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Veteran actor ATM Shamsuzzaman has died at the age of 80 after a long spell of old-age complications.
He passed away at his residence in Dhaka's Sutrapur early Saturday, his younger brother Saleh Zaman confirmed.
His namaz-e-janaza will be held after the Zuhr prayers later in the day. He will later be laid to rest next to his son Kamruzzaman Kabir at the Jurain graveyard, according to Saleh, reports bdnews4.com.
Shamsuzzaman had been hospitalised with respiratory problems on Wednesday but had returned home two days later.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed condolences over his death.
“Shamsuzzaman’s departure is an irreparable loss to the cultural arena of the country. He will be remembered for his contribution to the development of non-communal consciousness in Bangladesh,” Hamid said.
The actor earned much acclaim for his comedic and antagonistic roles in films since the start of his career in the 1960s.
Shamsuzzaman won the National Film Award six times and was honoured with the Ekushey Padak in 2015.
"The popular actor will live on in the hearts of the people of Bangladesh through his extraordinary performances," Hasina said in a condolence message.
Apart from acting, Shamsuzzaman also made his mark as a director, screenwriter and storyteller in a film career spanning six decades.
Born on Sept 10, 1941 in Noakhali, he grew up in Old Dhaka. Shamsuzzaman got admitted to the then Jagannath College in Dhaka after completing his SSC.
His father Nuruzzaman was an esteemed lawyer and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. But Shamsuzzaman wanted to be a writer. His writings were regularly published in the daily Sangbad.
So how did Shamsuzzaman become an actor? In an interview two years ago, Shamsuzzaman said he used to go to the movies with his mother during his childhood and developed a liking for films. As his passion grew, he stepped into acting.
In 1961, he got the opportunity to work as an assistant director in the film ‘Bisakanya.’ Later, he wrote the screenplay for ‘Jolchobi.’