A poster artist of the golden era

There was a time when flamboyant and colourful acrylic posters featuring animated figure paintings of renowned film stars used to be adorned outside cinema halls and their premises to lure audiences in. Artists worked day and night to create unique South-Asian art styles for film stars like Kabori and Raj Razzak, all the way to Jashim and Manna.

One of the more prominent poster artists of that golden era, 69-year-old Mohammad Shoaib -- lovingly known as "Ustad Shoaib" -- passed away on Sunday. It was revealed that even in his last moments, he had been painting.

Confirming the incident, filmmaker Hridi Huq said, "Shoaib bhai suddenly fainted while painting. He was promptly taken to a hospital, where the on-duty doctor declared him dead. The cause of his death is yet to be determined."

Mohammad Shoaib was born in 1955. He lived in Mohammadpur's Adabar with his two children. After his wife's passing, his children took care of him.

Following the partition in 1947, the trend of making murals in films began when artists from India came to this country. This type of artwork has been prevalent in the country from the 1950s to the mid-2000s. At that time, Mohammad Shoaib gained recognition by painting banners nationwide.

The artist began painting posters at the young age of 15. His passion swiftly evolved into a career, leading him to create numerous film posters.

Mohammad Shoaib began painting posters at 15. His passion evolved into a career, leading him to create numerous film posters.

Hridi Huq revived the age-old tradition by bringing in Mohammad Shoaib for her directorial venture, "1971 Shei Shob Din". Mohammad Shoaib had painted a 20-foot banner that was unveiled on the birthday of Hridi's father, Dr Enamul Haque, last year.

During that occasion, the artist had mentioned to The Daily Star that he couldn't believe he got the opportunity to paint a poster again after nearly two decades.

"From Razzak-Kabori to Farooque-Babita, I have drawn banners for all superstars throughout the years. All of them told me that they loved it. However, sadly no one hand-paints posters or banners anymore. Everybody looks for a faster way to get their poster, through digital print. Nobody cares about the love and dedication, which we put into our work," Mohammad Shoaib had said.