Chanchal Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi actor. He is known for his work in Bangladeshi films and television drama serials. He is a recipient of two Bangladesh National Film Awards for Best Actor and three Meril Prothom Alo Awards for Best Actor.
Wiki/Biography
Chanchal Chowdhury was born as Suchinta Chowdhury Chanchal on Tuesday, 1 June 1971 (age 52 years; as of 2023) in village Kamarhaat, district Pabna, Bangladesh. He did his schooling at Udaypur High School in 1990. He did his bachelor’s degree at Rajbari Govt. College, Rajbari in 1992. In 1993, he moved to Dhaka to pursue a Fine Arts course at the University of Dhaka.
Chanchal Chowdhury in his youth
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 11″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
He belongs to a Bangladeshi Hindu family.
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Radha Gobinda Chowdhury; he was a retired headmaster of a school. He died in December 2022. His mother’s name is Sharmila Chowdhury.
Chanchal Chowdhury with his parents
He has five sisters and two brothers.
Chanchal Chowdhury with his sisters
Chanchal Chowdhury with his brothers
Wife & Children
He got married to Santwana Saha in 2006. The couple has a son named
Chanchal Chowdhury with his wife and son
Religion
He follows Hinduism.
Career
Theatre
Before entering the television and film industry, Chowdhury worked in theatrical productions. In 1998, he played the significant role of Laley in the play ‘Shangkranti,’ produced by Arannyak Natyodol Production. In 2003, Chowdhury performed in the play ‘Che’er Cycle,’ produced by Bengali Theatre Production. The actor played the role of Shubhro in the play and considered it to be one of his best performances on the stage. Some other notable stage plays performed by Chanchal Chowdhury include ‘Prakritojoner Kotha’ (1999), ‘Ora Kodom Ali’ (2000), ‘Mayur Singhason’ (2003), ‘Joyjoyonti’ (2004), and ‘Rarang’ (2004).
Chanchal Chowdhury during a stage play
Television
Chanchal Chowdhury made his television debut with the television series ‘Shilalipi’ (2004). In 2005, he played the role of Bulbul in the television series ‘Talpatar Shepai.’ His performance as Fiza in the television show ‘Vober Hat’ (2006), on Channel i, received immense appreciation from the audience.
Chanchal Chowdhury (left) in a still from the TV show ‘Vober Hat’
In 2009, he appeared in the television show ‘Sakin Sarisuri,’ in which he played the role of Japan Doctor. The show was broadcasted on Channel i. In 2014, he played the role of Arif in the television series ‘Ujan Ganger Naiya,’ which was broadcasted by BBC Media Action (BBCMA) Bangladesh, on channel B TV. The show shed light on the adverse consequences of early marriages and underage pregnancy.
Poster of the TV show ‘Ujan Ganger Naiya’
He has acted in various television shows including ‘Tiner Tolowar’ (2005), ‘Potro Mitali’ (2008), ‘Pattri Chai’ (2009), ‘Idiots’ (2012), ‘Shohorali’ (2019), and ‘Shonda Panda’ (2023).
Film
Chanchal Chowdhury made his film debut with the Bangladeshi film ‘Rupkothar Golpo: A Fairy Tale’ in 2006. In 2009, he appeared in the Bangladeshi Bengali film ‘Monpura’ in which he played the lead role of Shonai. The film was remade in 2010 in Indian Bengali under the title ‘Achin Pakhi.’
Poster of the film ‘Monpura’
In 2010, he appeared in the Indo-Bangladeshi Bengali musical drama film ‘Moner Manush.’ It was a biographical film, based on the life and philosophy of Lalon, a 19th-century Bengali spiritual leader, poet, and folk singer. He played a double role in the Bangladeshi film ‘Aynabaji’ (2016).
