Bulbul Ahmed’s awards, memorabilia handed over to Film Archive

The awards and personal belongings of celebrated Bangladeshi actor, director and producer Bulbul Ahmed will be preserved at the Bangladesh Film Archive, as his family facilitated the handover and marked his birth anniversary today.

On Thursday, September 3, Ahmed’s wife Daisy Ahmed and daughter Tahsin Farzana Tilottoma handed over his awards and memorabilia to Bangladesh Film Archive Director General M Javed Iqbal.

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The collection will be preserved at the Film Archive’s museum as part of the country’s cinematic heritage. According to the family, the initiative aims to ensure that Ahmed’s achievements remain accessible to future generations.

Ahmed’s birth anniversary is observed on September 4. The family chose this year’s occasion to donate items from his career to the national archive.

Ahmed was one of the prominent actors of Bangladeshi cinema and also worked in television and as a director and producer. He began his acting career on stage in the 1960s and made his television debut in 1968 with Abdullah Al-Mamun’s “Purbabhash”. He made his film debut in “Yea Kore Biye” in 1972.

He received the National Film Award for Best Actor three times, for his performances in “Shimana Periye” (1977), “Bodhu Biday” (1978) and “Shesh Uttor” (1980). He later won another National Film Award for directing “Rajlokkhi Srikanto” (1987), his directorial debut.

“Rajlokkhi Srikanto”, directed and produced by Ahmed, starred him opposite Shabana and was based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel.

Ahmed was also widely recognised for films including Alamgir Kabir’s “Dheere Bahe Meghna”, “Shurjokonnya” and “Mahanayak”. His television work included the popular serial “Ei Shob Din Ratri”, which brought him to a wide audience beyond cinema.

Ahmed died on July 15, 2010, aged 68. Sixteen years after his death, his family’s decision to place his awards and personal artefacts in the Film Archive is intended to preserve physical records of a career spanning stage, television and cinema.