A walk down the memory lane enamul haque reminisces old times

Veteran actor Enamul Haque has been a part of the arts and entertainment industry for over five decades, working in television, films, theatre as well as radio.  He earned his PhD degree from the University of Manchester in 1976 in the field of synthetic organic chemistry. In 2012, Haque, who is also a retired professor at the Department of Chemistry at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, earned the esteemed Ekushey Padak for his career. However, such accomplishments have not slowed him down, as he continues to be a busy actor and a regular favourite on the screen. In a recent interview with The Daily Star, the artiste looks back on his life.

Haque, who was born in Feni, lost his mother at the tender age of one and was brought up by his paternal aunt, whom he addressed as his 'maa.'

He studied at Bindu Basini Govt Boys' High School in Tangail, where he has fond childhood memories of bonding with his family and watching films. 

“My uncle was a policeman.  He got hold of a notorious robber called Himu and shot him on the leg,” asserts Haque. “He brought Himu to Tangail afterwards. We all went together to see the criminal.” Haque also resided in Chaadpur for a while and enjoyed his journeys by trains to different places from there. 

He further talked about his student life. “I really admired my English teacher, Alam sir. Once, my friend, Motaher, could not answer a question that Alam sir had asked us during his lecture. I could answer it, so, Alam sir made me punish my friend by pulling his ears,” laughs Haque.”  Motaher was quite angry with me because of that.”

He studied at Notre Dame College in Dhaka, where he lived with his paternal uncle. He enjoyed travelling to college on foot and on his bicycle from time to time.  “I loved going to Shabistan and Rang Mahal to watch films with my friends,” he says. “In particular, we watched films of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen, as well as Hindi films.”

Haque completed his bachelor's and master's in Chemistry from The University of Dhaka. He took part in several theatrical productions, including Rabindranath Tagore's Raktakarabi in 1965, as well as the student politics of the university during his time there.