...
*
(1975, 1980)
*
Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Lyrics
The Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Lyrics is the highest award for lyrics of film music in Bangladesh.
List of winners
Records and statistics Multiple wins and nominations
The following individuals received two or more Best Lyricist awa ...
(1980)
*
Ekushey Padak (2003)
References
Footnotes
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahman, Khan Ataur
1928 births
1997 deaths
People from Manikganj District
Dhaka College alumni
Dhaka Medical College alumni
20th-century Bangladeshi male actors
Bangladeshi film directors
Bangladeshi male film actors
20th-century Bangladeshi male singers
20th-century Bangladeshi singers
University of Dhaka alumni
Best Screenplay National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners
Recipients of the Ekushey Padak
Best Lyricist National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners
Best Music Director National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners
Best Music Composer National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners
20th-century screenwriters
Dhaka Collegiate School alumni