Mohammad Zahirullah (19 August 1935 – disappeared 30 January 1972), known as Zahir Raihan, was a Bangladeshi novelist, writer and filmmaker. He is most notable for his documentary ''
Stop Genocide
''Stop Genocide'' is a 1971 documentary film by Bangladeshi filmmaker Zahir Raihan. It is a 20-minute film that documents the killings and atrocities carried out by the Pakistan Army on the people of the then East Pakistan. It also depicts the pl ...
'' (1971), made during the
Bangladesh Liberation War.
He was posthumously awarded
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 ...
in 1977 and
Independence Day Award
The Independence Day Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পদক), also termed Independence Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পুরস্কার), Swadhinata Padak, and Swadhinata Puroskar, is the highest state award given by t ...
in 1992 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 Co ...
.
Early life and education
Mohammad Zahirullah was born on 19 August 1935, at Majupur, a village in the
Feni Mahakuma under
Noakhali district
Noakhali ( bn, নোয়াখালী, , New canal), historically known as Bhulua ( bn, ভুলুয়া), is a district in southeastern Bangladesh, located in the Chittagong Division. It was established as district in 1821, and officia ...
of the
Bengal Presidency
The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...
in British India (now Feni district in Bangladesh). After the
Partition of Bengal in 1947, he, along with his parents, returned to his village from
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
. He obtained his bachelor's in Bengali from the
University of Dhaka
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 ...
. He received his
postgraduate degree
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have earned an Undergraduate education, un ...
in
Bengali literature.
Career
Along with literary works, Raihan started working as a journalist, when he joined ''Juger Alo'' in 1950. Later, he also worked in newspapers, namely ''Khapchhara'', ''Jantrik'', and ''Cinema''. He also worked as the editor of ''Probaho'' in 1956. His first collection of short stories, titled ''Suryagrahan'', was published in 1955. He worked as an assistant director on the Urdu film ''
Jago Hua Savera'' in 1957. This was his first direct involvement in film. He also assisted Salahuddin in the film ''Je Nadi Marupathe''. The filmmaker
Ehtesham also employed him on his film ''E Desh Tomar Amar'', for which he wrote the title song. In 1960, he made his directorial début with ''
Kokhono Asheni'', which was released in 1961. In 1964, he made Pakistan's first colour film, ''
Sangam'', and completed his first
CinemaScope film, ''Bahana'', the following year.
Raihan was an active supporter of the
Bengali Language Movement of 1952 and was present at the historical meeting of Amtala on 21 February 1952. He was among the first group of people who got arrested on the day. The effect of the Bengali Language Movement was so strong on him that he used it as the premise of his landmark film ''
Jibon Theke Neya''. He also took part in the
1969 Mass uprising in East Pakistan
The 1969 mass uprising in East Pakistan ( bn, ঊনসত্তরের গণঅভ্যুত্থান, lit=69’s Mass uprising) was a democratic political movement in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The uprising consisted of a series of m ...
.
In the immediate aftermath of the March 1971 start of the
Bangladesh Liberation War, Raihan made the documentary ''Stop Genocide''. Critic Ziaul Haq Swapan calls it the start of the history of Bangladeshi documentaries and describes it as "a vehement protest against the Pakistan army’s pogrom in Bangladesh". Raihan also made the documentary ''A State is Born'' during the war. Raihan went to Calcutta during the conflict, where his film ''Jibon Theke Neya'' was shown. His film was highly acclaimed by
Satyajit Ray,
Ritwik Ghatak
Ritwik Kumar Ghatak (; 4 November 19256 February 1976) was a noted Indian film director, screenwriter, and playwright. Along with prominent contemporary Bengali filmmakers Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha and Mrinal Sen, his cinema is primarily rememb ...
,
Mrinal Sen
Mrinal Sen (''Beng.'' মৃণাল সেন; 14 May 1923 – 30 December 2018) was an Indian film director, and screenwriter known for his work primarily in Bengali, and few Hindi and Telugu language films. Regarded as one of the finest Ind ...
