Dhallywood’s acclaimed actor, director and producer Masud Parvez, better known to audiences as Sohel Rana, turned 80 today. He was born on February 21, 1947, in Dhaka.
Reflecting on his birthday, Sohel Rana said his feelings about the occasion have changed over time. “Earlier, when my birthday came around, I felt I had grown another year. It felt good. Now, it seems I am not getting older but diminishing. Time is slowly running out. So, as long as I live, I want to live through good deeds. When I look back, it is astonishing how the years have passed without me realising it,” he said.
He added that he has received immense love from people throughout his life and sought everyone’s blessings on his birthday so that he may remain in good health in the years ahead. As February 21 is also observed in remembrance of the language martyrs, he has never celebrated his birthday in a grand manner, instead marking the day with restraint and respect. Close friends and well-wishers visited his home to greet him.
Sohel Rana’s ancestral home is in Barisal district. He joined politics at the age of just 14 in 1961 and was active in Chhatra League during his student years. He later studied law at the University of Dhaka.
He took part in the Liberation War in 1971, risking his life for the country’s independence. After independence, he chose cinema as his profession. Though his birth name is Masud Parvez, he adopted the screen name Sohel Rana when he debuted as a leading man.
He began his film career as the producer of Bangladesh’s first full-length feature film based on the Liberation War, ‘Ora Egaro Jon’, released in 1972 and directed by Chashi Nazrul Islam. That same year, he formally entered film production under his birth name. In 1974, he made his debut as a hero in ‘Masud Rana’, based on the popular fictional character created by Kazi Anwar Hossain. He also made his directorial debut with the same film.
Over the course of his long career, Sohel Rana has appeared in more than 300 films, including ‘Epar Opar’, ‘Dossu Bonhur’ and ‘Jibon Nouka’.
Although he is now largely away from acting, his contribution to the history of Bengali cinema remains significant.
