Humayun Ahmed

Humayun Ahmed (Bengali: হুমায়ূন আহমেদ [ɦumajuːn aɦmed]; 13 November 1948 – 19 July 2012) was a Bangladeshi novelist, dramatist, screenwriter, filmmaker, songwriter, scholar, and academic. His breakthrough was his debut novel Nondito Noroke published in 1972. He wrote over 200 fiction and non-fiction books. He was one of the most popular authors and filmmakers in post-independence Bangladesh. Pakistani English newspaper Dawn referred to him as the cultural legend of Bangladesh.

In the early 1990s, Humayun Ahmed emerged as a filmmaker. He went on to make a total of eight films – each based on his novels. Some of his notable films are: Daruchini Dip, Aguner Poroshmoni, Srabon Megher Din, Shonkhonil Karagar, Dui Duari, Shyamol Chhaya and Ghetuputra Komola. He won the National Film Awards a record seven times in directing, screenplay and story for the films Ghetuputra Komola, Aguner Poroshmoni, Shonkhonil Karagar, Daruchini Dwip and Anil Bagchir Ekdin. He also won the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1981 and the Ekushey Padak in 1994 for his contribution to the Bengali literature.

Widely considered one of the cornerstones in modern Bengali literature, his works are characterized by non-violence, realistic storylines, family drama, and humor styles. His films Shyamol Chhaya and Ghetuputra Komola were submitted for the 78th Academy Awards and 85th Academy Awards respectively in the Best Foreign Language Film category.