Sohel Chowdhury (1963–1998)[1] was a Bangladeshi film actor during the 90s.

Sohel Chowdhury
সোহেল চৌধুরী
Born1963
Died18 December 1998(1998-12-18) (aged 34–35)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Cause of deathGunshot wound
NationalityBangladeshi
OccupationActor
Years active1984-1996
Spouse
(m. 1986; div. 1995)
ChildrenLamia Chowdhury (b.1987)
Dipta Chowdhury (b.1989)

Early life edit

Sohel was born in 1963 to Tarek Ahmed Chowdhury and Nurjahan Begum.[1] His ancestral home is in Habiganj District.[2]

Career edit

Sohel started his career in acting by winning the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation, talent hunt, Notun Mukher Sondhane, along with his future wife Parveen Sultana Diti. They acted together in Hiramoti which was an adaptation of a Punjabi story Heer-Ranjha. Sohel was moody, whose career was eclipsed by that of his wife, Diti, who had a more successful career. They also acted together in Chirodiner Sathi.[3]

Filmography edit

Year Films Director Note
1986 Parbot Debut films
1987 Lokkhi Bodhu Taher Chowdhury shot in Nepal
1987 Lady Smugglar Shamim Ara Urdu film
1988 Heeramoti Amjad Hossain
1989 Biroho Batha Chasi Nazrul Islam
1990 Danga Fasad Chasi Nazrul Islam
1994 Mohan Bondhu Mohammad Aslam
1995 Papi Shatru Kamruzzaman
1995 Priyo Shatru Fazal Ahmed Benazir

Personal life edit

In 1986, Chowdhury married actress Parveen Sultana Diti. They had won the Notun Mukher Sondhane, the talent contest of Bangladesh Film Development Corporation, in 1984 together.[3] They had two children, Lamia Chowdhury (b. 1987) and Dipta Chowdhury (b. 1989). In the mid 1990s, Sohel and Diti were separated.[3]

Death edit

On 18 December 1998, Chowdhury was shot dead in front of Trumps Club at Abedin Tower, Banani, Dhaka.[4] His brother, Touhidul Islam Chowdhury, filed a murder case at Gulshan Police Station.[4] In January 1999, businessman Aziz Mohammad Bhai and Afakul Islam (aka Bunti Islam), the club owner, and 3 others were arrested on suspicion of the homicide.[5][6][7]

In July 1999, Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch filed a chargesheet in court against nine individuals, Aziz Mohammad, Bunti Islam, Ashish Roy Chowdhury (also known as Botol Chowdhury),[8] Sanjidul Islam Emon, Adnan Siddiqui, Tariq Sayeed Mamun, Selim Khan, Harun Ur Rashid (also known as Leather Liton) and Farooq Abbasi.[9] According to the complaint, Sohel Chowdhury verbally abused Aziz Mohammad during an altercation over a supposed female friend at the club a few months prior. And this eventually led to the killing of Chowdhury as an act of revenge.[9] In October 2001, Dhaka's 3rd Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court framed charges against them.[10]

In 2004, following a petition filed by an accused, Adnan Siddiqui, the High Court stayed the trial proceedings but the order was vacated in 2015.[4][8]

In March 2008, Sanjidul Islam Emon admitted that members of his gang shot dead film actor Sohel Chowdhury although he was not present at the scene.[11]

On 14 February 2022, High Court directed to retrieve the missing documents regarding the case.[4] On 27 February, the stay on the trial proceedings was withdrawn by Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-2 and on 20 March, arrest warrants were issued against six individuals.[10] Ashish Roy Chowdhury was arrested on 5 April in Dhaka by Rapid Action Battalion while he was as trying to flee to Canada.[12][13][14]

As of April 2022, Aziz Mohammad, Bunty and Adnan live in Thailand, Canada and the United States respectively.[8] Tariq Sayeed Mamun, Leather Liton and Farooq Abbasi are in prison.[8] And Selim is in hiding.[8]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Maria, Santa (2015-12-19). "সোহেল চৌধুরী: অকালে নিভে যাওয়া তারা". bangla.bdnews24.com (in Bengali). Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  2. ^ "Sohel Chowdhury". The Daily Star. 2011-05-29. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  3. ^ a b c "Actress Diti loses battle with cancer". The Daily Star. 2016-03-21. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  4. ^ a b c d "Find out actor Sohel Chowdhury's missing murder case files: HC". The Daily Star. 2022-02-14. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  5. ^ "Bangladeshi businessman arrested". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  6. ^ "Bunty Islam arrested". The Daily Star. 1999-01-05. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  7. ^ "Sohel murder Residences of 3 more girls raided". The Daily Star. 1999-01-13. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Ashish, accomplices murdered actor Sohel Chowdhury to teach him a lesson, says RAB". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  9. ^ a b "No trial even 17 years after actor Sohel Chowdhury's murder". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  10. ^ a b "Arrest warrant issued against Aziz Mohammad Bhai, 2 others in Sohel Chowdhury murder case". The Daily Star. 2022-03-20. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  11. ^ "Emon admits involvement in 7 murders". The Daily Star. 2008-03-10. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  12. ^ "Actor Sohel Chowdhury murder: Accused Ashish was trying to flee to Canada". The Daily Star. 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  13. ^ "Actor Sohel Chowdhury murder: Tribunal asks IGP to produce evidence, case docket by April 17". The Daily Star. 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  14. ^ "Actor Sohel Chowdhury murder: Fugitive Ashish Roy Chowdhury arrested". The Daily Star. 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-04-07.

External links edit

Sohel Chowdhury at IMDb