Actor Farooque passes away

 
Legendary actor and parliamentary member Akbar Hossain Pathan, popularly known as Farooque, passed away on Monday. He was 75.

He breathed his last at 8:30 am while undergoing treatment in Singapore, Farooque's family confirmed.

Actor Farooque, who is also a freedom fighter, film producer and businessman, was undergoing treatment in Singapore for a long time. His body will be brought to Dhaka today.

He was elected MP from Dhaka-17 constituency in the last national election.

Farooque made his debut on the big screen in H Akbar's film "Jolchhobi." His performance in Lathiyal earned him the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1975.

He is known as 'Mia Bhai' to mass people. He appeared in over 150 films in a career spanning more than five decades. President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina mourned the demise of Farooque.

Farooque was the first awardee of the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film Lathial in 1975 which he declined. In addition, he was awarded the Bangladesh National Film Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2016. As one of the most dominant actors in the Bangladeshi movie scene during the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, Farooque is widely considered one of the greatest and influential actors in the history of Bangladeshi cinema. He is critically acclaimed as one of the finest actors of Bangladesh.

During Operation Searchlight, 25 March 1971, he participated in the first resistance of the liberation war in Malitola, Old Dhaka as second in command of their own guerrilla force commanded by 'Nader Gunda'.Later, Farooque succeeded as commander and continued the fighting.

Farooque was a ruling Awami League member of Parliament(MP) for Dhaka-17 since 2018 Bangladeshi general election.