Popular author and renowned screenwriter Nazim Ud Daula has announced that he is stepping away from professional scriptwriting, voicing deep frustration over the lack of credit, proper honorarium and respect for writers in Bangladesh’s entertainment industry.
In a Facebook post on Thursday followed by a conversation with UNB, Nazim shared his disillusionment, saying he no longer feels the satisfaction of being a creative writer, but rather the emptiness of becoming a “commissioned writer.”
He elaborated his decision, explaining that writers are routinely sidelined at award functions, overlooked by producers and directors, and ignored by the media. On his Facebook post, he stated that many production houses still owe him payments.
“Many times when I ask for my dues, they behave as if I am asking for a loan. Writers are treated as if our work doesn’t matter; even when my scripts are nominated for awards, I haven’t been invited to the events,” according to Nazim.
Nazim Ud Daula’s career trajectory reflects a deep passion for storytelling. A graduate of Dhaka University’s Marketing Department, he left behind opportunities abroad and a corporate career to pursue creative writing.
Beginning with advertising, he later transitioned to screenwriting, where his name became attached to a range of successful projects in cinema and web content. Over the past decade, he has written scripts for several notable films and OTT productions that resonated with audiences, while also building a readership through his short stories and novels.
His literary journey began with the thriller Incarceration, followed by popular novels such as Bloodstone, Mithya Tumi Dosh Pipra, Scarlet, Bridge Rokkhok, Mahajatra, Prohelika, Kuhelika, Jabonika, Sottyer Moto Bodmash and more.
In the world of cinema and OTT, Nazim has written screenplays for big-budget and widely discussed productions such as Shaan (2022), Damal (2022), Operation Sundarban (2022), Surongo (2023), the international spy thriller MR-9: Do or Die (2023), Insaaf (2025) and Neelchakra (2025). He is also the writer of the Hoichoi mystery series Buker Moddhye Agun and has credits in projects like The Dark Side of Dhaka and Shuklopokkho.
“Financially, I was not doing great, but I found peace in doing what I loved. That peace has now faded, because I realized I have been turned into a commissioned writer rather than a creative one,” he wrote in the post and also told UNB, stressing that in Bangladesh, “a writer here rarely gets proper credit, honor or fair payment.”
Nazim said he will finish the projects already committed to but will not take on new commissioned work. Instead, he has recently launched a startup and plans to focus on literature.
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“My readers should not be disappointed. I will continue to write stories and devote more time to literature,” he said, thanking his audience for their long-standing love and support.
Creative writers are not getting proper social recognition and financial comfort, and this has been impacting the overall entertainment industry in general, as per the industry experts and critics.