Bangladesh’s veteran silver screen actor Prabir Mitra, who breathed his last on Sunday night at a hospital in the capital, received the last farewell from his colleagues following proper Islamic rituals.
His first namaz-e-janaza was held at the capital’s FDC mosque after the Zuhr prayers, and after the second namaz-e-janaza at Channel i premises, the eminent actor was buried at the Azimpur Graveyard in the afternoon.
Many netizens wondered why the burial of the actor, titled ‘Mitra’, a Hindu name, has been performed in an Islamic manner.
According to his family and multiple other sources, Prabir Mitra was converted to Islam during the marriage. He named himself Imam Hasan.
Actor Subrata and Bangladesh Film Artists Association President Misha Sawdagar also clarified the matter to the media. Prabir Mitra’s son Sifat Islam, Mithun Mitra and daughter-in-law Sonia Islam also said that the veteran actor converted to Islam.
Actor Ilias Kanchan, after attending the eminent actor’s namaz-e-janaza, said: “Although he (Mitra) could not continue acting later in his life due to his physical condition, we learned that he remained a devoted Muslim and practised Islamic rituals properly.”
Earlier in an interview a couple of years ago, Prabir Mitra himself said: “I converted to Islam when married my wife (Ajanta Mitra, who passed away in 2000), became a Muslim. It was necessary to become a Muslim for that reason, and even though I follow Islam - humanity is above everything to me.”
Veteran actor Prabir Mitra passes away
Prabir Mitra was born on August 18, 1943, in Chandina, Cumilla to a Hindu Kayastha family. His father was Gopendra Nath Mitra and his mother was Amiyabala Mitra.
He was a permanent resident of old Dhaka for generations but later moved to the capital’s Dhanmondi. Growing up in old Dhaka, Prabir Mitra was involved in theatre from his school days. He gained fame by acting in Rabindranath Tagore's play 'Dakghar' during his school life.
Beginning in 1969 with the film "Jolchhobi" (released in 1971), Prabir Mitra achieved long-term success as a character actor, enthralling audiences with his nuance, adaptability, and natural ability to bring challenging roles to reality.
His last major role as a hero was in the film 'Rangin Nawab Sirajuddaula' but he focused on character actors rather than being a hero later in his career, and gained popularity among the audience.
Over a prolific career spanning four decades, he acted in over 400 films, including ‘Titash Ekti Nadir Naam’, ‘Fariyad’, ‘Joy Porajoy’ ‘Boro Bhalo Lok Chhilo’, ‘Jibon Trishna’, ‘Rokto Shopoth’, ‘Angar’, ‘Choritrohin’, ‘Madhumita’ and ‘Fakir Majnu Shah’, to mention a few.
For the film ‘Boro Bhalo Lok Chhilo’, he received the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. At the National Film Awards in 2018, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Outside of acting, Prabir Mitra was also a sportsman in his earlier days, as he played Dhaka First Division cricket in the sixties, first-division hockey for the fire service and also played second-division football.