Theatre icon Ataur Rahman dies at 84 in Dhaka

Actor, director and cultural icon Ataur Rahman, a recipient of the Independence Award and Ekushey Padak for his theater work, has died.

He passed away in the wee hours of Tuesday while undergoing treatment at Popular Medical College Hospital in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi. He was 84.

Rashed Mamun Apu, general secretary of Actors Equity Bangladesh, said Ataur died around 12:30am at the hospital, adding that cultural activists began arriving soon after hearing the news.

He had been admitted on Friday in a critical condition and was later placed on life support.

“His final wish was to receive homage at the Central Shaheed Minar. We will try to get permission in the morning,” Apu said.

He added that funeral prayers and other arrangements would be decided by the family later.

Ataur is survived by a son and a daughter.

Born on Jun 18, 1941 in Noakhali, he was a leading figure in Bangladesh’s post-independence theatre movement, working across acting, stage direction, and writing.

He received the Ekushey Padak in 2001 and the Independence Award in 2021 for his contributions to theatre.