Humayun Faridi

Humayun Kamrul Islam (known as Humayun Faridi; 29 May 1952 – 13 February 2012) was a Bangladeshi actor and drama organiser. He worked in television dramas, movies and theatre plays. He won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actor for his lead role in the film Matritto (2004). He was awarded Ekushey Padak posthumously in 2018 by the Government of Bangladesh. Early life Faridi was born in Narinda, Dhaka on 29 May 1952 to ATM Nurul Islam and Begum Farida Islam. He was the second among five siblings. Pinu was one of his sisters. In 1968, he passed the SSC exam from Islamia Government High School and in 1970 he passed the HSC from Chandpur Government College. In the same year, he entered the University of Dhaka to study organic chemistry. However, due to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, it became impossible to continue his studies and he subsequently took part as a freedom fighter in the war. Later he was admitted to Jahangirnagar University to study economics and became a close associate of dramatist Selim Al-Deen. Career Faridi was discovered by dramatist Nasiruddin Yousuff, who went to serve as a judge to Jahangirnagar University where a play written, directed and acted by Faridi was staged. Faridi was one of the principal organizers of the 1976 Drama Festival of Jahangirnagar University. He joined as a member of the Dhaka Theatre. In 1978, he debuted his theater acting career in the Shakuntala rendition by Selim Al-Deen, playing the character, Tokkhok. After that, he performed in Phoni Monsha in 1980, Kirtankhola as Chaya Ranjan in 1981 and Keramat Mangal as Keramat in 1985. Faridi's last theatre acting was in the mid-1990s in a play called Bhut.