Today marks the 82nd birth anniversary of one of the pioneers of Bangladesh’s modern theatre, Ekushey Padak recipient, Abdullah Al Mamun.

Abdullah Al Mamun was a playwright, actor, and filmmaker. He was born on July 13 1942 in Jamalpur district. He completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from the University of Dhaka.

In 1950, he wrote his first stage play, ‘Niyotir Parihas’. Subsequently, under the guidance of Munier Choudhury, he developed his skills as a playwright, director, and actor. He got the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1978 and Ekushey Padak in 2000.

 As a filmmaker, he won the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Director twice for the direction of the films ‘Ekhoni Somoy’ in 1980 and ‘Dui Jibon’ in 1988.

He wrote 25 dramas and seven novels, an autobiography ‘Amar Ami’ and a travelogue ‘Manhattan’. The noted dramatist breathed his last on 21 August 2008 in Dhaka.