Poster of the film ‘Aynabaji’
In 2018, he played the role of Misir Ali in the Bangladeshi film ‘Debi.’ The film was based on the novel of the same name, written by Humayun Ahmed. His performance as Chan Majhi in the film ‘Hawa’ (2022) received immense appreciation from the audience. In 2023, he portrayed the Indian film director and screenwriter in the Indian Bengali film ‘Padatik.’
Web Series
In 2019, Chanchal Chowdhury played the role of Mirza in the Bengali web series ‘Neel Dorja,’ which premiered on the Bangladeshi OTT platform Bioscope. He played the titular role in the web series ‘Taqdeer’ (2020), streamed on Hoichoi.
Poster of the web series ‘Taqdeer’
In 2021, he appeared in the Bengali web series ‘Contract’ in which he played the role of Black Ronju. The web series was available for streaming on the OTT platform ZEE5. His performance as David in the web series ‘Karagar’ received critical acclamation from the audience. The web series premiered on Hoichoi.
Poster of the web series ‘Karagar’
He has acted in a few more web series such as ‘Unoloukik’ (2021) on Chorki, ‘Dark Room’ (2021) on Cinematic, ‘Ladies & Gentlemen’ (2021) on ZEE5, ‘Pett Kata Shaw’ (2022) on Chorki, and ‘Overtrump’ (2023) on Chorki.
Awards
- Meril-Prothom Alo award in ‘The Best Model – Men’ category for the advertisement of Grameenphone telecommunication in 2005
- Meril-Prothom Alo Award for the Best Model for an advertisement in 2006
- National Film Award for Best Actor for the film ‘Monpura’ in 2009
- Meril Prothom Alo Award for Public Choice Best Actor (Film) for the film ‘Monpura’ in 2009
- Meril Prothom Alo Award for Critics Choice Best Actor (TV) in 2010
- Meril Prothom Alo Award for Critics Choice Best Actor (Film) for the film ‘Aynabaji’ in 2016
- National Film Award for Best Actor for the film ‘Aynabaji’ in 2016
- Meril Prothom Alo Award for Critics Choice Best Actor (Film) for the film ‘Debi’ in 2018
- Hoichoi Award for Breakthrough Performance of the Year for the films ‘Taqdeer’ and ‘Boli’ in 2021
- Blender’s Choice–The Daily Star Award for the Best Male Actor (popular category) for the film ‘Taqdeer’ in 2021
Facts/Trivia
- Chanchal’s parents wanted him to become an engineer, but he had a deep passion for art and culture which led him to become an actor.
- While studying in the third year of his college, he joined the theatre group ‘Aronyak,’ founded by the popular Bangladeshi actor and filmmaker Mamunur Rashid. He worked there for almost 10 years.
- He played the role of a protagonist for the first time in the drama Grash, directed by Faridur Rahman.
- Apart from being an actor, he has also worked as a lecturer of Fine Arts at the University Of Development Alternative (UODA) in Bangladesh.
- He started working for television in 2004 after he was introduced to the filmmakers Gias Uddin Selim and Mostofa Sarwar Farooki for an advertisement by the popular Bangladeshi actor Fazlur Rahman Babu. He also sang the jingle for the advertisement. Later, he won Meril-Prothom Alo Award for the Best Model for this advertisement in 2006. In an interview, he talked about this and said,
One day Mostafa Sarwar Farooki asked me to meet him. He explained the script for the advertisement to me and I soon agreed as I felt that I could realise the emotion in the script.
- Chowdhury gained recognition after he appeared in a television commercial for the Bangladeshi telecommunication company Grameenphone.
- In 2021, he was trolled on social media after he posted a picture with his mother on the occasion of Mother’s Day. The actor was trolled by a group of religious zealots when they noticed the customary sindur on his mother’s forehead, which indicated his Hindu faith. In response, Chanchal chose to share poetry promoting unity and understanding among different faiths, encouraging everyone to respect and embrace each other’s beliefs.
- He loves to eat Fish-vegetable-potato with rice.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
