More than five decades after the death of Kazi Nazrul Islam, the rebel poet’s creative legacy continues to shape cinema, music and theatre across Bangladesh and India, with his songs, stories and screen contributions still reaching new generations.
Although Nazrul is best known as the “Rebel Poet”, his influence extended far beyond poetry and music. During the early years of Bengali talkies in the 1930s, he became actively involved in filmmaking through scriptwriting, acting, composing and directing.
Nazrul worked on nearly 20 films in Kolkata’s film industry. In 1934, he co-directed the film ‘Dhrubo’ alongside Satyendranath Dey and also appeared on screen as Narada. Of the film’s 18 songs, 17 were written and composed by Nazrul himself.
In 1937, Nazrul and filmmaker Devaki Bose jointly wrote the story and screenplay for ‘Biddyapati’. The film was screened in Lahore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Sylhet, Dhaka, Barishal and Rangoon.
The same year, Nazrul served as music director for ‘Groher Fer’. In 1938, he worked as music director on ‘Gora’, adapted from a novel by Rabindranath Tagore, where he also incorporated one of his own songs alongside ‘Vande Mataram’.
Nazrul’s involvement continued with the 1939 film ‘Sapure’, based on the lives of the Bede community. He wrote the story and composed the music for the commercially successful film, which was later remade in Hindi as ‘Sapera’.
In 1942, he contributed as lyricist, composer and music director for ‘Chourangi’, also writing seven Hindi songs for its Hindi version. He additionally appeared in a small comic role in the film ‘Hal Bangla’.
Following Bangladesh’s independence, Nazrul’s literary works repeatedly returned to the screen. In 1971, filmmaker Khan Ataur Rahman adapted Nazrul’s story ‘Poddogokhra’ into the film ‘Sukh-Dukkho’.
Another adaptation of the same story, ‘Mayar Bondhon’, was directed by Mostafiz in 1976. Nazrul’s story ‘Jiner Badshah’ was later turned into a feature film starring Bapparaj.
In 2005, Impress Telefilm released ‘Meher Nigar’, directed by Mushfiqur Rahman Gulzar and Moushumi, featuring Ferdous and Moushumi in lead roles. A year later, Matin Rahman directed ‘Rakkhoshi’, starring Rozina, Ferdous and Purnima.
In 2014, Geetali Hasan directed ‘Priya Tumi Sukhi Hou’, also based on Nazrul’s writing. Beyond these adaptations, Nazrul’s songs have frequently appeared in Bangladeshi cinema as background music.
Nazrul’s work has also sparked debate in Bollywood. In 2023, the war film ‘Pippa’ used his iconic song ‘Karar Oi Louhokopat’, rearranged by AR Rahman. The musical reinterpretation drew criticism from Nazrul’s family. His grandson Kazi Anirban said permission had been granted to use the song, but not to alter its tune.
His granddaughter Anindita Kazi objected to what she described as distortion, while singer Haimanti Shukla called it “a disrespect to something sacred”. The controversy highlighted Nazrul’s enduring influence on contemporary South Asian cinema.
Documentaries on Nazrul have been produced in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. In 2020, Bangladesh released ‘Biography of Nazrul’, a 94-minute documentary directed by Ferdous Khan and narrated by Asaduzzaman Noor. The film premiered in Dhaka cinemas and later won Best Feature Film at the 2020 Cinemaking International Film Festival.
In India, the 1982 film ‘Nazrul’ explored his life and music, while several other documentaries have been produced by various organisations over the years.
Nazrul’s presence has also remained strong in television drama and stage productions. Bangladeshi television channels regularly broadcast special productions marking his birth anniversary. His songs often function as more than background music, carrying emotional and narrative significance within the stories.
Stage adaptations of his celebrated poem ‘Bidrohi’ have been performed in multiple forms in Dhaka, ranging from solo recitation performances to full-scale theatrical productions. His plays ‘Aleya’, ‘Madhumala’ and ‘Jhilmili’ have also been staged numerous times.
Nazrul’s songs have travelled well beyond Bangladesh and West Bengal. Nazrul Geeti continues to be practised in Tripura, Assam and Jharkhand, while members of the Bangladeshi diaspora have used his music in short films produced abroad. An album translating Nazrul’s songs into Odia has also been released in India.
With nearly 4,000 songs spanning Islamic music, Shyama Sangeet, ghazals, classical compositions and patriotic anthems, Nazrul’s musical archive continues to offer filmmakers and performers a vast creative resource.
Nazrul died in 1976, but his presence in cinema and culture has endured. Through songs, stories, performances and even controversy, the poet continues to return to the screen, proving that his legacy remains deeply alive in South Asian arts and popular culture.
