Photography legend Amanul Huq dies

Photography legend Amanul Huq, who famously documented the Language Movement and worked with legendary Satyajit Ray, died at a city hospital on Wednesday evening. He was 88.

Huq worked with Ray as still photographer in the iconic film, Pather Panchali, and some other movies in his long professional career.

The winner of the Ekushey Padak was being treated at Dhanmondi’s Central Hospital, Poet Belal Chowdhury told bdnews24.com.

He said Huq had been treated at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Hospital for the last two weeks.

But his condition worsened on Wednesday afternoon and he was needed to be put under intensive care. But there was so space at the ICU of BSMMU Hospital.

”He was moved to Central Hospital and he died there,” he added.

The photographer used to live in a flat at the Aziz Co-Operative Housing Society.

In the book, “Manik and I: My Life with Satyajit Ray”, Ray‘s wife, Bijoya, said they met Huq first in 1959.

“He was a photographer who believed there could be no subject as interesting as Manik,” she wrote. Manik is the nickname of the Oscar-winning filmmaker and writer.

“He wanted permission to photograph Manik. He was well-spoken, warm and friendly. We liked him a lot, and Manik easily granted permission.”

“Manik grew fond of him. He was a genuinely good photographer. “

Bijoya in the book said their son Sandip Ray, also an acclaimed director and nicknamed ‘Babu’ “was very young at the time, and grew very close to Amanul.”

Amanul Huq was born in Sirajganj’s Shahzadpur Upazila in 1925.

Encouraged by his father, Huq started pursuing drawing from his boyhood. Later he studied at Art College for a short period before joining Dhaka Medical College as Artist-cum-Photographer. He used to sketch human organs for medical students.

During 1952 Language Movement, he framed several historical moments and events with his camera which include the picture of bullet-riddled body of Shaheed Rafique.

With the ruling class angry with him, Amanul went to Kolkata where he got the scope to work with Satyajit Ray for a long time.

Reminiscing about the past, he once said: “I went to Kolkata from Dhaka in mid-fifties. There I met Subhash Mukherjee, who was very close to Satyajit. He introduced me to Satyajit and I showed Satyajit my photographs.”

“Satyajit told me that he already saw some of my photographs in an edition of ‘Notun Sahitya’. Hearing from him, I got very interested in working with him. I believe Satyajit was a complete human being. A man of his stature is rare now.”

Amanul used to call Satyajit ‘Guru’.

Sahitya Prakash published a photo album titled ‘About Satyajit’ with some rare photos of the famed filmmaker taken by Amanul.

Poet Belal Chowdhury said: “Amanul Haque was very close to Bangabandhu and Tajuddin Ahmed. He took numerous photographs on the Language Movement.”

Ray liked the confirmed bachelor photographer very much and his wife cooked for him on several occasions.

His body will be kept at Central Shaheed Minar from 3pm to 4pm on Thursday for paying tributes to him.