B. H. Abdul Hameed

B. H. Abdul Hameed (, ; born 11 April 1949) is a Sri Lankan broadcaster, television presenter, radio announcer, lyricist, drama artist and actor. He made his mark and gained popularity by working as an anchor in Indian Tamil television reality shows. He was also dubbed as the voice of the Radio Ceylon mainly highlighting his fluency and pronunciation of Tamil language and wordings. During his career spanning over five decades as a broadcaster, he has frequently conducted interviews with celebrities.

Biography B. H. Abdul Hameed grew up in a difficult family background which encountered challenges pertaining to poverty. His mother was the breadwinner in the family as she supported the family by cooking and selling food in their locality. He pursued his primary education at Vipulanantha Tamil Maha Vidyalayam in Dematagoda. Since his early childhood days, he showed reluctance towards traditional studies, but he showed his passion and hunger for success by taking part in extracurricular activities in school. Although he was unpopular for his academic performance, he was appreciated by his teachers for showcasing his skills in speech, drama and acting abilities.

Many sources and publications apparently spread rumours and speculations stating Hameed along with his wife had been killed by a mob during the middle of the 1983 Black July anti-Tamil riots in Sri Lanka and such claims were eventually refuted and denied by Hameed himself. Upon hearing such claims, the then Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa, ordered and provided instructions to respective authorities to bring Hameed safely to the headquarters of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. He also made his entry into commercial broadcasting which was way more professional and he became an inevitable option when one of the senior broadcasters S. P. Mylvaganam was sent on a compulsory leave. Komaligal upon theatrical release across Sri Lanka opened to positive reception and became a commercial success at the box office. Hameed portrayed the role of a typical Brahmin iyer in Komaligal and the film itself was the remake of his own radio programme Komalihalin Kummalam. His radio program Komalihalin Kummalam was a sleeper hit among the general audience for the conversations appealing in line with the audience taste, but it also prompted controversies over allegedly mocking and insulting southern Muslims and their Southern language dialects during conversations. He has also been occasionally invited as a celebrity guest in Indian Tamil cinema functions and ceremonies.

He acted in Suryodayam (1999) which was initially titled by the filmmakers as Isaip Payanangal. He also closely worked with veteran Indian actor Kamal Haasan for the film Thenali (2000) directed by K. S. Ravikumar, where Hameed himself made a cameo appearance in a film sequence. It was Kamal Haasan who invited Hameed to assist him with the appropriate usage of the Jaffna Tamil dialogues and to make inroads with the correct usage of Jaffna Tamil dialects in order to sync with the plot of the film and to connect with the target audience. Hameed subsequently convinced Crazy Mohan to change certain dialogue deliveries to incorporate the Jaffna Tamil dialects and as a result, Crazy Mohan had to trim the dialogues which he wrote beforehand thinking that could well and truly set with the filmmaking. In May 2015, he also hosted the second edition of the Innisai Varpugal which was held at The Music Academy with the special collaborative efforts undertaken by The New Indian Express and Gala events. He was invited as a special guest for the freestyle round and devotional songs round during the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Seniors season 2 (2019) aired in Zee Tamil. He served as the honourable patron of the Sri Lankan Tamil-language film Komaali Kings (2018), which was a much anticipated Sri Lankan made Tamil film to release.

In 2022, he wrote and published his autobiography titled Vanalaikalil Oru Vazhippokkan (A Wayfarer on the Airwaves). Veteran Indian actor Kamal Haasan graced the book launch of Hameed's autobiography Vanalaikalil Oru Vazhippokkan at a grand function by showcasing it for public view. In 2023, he made a personal visit to Australia with the plan to launch his book Vanalaikalil Oru Vazhippokkan, and he visited to the three major cities in Australia including Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide to officially launch the book. In his book Vanalaikalil Oru Vazhippokkan, he recounted his personal memories and experiences which he witnessed in his five decades long career in broadcasting and media, highlighting the challenges and achievements which came on his way. His book also gives thought process into understanding the evolution of Tamil broadcasting. The book also consists of about 23 chapters dedicated to portraying the evolution of Tamil broadcasting which had its leaps and bounds while also acknowledging the contributions of B. H. Abdul Hameed's colleagues who have made an impact in the broadcasting industry.

Filmography Komaligal (1976) Suryodayam (1999) Thenali (2000) Kannathil Muthamittal (2002)