Renowned actor and director Abul Hayat was honored with the Suresh Datta Sammanana 2025, and veteran makeup artist Shamsul Islam Shamsu received the Bangojeet Datta Sammanana 2025 at a ceremony held Saturday at the Studio Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
The event, which commemorates the 25th death anniversary of the late makeup artist Bangojeet Datta, features a multi-part program including a makeup workshop, an award ceremony, and a performance of 鈥淯ttaran鈥� staged by Vivekananda Theatre.
The programme was patronised by the Theatre Designers Institute and supported by Natyam Repertory, Vivekananda Theatre, and Meghdoot Natyasampraday while it was organized by the Bangojeet Datta Prayan Dibas Udjapan Parsad.
The ceremony, chaired by Shuvashih Dutta Tanmoy, convener of the Udjapan Parsad, included veteran actress Lucky Enam and theatre activist Debprashad Debnath among its attendees.
Abul Hayat noted his collaboration with makeup artists Suresh Datta, Bangojeet Datta, and Shuvashih Dutta, highlighting their family鈥檚 multi-decade involvement in cultural activities.
Shuvashih Dutta Tanmoy stated that Bangojeet Datta was their inspiration and driven by this, they organized annual workshops aimed at motivating aspiring makeup artists in the country, addressing the need for skilled professionals within the theatre and film industries.
Born into a culturally vibrant family at Thatari Bazaar in Dhaka on 4 September 1938, Bangojeet Datta was immersed in the arts from a young age. His father, Suresh Datta, worked as both a theatre activist and a make-up artist, and his sister, Gita Datta, was a prominent actress of the era.
He pursued makeup as a profession, working as a makeup artist in numerous plays starting in 1972. His work as a makeup artist included notable productions such as
Kanjush, Dewan Gajir Kissa, Galileo, and Iblis, among many others.
Bangojeet Datta was honored with several accolades for his contributions to the nation鈥檚 theatre scene, including the Natyachakra Award, Loknatyadal Award, Bohurupi Award, Chaturanga Award, Nagarik Natya Sampradaya Award, and Dhaka Drama Award, among others.
Bangojeet Datta died on 1November 2000.
