Home ›› 07 Sep 2021 ›› Show Biz
Today is the birthday of Ekushey Padak and National Film Award-winning actor, playwright and director Abul Hayat, who turns 78. He started his career in television with the drama ‘Oedipus’ in 1968. Afterwards, he has acted in radio production, theatre and film.
Abul Hayat has been with the country’s entertainment world for more than 60 years. Although he started acting as a hobby in the beginning, later he chose it as a profession.
Talking to The Business Post on Monday, Abul Hayat shared how he would celebrate his birthday this year. “It’s my granddaughter’s birthday too. We will celebrate the occasion at my house with the family members. In the evening, maybe I will go to my daughter’s house to celebrate my granddaughter’s birthday.”
When asked about his childhood memories regarding his birthday, he said, “When I was a kid, my family didn’t celebrate birthdays that much. The birthday celebration trend started much later. It started with celebrating my daughters’ birthdays. Now they celebrate mine. I feel very lucky to have them in my life.”
“During my birthday, I miss everyone who is close to me, especially my parents. I often feel nostalgic for my mother on my birthday,” he added.
Hayat’s notable stage plays include ‘Mukhosh’, ‘Bishorjon’ and ‘Shot Manusher Khonje’. He directed ‘Bishorjon’, which was inspired by Rabindranath Tagore’s novella of the same name. Hayat received immense praise for his role in Aly Zaker-directed ‘Shot Manusher Khonje’ and ‘Mukhosh’ is directed by Sara Zaker.
Abul Hayat is one of the founding members of the pioneer theatre group, Nagorik Natya Sampradaya, which was established in 1968. Talking about his theatre days, Hayat said, “I miss my theatre days a lot. It made me love acting. It was the starting point of my acting career. After theatre, I acted in TV dramas and films. All that happened because of my involvement in theatre which is very close to my heart. I have plans to resume performing in stage plays when the corona situation gets better.”
Abul Hayat told The Business Post that two of his most memorable theatrical works are Nagorik Natya Sampradaya’s ‘Baki Itihash’, in which he played Sitanath Chakrobarty and ‘Dewan Gazir Kissa’ where he played the role of a 30-year-old man.
‘Hajar Bochhor Dhore’ is one of the popular radio projects of Abul Hayat. His performances in radio plays ‘Shesh Rokkha’ and ‘Gora Namok’ are particularly notable. He has appeared in a number of classic television dramas, including ‘Kothao Keu Nei’, ‘Eishob Din Ratri’, ‘Bohubrihi’ and ‘Ayomoy’. His performance as Misir Ali in TV under the direction of Mustafizur Rahman was applauded by the audience.
Abul Hayat made his film debut with Ritwik Ghatak’s ‘Titash Ekti Nodir Nam’ in 1973. In the same year, he also acted in ‘Arunodayer Agnisakshi’. In the 90s, he became regular on the silver screen. He has acted in popular films such as ‘Keyamat Theke Keyamat’, ‘Premer Tajmohol’, ‘Shonkhonil Karagar’, ‘Third Person Singular Number’, ‘Oggatonama’ and ‘Fagun Haway’, among others.
Abul Hayat has recently started writing his autobiography. “I have started writing my autobiography that will include my life stories; though the progression is very slow as I am feeling mentally low for few months. It might be post covid symptoms. I will resume writing again, once I feel better,” he shared.
