Next year will mark 53 years since celebrated Bangladeshi actor Alamgir first appeared on the silver screen. These days, he spends more time managing his business than acting, though he remains active in the film industry. His journey to becoming a leading man began in an unusual way — a film director discovered him not in a studio or audition, but at his own home.
This personal piece of history recently resurfaced when his daughter, singer Akhi Alamgir, shared an old photograph of their former family home on Tejgaon Station Road in a Facebook post, along with the story of how her father’s acting career began.
Alamgir made his film debut in Amar Jonmobhumi, a Liberation War–themed film directed by Alamgir Kumkum and released in 1973. The cast also included Razzak, Kobori, and Sumita Devi. Alamgir’s father, Kalim Uddin Ahmed — fondly known as Dudu Mia — had been one of the producers of Mukh O Mukhosh, the first Bangladeshi sound film. Over his career, Alamgir went on to win nine National Film Awards for acting — more than any other Bangladeshi actor — along with a Lifetime Achievement Award. As a director, he made his debut in 1986 with Nishpap and most recently directed Ekti Cinemar Golpo.
In her Facebook post, Akhi shared that their Tejgaon home was built in 1955 and carried deep sentimental value. “This L-shaped house on Tejgaon Station Road was my grandfather’s, and I lived there for many years after I was born. What you can see in the photo is only the front — the property stretched much farther back. In the evenings, the vast house could feel eerie, but it also holds memories of playing with my uncles, aunts, and cousins,” she wrote.
Now living in Uttara, while her father resides on Asad Avenue in Mohammadpur, Akhi recalled more childhood memories from the Tejgaon house. “We all grew up there. As a child, my grandfather’s bathroom bathtub was my favourite place to play. I never understood why another bathtub was abandoned under a tree in the backyard. We were told not to go up to the roof, but of course we went — until they scared us with ghost stories. My grandmother passed away in that house, long after my grandfather, whom I never met,” she wrote.
The house has since been demolished to make way for apartment buildings. Reflecting on this, Akhi shared, “This photo was taken before the demolition. Now, even with all the apartments, when I visit, it feels as though the old house’s air still brushes past me. I don’t have to search for the past — it finds me.”
She then revealed the moment her father was discovered. “Director Alamgir Kumkum came to rent part of our house. He noticed a handsome young man there — my father — and that’s how the legendary actor Alamgir was found. Later, Kumkum uncle gave me my name, Akhi.”
