The Bangladesh Film Archive is set to preserve the awards and personal keepsakes of late actor, filmmaker and producer Bulbul Ahmed after his family donated the collection to the national institution.
The handover took place on Thursday, 3 September, when Ahmed’s wife Daisy Ahmed and daughter Tahsin Farzana Tilottoma presented the items to Bangladesh Film Archive Director General M Javed Iqbal.
The memorabilia will be kept at the archive’s museum, where it will form part of the country’s recorded film heritage.
The family said the move was intended to protect Ahmed’s professional legacy and allow future generations to learn about his contribution to the arts.
Ahmed’s birth anniversary falls on September 4. His family arranged the donation around this year’s anniversary as a tribute to his life and work.
Ahmed began his acting career on stage during the 1960s. He appeared on television for the first time in 1968 in Abdullah Al-Mamun’s Purbabhash. Four years later, he made his film debut in Yea Kore Biye.
He became one of the leading performers of Bangladeshi cinema and won the National Film Award for Best Actor on three occasions.
The honours came for Shimana Periye (1977), Bodhu Biday (1978) and Shesh Uttor (1980).
Ahmed also established himself behind the camera. His first directorial project was Rajlokkhi Srikanto (1987), for which he received a National Film Award for directing. He also produced the film, which featured him alongside Shabana and was adapted from Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel.
Among his other notable acting credits were Alamgir Kabir’s Dheere Bahe Meghna, Shurjokonnya and Mahanayak. His popularity extended to television through productions such as the widely watched serial Ei Shob Din Ratri.
Ahmed died on 15 July, 2010, aged 68. The latest donation will ensure that awards and other physical reminders of his work remain preserved, documenting a career that crossed theatre, television and cinema.
