Remembering Zahir Raihan: The visionary who immortalised Bangladesh's Liberation War on film

Today (19 August) marks the 90th birth anniversary of legendary filmmaker, writer and freedom fighter Zahir Raihan, best remembered for documenting the 1971 Liberation War on film. 

Born as Mohammad Zahirullah on 19 August 1935 in Majupur village of the then Feni mahakuma in Noakhali, Raihan began his education at Calcutta Alia Madrasah in India, where his father was a professor.

After Partition in 1947, his family returned to Feni, and three years later, he completed matriculation from Amirabad High School. That same year, he began working as a journalist for Juger Alo.

Although he briefly studied medicine after completing his intermediate from Dhaka College in 1953, he later pursued Bangla at Dhaka University, graduating with a BA in 1958. 

During this period, he wrote for several newspapers, including Khapchhara, Jantrik and Cinema, and became editor of Probaho in 1956. His first short story collection, Suryagrahan, was published in 1955. He was also one of the publishers of English Weekly Express.

Raihan went back to Calcutta (now Kolkata) and joined Pramatesh Burua Memorial Photography School in 1952 to learn photography. He entered the film industry in 1957 as an assistant director in 'Jago Huye Savera', later working with Salahuddin in 'Je Nodi Morupothay' and Ehtesham in 'Ei Desh Tomar Amar'. His directorial debut, 'Kokhono Asheni', came in 1961.

Raihan soon made cinematic history with 'Sangam' (1964), Pakistan's first colour film, and 'Bahana', the first cinemascope Urdu film. Over the next few years, he directed a string of acclaimed films, including 'Sonar Kajol' (1962, co-directed with Kalim Sharafi), 'Kancher Deyal' (1963), 'Behula' (1966), 'Anowara' (1966) and 'Agun Niye Khela' (1967). He also introduced future stars like Nayak Raj Razzak and Babita, and collaborated with Amjad Hossain and Khan Ataur Rahman.

Politically conscious, Raihan actively joined the 1952 Language Movement and the 1969 Mass Uprising. These struggles inspired his iconic film 'Jeebon Theke Neya' (1970), hailed as a milestone in Bangladeshi cinema and a pioneering example of "National Cinema" rooted in local identity.

During the Liberation War in 1971, Raihan worked on English documentaries, including 'Let There Be Light', which remained unfinished. After 25 March 1971, he went to Calcutta and made 'Stop Genocide', a documentary that exposed Pakistani atrocities. His film 'Jeebon Theke Neya' was also screened there to critical acclaim from Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen and Tapan Sinha. Despite financial struggles, he donated the proceeds to the Freedom Fighters Trust.

Beyond cinema, Raihan left a strong literary legacy with works such as 'Shesh Bikeler Meye', 'Arek Phalgun', 'Trishna', 'Borof Gola Nodi' and his most celebrated novel, 'Hajar Bochhor Dhore'.

Raihan had been married twice, to Sumita Devi in 1961 and Shuchonda in 1968, both popular film actresses. With Sumita, he had two sons, Bipul and Anol, and with Shuchonda, two more, Opu and Topu. 

On 30 January 1972, Raihan went missing while searching for his brother, Shahidullah Kaiser, a well-known writer who was abducted and killed by the Pakistani Army and its local collaborators. Raihan is believed to have been killed by armed Bihari collaborators and Pakistani forces near Mirpur.

For his outstanding contributions to film and literature, Raihan was honoured posthumously with the Bangla Academy Literary Award (1972), the Ekushey Padak (1977), the Independence Day Award (1992) and the Bangladesh National Film Awards (2005).