Sheikh Arif Bulbon :
Shankar Shawjal is an actor, playwright, play director and photographer at a time. During childhood, this out of publicity talented
person got inspiration about secular mindset from his school teacher Momin Uddin Master and canvasser Hakim Shikder (later Shankar Shawjal knew that he was a communist).
Shankar Shawjal passed his school life in Pirojpur district. Later, after passing few days of taking admission to the Faculty of Fine Arts of University of Dhaka, Charukala, he left study there. Once he attached himself with Udichi Shilpi Gosthi. Due to mismatch with them about staging theatre play, he left Udichi and formed a new theatre group titled Karok Natya Sampradaya where his wife Rumana Rahman, Jami-Rumi, Zahir, Putu, Alam, among others also joined. During the movement against Ershad’s rules, this theatre group first staged the street drama during that time.
‘Moharajar Anuprobesh,’ ‘Tiya Pakhir Somachar,’ ‘Amra Tomader Bhulbona,’ ‘Circus Circus,’ ‘Jago Lokkho Nur Hossain’ with martyred Nur Hossain. This theatre group’s only staged drama was Shankar Shawjal scripted and directed ‘Nirbashon Dondo.’ During that time this drama came into discussion among the theatre-lovers. Till now this drama has been staged 40 times, according to Shankar Shawjal. The actor also acted in a pivotal role in this play.
While talking with this noted actor and director, Shankar Shawjal told this correspondent that he had planned to stage the play ‘Nirbashon Dondo’ before starting corona pandemic. Due to pandemic, its stage was stopped at the middle stage. “Very soon this play will be staged. Now preparation for staging the play is going on,” said the actor.
In television drama, Shankar Shawjal was first seen in Humayun Ahmed’s two-episode drama titled ‘Kushum.’ Later, he was also seen to act in Kazi Nazrul Islam’s ‘Mrittyukhudha,’ Selina Hossain’s ‘Aporadh,’ Syed Shamsul Haque’s ‘Kobi,’ and many more dramas.
In Mamunur Rashid’s drama ‘Swapner Shohor,’ he played in role of a baul singer. In his voice, viewers first heard Rudra Mohammad Shahidullah’s most popular song titled Bhalo Achhi Bhalo Theko on the television screen. He also performed as a model in an awareness creating TVC, directed by Afzal Hossain, against Raatkana (night-blindness) of children. Jingle of this TVC titled Rog balayto achhe duniyay, Bhalo thakar achhe je upay in his voice became popular among the people’s mouths. While reaching into present stage of his life, Shankar Shawjal said, “I never work before thinking to get something. People love me – it’s a great achievement in my life. I want to do those works till my death which I did previous times. I want to do these without thinking anything.”
Shankar Shawjal is hailed from Mathbaria of Pirojpur. His birthday is on June 2. He has son Angon and daughter Jukta. Since 1965 camera was his only media to pass times. He believes camera always keeps him alive however.
