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Amitabh Reza Chowdhury

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Amitabh Reza Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi filmmaker. In his career, he has directed nearly fifteen hundred (1500) television commercials (henceforth TVCs).[1][2] Amitabh has also directed a few television films to critical acclaim. He founded the production house 'half stop down', which mainly produces TVCs. Amitabh's directorial debut in theatrical feature film is Aynabaji which was released on 30 September 2016.[3][4][5][6][7][8][excessive citations]

Amitabh Reza Chowdhury
অমিতাভ রেজা চৌধুরী
Chowdhury in 2023
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2001–present
Spouses
  • Nowrin Jahan Khan Jenny (divorced)
  • Zakia Rashid Meem (divorced)

Early life

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Chowdhury was born to a middle-class family in 1976. His hometown is Kishorganj, Bangladesh. He passed his HSC from BAF Shaheen College Dhaka.[9] He went to Pune, India to study economics. While there, he studied literature on his own to aid his dream about making films.[citation needed]

Career

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After returning to Bangladesh, Chowdhury made a television film named Hawa Ghar (1999) under Maasranga Production which gained popularity. After Hawa Ghar he directed the first 20-episodes of the TV series Bondhon (2001-2002) under Maasranga Production. Following the success of Hawa Ghar and Bondhon, he received offers from agencies to make television commercials. He is now one of the leading directors of TVCs in Bangladesh. A number of his productions have been screened in other countries as well.[10][11] He, his sister Mahjabin Reza and Md Assaduzzaman are owners of the production company "Half Stop Down". Under his production house he made more than 12 television films, followed by his first theatrical feature film. He has also worked as adjunct faculty in the Television, Film & Photography Department of the University of Dhaka.[12]

Personal life

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Chowdhury married Bangladeshi actress Nowrin Jahan Khan Jenny in his early life, but the marriage did not last for long. After 4 years, they separated and Amitabh married Mim Rashid, the younger sister of singer Mithila and ex-sister-in-law of Tahsan. Reza and Mim divorced in 2017. [13]

Filmography

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Chowdhury's debut film as a director was Aynabaji (2016).[14][15][16][17][excessive citations] The film was a major success in the box office, and it was screened in movie halls across the country for next few months. However, it was not profitable for the producer.[18] His upcoming films include "Rickshaw Girl" and "Punorujjibon".[19] Aynabaji was screened at Marché du Film at 69th annual Cannes Film Festival, where it scored well. Aynabaji has won the award of the best film at United States's 11th Seattle South Asian Film Festival.[20] His next film is Munshigiri, which will be released digitally by Chorki in 2021.[21]

Films

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Title Year Director Producer Screenwriter Notes
Hawa Ghar 1999 Yes Yes Yes
Aynabaji 2016 Yes Yes Yes
Munshigiri 2021 Yes Yes Yes

TV and web series

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Title Year Director Producer Screenwriter Notes Ref.
Bondhon 2001-2002 Yes Yes Yes released on Hoichoi
Dhaka Metro 2016 Yes Yes Yes
Bodh 2022 Yes Yes Yes
Shon Shon Yes Yes Yes A Binge Webfilm [22]

Jury Board Member

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Amitabh Reza Chowdhury has been a distinguished jury member at several prestigious film festivals, offering his insight and expertise to support new talents in the film industry.

  • Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival (DIMFF): In 2021, Chowdhury was invited to be a jury member for the 7th Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival. This festival highlights films shot entirely on mobile devices, fostering creativity and innovation in digital filmmaking.[23]
  • 11th International Children's Film Festival (2018): Chowdhury served on the jury for the 11th International Children's Film Festival. His role involved evaluating films that cater to young audiences, promoting the importance of children’s cinema in inspiring and educating the next generation.[24]
  • JU Independent Film Festival: In 2022, Chowdhury was selected as a jury member at the Jahangirnagar University Independent Film Festival. This festival celebrates independent films and provides a platform for up-and-coming filmmakers to showcase their work.[25]
  • Sylhet Film Festival: Amitabh Reza Chowdhury was also a member of the jury at the 4th Sylhet Film Festival in 2020. His role in this festival focused on reviewing and recognizing films from a diverse range of genres, contributing to the growth of new filmmakers in Bangladesh.

