Akassh Sen: The mind behind your Tik-Tok reels

By now, it is widely acknowledged that the biggest Bangladeshi film of the year, both in popularity and commercial success, is undeniably Raihan Rafi's 'Toofan.' In addition to the script and cast, a key factor contributing to Toofan's rapid rise to fame is its inclusion of pop numbers like 'Lage Ura Dhura' and 'Dushtu Kokil' which went viral straight off the bat. 

While we may be familiar with the actors and singers associated with these hits, many others work behind the scenes, remaining out of the limelight.

Akassh Sen, a lyricist, composer and music director from Kolkata, is one such individual who has become a familiar name among Bangladeshi music insiders. He is the creative mind behind 'Dushtu Kokil' – a song which has by now garnered more than a hundred million views on YouTube alone.

This success brought recognition not only to the song's vocalist, Dilshad Nahar Kona but also to Akassh as its lyricist and composer. The song's popularity thrust him into the spotlight from behind the scenes. 

Interestingly, Akassh had originally composed 'Dushtu Kokil' for a Kolkata-based movie, but it was rejected by the producer and shelved until Kona came around asking for some new music from the composer.

"Kona shared the idea of the song with Toofan's director Raihan Rafi and the rest, as they say, is history," said Akassh, with a rather proud smile on his face.

Before Dushtu Kokil, Akassh had composed hits like 'O Priyotoma,' and 'Rajkumar'— both for other Shakib Khan movies. However, 'Dushtu Kokil' surpassed these in terms of popularity.

Akassh modestly stated, "I don't like measuring success by numbers. Songs with far less reach still resonate with my audience. As an artist, my goal is for each new song to surpass the last one."

If you've been on TikTok in the past few months, you've probably seen videos of Bangladeshi youth dancing to the hookstep of 'Dushtu Kokil.' This trend has crossed borders and grabbed attention in Kolkata as well, where both celebrities and fans have embraced the song. 

"Many celebrities and popular figures in Kolkata made Instagram reels with the song. They really liked it. There's currently a lack of such commercial songs in Kolkata," he said.

Akassh gives significant credit to Bangladesh's leading actor Shakib Khan for advancing the film industry and acknowledges that he has ripped the rewards from Shakib's movies, as his compositions have been prominently featured in them.

"Whenever Shakib's name is involved, the entire crew gets recognition. After working on Toofan, I've done more interviews than ever before. I don't know what's changed personally, but being recognised by a lot of people is a great achievement for me," said Akassh.

Born in Berhampore, Murshidabad, Akassh moved to Mumbai at a young age to hone his musical skills. After studying music technology, he settled in Kolkata in 2006. Akassh entered the Dhallywood scene in 2014 with Ananta Jalil's 'Most Welcome 2.'

Following the release of 'Toofan' and the success of 'Dushtu Kokil,' Akassh visited Dhaka, where he recorded several tracks and performed in a couple of shows. 

He plans to return to Dhaka later this year to focus on future music projects.