Amin Khan looks back on 33 years in Dhakai cinema
A young Amin Khan stepped onto a film set for the first time on December 24,1992. He arrived at the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (FDC) in a baby taxi, carrying little more than courage, confidence, and the hope of making it in cinema.
He could not have known then that the journey would span more than three decades and nearly 200 films.
His debut film, “Obujh Duti Mon”, was released on October 1, 1993, introducing Amin Khan to audiences as a new face in Dhakai cinema. The film went on to earn him immense popularity and marked the beginning of a career in which he would work with many of the industry’s leading actresses.
Thirty-three years later, the memories of those early days remain vivid for the actor.
“It has been 33 years since my first film was released. I still cannot believe how quickly time has passed! It feels like a dream. It makes me realise how helpless we are in the face of time,” Amin Khan told The Daily Star.
His first day of shooting was far less daunting than one might imagine. The scene, filmed at Chandrima Udyan, simply required him to walk in the early morning. He completed it in the very first take.
“I had my first shoot at Chandrima Udyan. The scene was completed in the very first take. It was a simple scene—I was walking early in the morning. The director deliberately started with an easy scene so that I could perform comfortably as well,” he recalled.
Soon, the nervous newcomer began to find his footing in an industry that would become his home.
“The first time I went to FDC, it was December. I went there in a baby taxi. I arrived with courage and confidence, and from then on, I became a part of the film industry. My love for cinema remains as strong as ever,” he said.
When “Obujh Duti Mon” finally reached cinemas, Amin Khan experienced the excitement of seeing his first film with an audience. On its opening day, he went to Sony Cinema Hall with his two friends, Maruf and Nadir, while his family and relatives watched the film at other theatres.
The sight that greeted him at Sony Cinema Hall remains one of his fondest memories.
“When we arrived at Sony Cinema Hall, I saw a huge crowd of viewers. I was amazed to see so many people there. It felt really good,” he said.
Watching that first show gave him something more valuable than excitement—it gave him confidence.
“After watching the first show, I felt a different kind of joy and affection. That was when I thought, ‘I can do this. I can make it.’ Within a week, audiences across the country showered the film with love. My name also began to spread, and that is how I became a hero of Dhakai cinema,” Amin Khan said.
But the making of a film career was not always glamorous. Among the many memories he has collected over the years, one from the hills of Sylhet stands out for the sheer physical hardship involved.
For a particular scene, Amin Khan had to be tied to the top of a hill. He remained there under the sun from around 10am until 4pm, while the rest of the crew went down for meals and spent their breaks chatting.
“It was difficult for me that day,” he recalled.
The director later told him that the ordeal had been intentional—not as punishment, but as a way of teaching the young actor to endure hardship.
“Later, the director told me that he had kept me under the sun all day so that I could learn to endure hardship,” he said.
From that first baby taxi ride to FDC to the crowds outside Sony Cinema Hall, Amin Khan’s early memories capture the uncertainty, excitement and determination of a young actor finding his place in Dhakai cinema.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Three decades later, he looks back not simply at the success that followed, but at the audiences who made it possible.
“Thirty-three years ago, the audience made me a hero by showering me with love. I am grateful to them,” he said.
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