, and
Tapan Sinha
Tapan Sinha (2 October 1924 – 15 January 2009) was one of the most prominent Indian film directors of his time forming a legendary quartet with Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. He was primarily a Bengali filmmaker who worked both ...
. Though he was in financial difficulties at the time, he gave all his money from the Calcutta showing to the Freedom Fighters trust.
["Akhono Obohelito Zahir Raihan" Hossain, Amzad. The Daily Prothom Alo, 17 August 2006]
Personal life
Raihan had been married twice, to
Sumita Devi in 1961 and
Shuchonda in 1968, both of whom were film actresses. With Sumita he had two sons, Bipul Raihan and Anol Raihan. He, with Shuchonda, had also two sons named Opu Raihan and Topu Raihan.
Disappearance
Raihan disappeared on 30 January 1972, when he was trying to locate his brother, a notable writer
Shahidullah Kaiser, who was captured and presumably killed by the
Pakistan army and/or local collaborators during the final days of the liberation war.
It is believed that he was killed with many others when armed Bihari collaborators and soldiers of the Pakistan Army who were hiding fired on them when they went to
Mirpur, a suburb of the capital city of Dhaka that was one of few strongholds for Pakistani/Bihari collaborators at that time.
[
]
Books
Novels
Short stories
Filmography
Director
;Films
* '' Kokhono Asheni'', 1961
* ''Sonar Kajol'', 1962 (jointly with Kalim Sharafi
Kalim Sharafi (8 May 1924 – 2 November 2010) was a Bangladeshi Rabindra Sangeet singer. He gave his ideas in several publications regarding politics, culture, and Tagore. He is regarded as one of the best Rabindra Sangeet singers in the subcont ...
)[
* '' Kancher Deyal'', 1963]
* '' Sangam'', 1964, Urdu
* ''Bahana'', 1965, Urdu
* '' Behula'', 1966
* ''Anwara'', 1967
* '' Jibon Theke Neya'', 1970
* ''Jaltey Suraj Ke Neeche'', 1971, Urdu
* ''Let There Be Light'', unfinished
;Documentary films
* ''Stop Genocide
''Stop Genocide'' is a 1971 documentary film by Bangladeshi filmmaker Zahir Raihan. It is a 20-minute film that documents the killings and atrocities carried out by the Pakistan Army on the people of the then East Pakistan. It also depicts the pl ...
, 1971''[
* ''A State is Born, 1971''
]
Producer
* '' Kancher Deyal'', 1963
* '' Sangam'', 1964, Urdu
* ''Bahana'', 1965, Urdu
* '' Behula'', 1966
* ''Roi Bhai'', 1967
* ''Dui Bhai'', 1968
* ''Shuorani Duorani'', 1968
* '' Moner Moto Bou'', 1969
* ''Shesh Parjyanta'', 1969
* '' Jibon Theke Neya'', 1970, with A. Rahman
Awards
* Adamjee Literary Award Adamjee Literary Award, also known as Adamjee Prize, is a literary award bestowed by the government of Pakistan. It is presented by the president. The award seeks to recognize those people who have made "meritorious contribution" to the literature ...
* Bangla Academy Literary Award (1972)
* 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 ...
(1977)
* Independence Day Award
The Independence Day Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পদক), also termed Independence Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পুরস্কার), Swadhinata Padak, and Swadhinata Puroskar, is the highest state award given by t ...
(1992)
* Bangladesh National Film Awards (2005)
See also
* List of people who disappeared
References
Footnotes
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raihan, Zahir
1935 births
1970s missing person cases
20th-century dramatists and playwrights
20th-century male writers
20th-century novelists
Bangladeshi dramatists and playwrights
Bangladeshi film directors
Bangladeshi male novelists
Documentary war filmmakers
Male dramatists and playwrights
Missing people
People from Feni District
Recipients of Bangla Academy Award
Best Dialogue National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners
Recipients of the Adamjee Literary Award
Recipients of the Ekushey Padak
Recipients of the Independence Day Award
University of Dhaka alumni
Best Story National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners
Missing person cases in Bangladesh