PM, Khaleda lead tributes for Anwar Hossain

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 13 Sept 2013, 02:18 PM
Updated : 13 Sept 2013, 02:18 PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia have led the tributes for Bengali film legend Anwar Hossain who died early on Friday.

In a message, the Prime Minister said, “Anwar Hossain was a versatile and unparalleled actor in Bangla films. He was dubbed as the ‘Crownless Emperor’ of Bengali cinema.”

The actor, who is best remembered for his iconic role in “Nawab Sirajuddaula”, died at the age of 82 at 2:30am at Square Hospitals in Dhaka.

Hasina had visited him on Thursday afternoon and handed a cheque of Tk 1 million to his family.

In the message she said, “The country has lost a unique actor, cultural activist and patriot. His death is a great loss for the nation.”

She prayed for peace of the actor’s soul and expressed sympathies for the grief-stricken family members.

In her message, Khaleda said, “He is irreplaceable. He will remain immortal to the people of the country for his extraordinary acting.”

The BNP Chairperson also consoled Anwar Hossain’s family members in the message, signed by Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.

“He was kind-hearted, gracious and humble in personal life. He had won the general people’s hearts through his acting in the role of Nawab Sirajuddaula,” she said.

The versatile actor appeared in nearly 500 movies in a career that stretched more than 50 years and reached an almost unmatched height in the Dhakai filmdom.

The soft-spoken actor received the National Film Award for best actor in the film “Lathiyal” in 1975, and again for “Golapi Ekhon Train-e”, this time as supporting actor, in 1978.

He won the National Film Award for the third time for another stellar performance in “Dayi Ke” in 1987.

In 2012, the prominent actor received Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the movie industry.