Humayun Azad was a Bangladeshi poet, novelist, short-story writer, critic, linguist, columnist and professor of Dhaka University. He wrote more than 70 titles. He was awarded the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1986 for his contributions to Bengali linguistics. In 2012, the government of Bangladesh honored him with Ekushey Padak posthumously for his contributions to Bengali literature.
Humayun Ahmed was a Bangladeshi novelist, dramatist, screenwriter, filmmaker, songwriter, scholar, and academic. His breakthrough was his debut novel Nondito Noroke published in 1972. He wrote over 200 fiction and non-fiction books. He was one of the most popular authors and filmmakers in post-independence Bangladesh. Pakistani English newspaper Dawn referred to him as the cultural legend of Bangladesh.
Muhammed Zafar Iqbal is a Bangladeshi science fiction author, physicist, academic, activist, former professor of computer science and engineering, and former head of the department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST). He achieved his PhD from University of Washington. After working 18 years as a scientist at California Institute of Technology and Bell Communications Research, he returned to Bangladesh and joined Shahjalal University of Science and Technology as a professor of Computer Science and Engineering. He retired from his teaching profession in October 2018.
The Bangla Academy is the official regulatory body of the Bengali language in Bangladesh. It is an autonomous institution funded by the Government of Bangladesh that fosters the Bengali language, literature and culture, works to develop and implement national language policy and conducts original research in Bengali. Established in 1955, it is located in the Burdwan House in Shahbagh, Dhaka, within the grounds of the University of Dhaka and Suhrawardy Udyan. The Bangla Academy hosts the annual Ekushey Book Fair.
Muhammad Shahidullah was a Bengali linguist, philologist, educationist, and writer.
The Daily Prothom Alo is a Bengali-language daily newspaper in Bangladesh, published from Dhaka. It is one of the largest circulated newspaper in Bangladesh. According to the National Media Survey of 2018, conducted by Kantar MRB Bangladesh, Prothom Alo has a daily readership of more than 6.6 million online. According to Alexa Internet, an American web traffic analysis company, the online portal of Prothom Alo is the most visited Bengali website in the world.
Bande Ali Mia was a Bangladeshi poet, lyricist, novelist, dramatist, essayist, children’s writer and journalist. He was awarded the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1962 and Ekushey Padak in 1988.
Rabeya Khatun was a Bangladeshi novelist. She wrote over 50 novels and more than 400 short stories. Her works also include essays, research, religious history and travelogues. She was awarded Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1973, Ekushey Padak in 1993 and Independence Day Award in 2017 by the Government of Bangladesh.
Ahmed Sofa was a Bangladeshi writer, thinker, novelist, poet, philosopher and public intellectual. Sofa is considered by many, including National Professor Abdur Razzaq and Salimullah Khan, to be the most important Bengali Muslim writer after Mir Mosharraf Hossain and Kazi Nazrul Islam. A writer by occupation, Sofa wrote 18 non-fiction books, 8 novels, 4 collections of poems, 2 collections of short stories, and several books in other genres.
Ferdous Ahmed is a Bangladeshi film actor, producer, and politician. He served as an MP representing the Dhaka-10 constituency.
Suchinta Chowdhury Chanchal, better known as Chanchal Chowdhury, , is a Bangladeshi actor. He gained recognition with television roles in late 2000s, and went on to become one of the most popular leading men of Bangla cinema in the following decade. He is the recipient of several accolades, including three National Film Awards and seven Meril Prothom Alo Awards.
Masud Rana, better known by the stage name Shakib Khan, is a Bangladeshi actor, producer, businessman, occasional singer, film organiser, and media personality who works in Bengali films. He is widely regarded as one of the most popular and influential figures in Bengali cinema with his career spanning about two decades and 250 films. Khan has been the propeller of the contemporary film industry, Dhallywood and is one of the highest paid actor in Bangladesh and West Bengal. He did his debut in 1999 in action romantic Ananta Bhalobasha, and is one of the most successful actors in Bengali cinema.
Sadik Mohammed Symon, popularly known as Symon Sadik, is a Bangladeshi film actor, assistant director, lyricist, model and politician. His films are predominantly in Dhallywood cinema. He made his debut in as a lead role in the Bangladeshi film Ji Hujur (2012) and he won Bioscope Borsho-Sera Awards for Best acting in Poramon (2013). He also won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actor for his role in the film Jannat (2018).
Mahfuz Ahmed is a Bangladeshi television and film actor. He is also a television presenter, model and television producer. He won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actor twice for his roles in Laal Sobuj (2005) and Zero Degree (2015).
Amitabh Reza Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi filmmaker. In his career, he has directed nearly fifteen hundred (1500) television commercials. Amitabh has also directed a few television films to critical acclaim. He founded the production house 'half stop down', which mainly produces TVCs. Amitabh's directorial debut in theatrical feature film is Aynabaji which was released on 30 September 2016.
Ek Cup Cha (Bengali: এক কাপ চা) is a 2014 Bangladeshi romantic film directed by Noyeem Imtiaz Neyamul. It stars Ferdous Ahmed and Moushumi in the central roles, alongside Omar Sani, Rituparna Sengupta, father and daughter duo Alamgir and Akhi Alamgir, and Humayun Faridi. It was Faridi's final film, he died before it was released.
Meher Afroz Shaon is a Bangladeshi actress, director, Dancer and playback singer. She won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for her performance in the film Krishnopokkho (2016). She was the wife of writer and director Humayun Ahmed.
Abul Kashem Fazlul Haq is a Bangladeshi writer, essayist, translator, critic, columnist and activist. He is a former professor of Bengali language and literature at the University of Dhaka. He is the convener of Rashtrabhasha Bangla Rokkha Komiti. He received Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1981. On 27 October 2024 the Interim government has appointed Abul Kashem Fazlul Haq as the new president of Bangla Academy.
Makid Haider was a Bangladeshi writer, poet and recipient of the Bangla Academy Literary Award.