Recognition and awards

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Chowdhury received a number of national and international awards for his work. He was awarded with the Meril-Prothom Alo Best Film Director Award in 2017. He also received the Best Film Award in Seattle South Asian Film Festival in 2016 for Aynabaji.[26][27]

National Film Award

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  • Best Director (2016): Chowdhury received the prestigious National Film Award for Best Director for his work on the film Aynabaji, which earned critical and commercial success.[28]

Meril Prothom Alo Awards

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  • Best Director (TV) 2008: Chowdhury was recognized as the Best Director in the television category for his exceptional work on television dramas.[29]
  • Best Screenplay Writer (TV) 2008: He also received the award for Best Screenplay Writer in television during the same year.
  • Best TV Drama Director (Critics Award) 2014: In 2014, he won the Critics Award for Best TV Drama Director, acknowledging his outstanding direction in television dramas.[30]
  • Best Film Director (Critics Award) 2016: Amitabh Reza Chowdhury was honored with the Critics Award for Best Film Director for his film Aynabaji at the Meril Prothom Alo Awards.[31][32]

References

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  1. ^ "Amitabh Reza". The Daily Star. 2019-08-31. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  2. ^ "Amitabh Reza debuts as film director". New Age. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  3. ^ "Conversations over coffee with team Money Honey". The Daily Star. 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  4. ^ "A documentary on Bangabandhu". The Daily Star. 2019-09-21. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  5. ^ "Poster of Amitabh Reza's Rickshaw Girl released". Dhaka Tribune. 2019-08-25. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  6. ^ "Amitabh Reza Chowdhury on digital content". The Daily Star. 2018-12-07. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  7. ^ "Trailer of 'Dhaka Metro' unveiled". Dhaka Tribune. 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  8. ^ "Amitabh Reza's short films set to premiere on Iflix". Dhaka Tribune. 2018-11-15. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  9. ^ "::: Star Campus :::". The Daily Star. 6 March 2011. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024.
  10. ^ "Amitabh Reza". priyo.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  11. ^ "Amitabh Reza: Ad-maker with an eye on filmdom". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  12. ^ ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের শিক্ষক হলেন অমিতাভ রেজা. NTV (in Bengali). Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  13. ^ "Documentary film awarded". bdnews24.com. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  14. ^ আয়নাবাজি চলচ্চিত্র নিয়ে অমিতাভ রেজা - দৈনিক পূর্বকোণ. Dainik Purkobone (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  15. ^ অমিতাভ রেজা'র প্রথম চলচ্চিত্র আয়নাবাজি. The Daily Inqilab (in Bengali). Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  16. ^ সেলফিতে অমিতাভ রেজা ও 'আয়নাবাজি'. priyo.com (in Bengali). Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  17. ^ "আয়নাবাজি" দিয়ে চলচ্চিত্রে পার্থ বড়ুয়া. BD Morning (in Bengali). Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  18. ^ 'আয়নাবাজি' করে আমি ধ্বংসের মুখে পড়েছি: অমিতাভ রেজা. Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  19. ^ আয়নাবাজির পর অমিতাভ রেজা 'পুনরুজ্জীবন'. The Manobkantha (in Bengali). Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  20. ^ "'Aynabaji' wins best film award at Seattle festival". The Independent. Dhaka. Archived from the original on 2 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  21. ^ Mahmud, Rashel. "People will invariably have good and bad things to say : Purnima". Prothom Alo. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  22. ^ Shon Shon | Releases on 29 Sept | A Binge Original, 26 September 2022, retrieved 2023-07-21
  23. ^ "DIMFF jury announced". Dhaka Tribune. 2024-10-20. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  24. ^ "11th International Children's Film Festival: Future in frames". Dhaka Tribune. 2024-10-20. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  25. ^ "Independent film fest under way at JU". New Age. 2024-10-20. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  26. ^ "'Aynabaji' bags best film award at Seattle". The Daily Star. 25 October 2016.
  27. ^ "'Aynabaji' achieves best film award in Seattle". Daily Sun. October 2016.
  28. ^ "National Film Award winners announced". The Daily Star. UNB. 2018-04-06. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  29. ^ "21 Anniversary Supplement". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  30. ^ "Meril Prothom Alo Awards Gala Night". Prothom Alo. 2015-05-09. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  31. ^ "Meril-Prothom Alo Puroshkar-2016 conferred". Prothom Alo. 2017-04-22. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  32. ^ "Meril-Prothom Alo awards the best in TV and film". The Daily Star. 2017-04-24. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
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