How Farooque and Razzak's story went untold

Akbar Hossain Pathan (Farooque), a legendary actor, Freedom Fighter, and MP, passed away earlier today. His passing has left the film industry in a state of mourning as countless admirers and coworkers pay tribute to the late legend.

 

The 'Miya Bhai' of Bengali cinema, Farooque, celebrated his 73rd birthday on August 18, 2018, and on that day he revealed to The Daily Star an untold story about Nayak Raj Razzak.  On August 18, 2021, the article first appeared in The Daily Star. At the time, Farooque had been interviewed by this specific reporter.

In an interview with The Daily Star in 2018, Farooque stated, "Ahmed Zaman Chowdhury, a renowned entertainment journalist and author, was attacked at a Dhaka Club event by Nayak Raj Razzak. Ahmed Zaman suffered blunt force trauma, and after the incident, his head was bleeding. A police report was made. Famous film figures from the era like Kazi Jahir, Narayan Ghosh Mita, and Khan Ataur Rahman attempted to control the situation, but to no avail.

"Soon, everyone was against Razzak and things were beginning to turn ugly. A group was planning to hand over Razzak bhai to the authorities. They wanted to end his career. At that time, if I had wanted to take revenge, I could have. Razzak bhai was my biggest competitor. However, I did not do that," shared Farooque.

He continued, "One day, Razzak bhai said to me, 'Farooque, save my honour.' He knew things were getting serious. I was sad, thinking about the fact that my colleagues wanted to take away the respect and dignity of one of our popular heroes. That is when I became more in touch with Azad Zaman. I would regularly check on him. On the third day after the incident, there was a lot of rain at night. After 12 at night, I called Razzak bhai to the Holy Family Hospital, where Azad Zaman was receiving treatment. They were both surprised to see each other. I had to do a lot of drama to reconcile them. A lot of people don't know about this incident and that I was behind this. I never let any harm come to Razzak bhai's reputation."

In the movies "Erao Manush," "Ma-er Anchal," and "Shakhi Tumi Kar," the two had collaborated on three projects. Despite having a large age difference, they had always had a close friendship.

With the release of "Jolchhobi" in 1971, Farooque made his debut on the big screen. In 1975, he would be recognized with the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 in recognition of his illustrious career.

While receiving treatment at a hospital in Singapore today, May 15, at 8:30 am, renowned actor Farooque passed away.