Celebrating Humayun Faridee

Humayun Faridee's name is bound to come up as one of the most powerful and intense actors in Bangladesh's history. He predominantly acted on stage, television and on the silver screen. He was also a master at recitations. Born in Narinda, Faridee was a restless child. He lived his childhood in different places of Bangladesh because his father had a job of transferable nature. It gave him the opportunity to interact with different people, which helped him become more articulate with communication. The post liberation war time engulfed him with depression, as he dropped out of his education life for five years after class twelve. According to him, he led a bohemian life during the gap, which gave him another opportunity to explore the world around him. Later on, he studied Economics at Jahangirnagar University. 

When Faridee was young, he once stole some money from his father's pocket and later on acted like he did not do it. In a television interview the actor recalled that incident as 'his first acting experience'. In an interview with Imdadul Haque Milon, Faridee revealed that his name was derived from his mother Begum Farida Islam. Even though he had seen different parts of the world, his heart always stayed in Bangladesh, so much so that when he traveled abroad, he carried green chilies in his pockets. The actor was no ordinary man. His confidence and his honest confessions created an unparalleled aura.

From Kan Kata Romzan to various other memorable roles, Faridee dominated the space he was in with his acting. His skill of improvisation sets him apart from other actors. The impulsive actor not only would improvise on spot but also throw challenges at his co-actors. Many remember him for the range of negative roles he brought to life, but Faridee played many positive characters as well.  He won the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actor for his lead role in film Matritto in 2004 and was awarded the Ekushey Padak posthumously in 2018 by the Government of Bangladesh.

He would have been 67 today. We lost this versatile actor too soon but quoting from Saviors of God, “The goal of ephemeral life is immortality.” Happy Birthday, Humayun Faridee!