Chanchal Chowdhury

Suchinta Chowdhury Chanchal (born June 1, 1974), better known as Chanchal Chowdhury (, ), is a Bangladeshi actor. He gained recognition with television roles in late 2000s, and went on to become one of the most popular leading men of Bangla cinema in the following decade. His father, Radha Gobinda Chowdhury (died 2022) was a teacher, while mother Nomita is a housewife. Chowdhury passed his SSC examination from Rajbari Government High School in 1990 and HSC examination from Rajbari Government College in 1992. In the same year he got admission in the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Dhaka and gradually developed an interest in acting.

Born as Suchinta Chowdhury Chanchal, he uses "Chanchal Chowdhury" as his screen name.

Career Early work: stage and television (1996–2004) Chowdhury joined Aranyak Nattyadal, a theater group headed by actor Mamunur Rashid, in 1996. Chowdhury made his theatre debut with Kalo Daitya, His first leading role came the same year in the drama Grash, directed by Faridur Rahman. A starring role in the drama Vober Hat (2007) brought him further popularity, and he then went on to work with directors Salauddin Lavlu and Saidul Anam Tutul. Chowdhury in 2011. He worked prolifically in television during this time. Chowdhury's first film was the Tauquir Ahmed-directorial Rupkothar Golpo (2006), which earned him a Meril Prothom Alo award in Best Actor (Critics' Choice) category. In 2012, he appeared in Farooki's film Television, and also made his debut in playback singing, alongside Meher Afroz Shaon, in the war film Pita (2012).

Continued success (2016–22) The 2016 crime thriller Aynabaji, directed by Amitabh Reza, won Chowdhury his second National Film Award. The psychological thriller Debi (2018) starred Chowdhury as Misir Ali opposite Jaya Ahsan, directed by Anam Biswas. Based on Humayun Ahmed's novel of the same name, the film was well-received by critics and became a box-office success. In 2019, Chowdhury starred in a regular television series titled Kaaler Jatra that aired on BTV. Written by Mamunur Rashid, it saw Chowdhury playing the leader of a struggling theatre troupe. The next year in December, he re-performed his play Che'r Cycle on stage. The 2020 thriller series Taqdeer, directed by Syed Ahmed Shawki and starring Chowdhury in the titular role, was well-received by audience. The streaming channel Hoichoi's subscriptions reportedly doubled after its release. His acting in Taqdeer won him a Blender's Choice – The Daily Star Award for best male performance. The same year, he also won the Breakthrough Performance of the Year award at the 2021 Hoichoi ceremony, for his work in Taqdeer and Boli—a web series in which he starred that year.

Previously having collaborated on Aynabaji, Chowdhury and director Amitabh Reza reunited in the Chorki web-film Munshigiri (2021). and the former won a Best Actor (Critics' Choice) trophy at Meril Prothom Alo award ceremony.

Chowdhury refers to the role of a mysterious, dumb-mute convict in Karagar (2022) as the most challenging one of his career. Further acclaim came for Chowdhury as Chan Majhi in Mejbaur Rahman Sumon's directorial debut, Hawa (2022). Among numerous accolades, he won his third National Film Award for this performance. Commercially, Hawa was a domestic blockbuster, and also attracted an audience in Kolkata and USA. and was also shortlisted for 80th Golden Globe Awards. In December 2022, Chowdhury made a comeback on stage with a supporting role in Rarang, a play based on the life of Alfred Soren.

Chowdhury's performance in Karagar led to his casting as Mrinal Sen in Srijit Mukherji's biographical film, Padatik. Padatik opened to generally favourable reviews in August 2024, and so did the actor's work. Saptorshi Roy of Anandabazar Patrika particularly noted Chowdhury for adapting Sen's mannerisms accurately. Suparna Majumder of Sangbad Pratidin similarly praised Chowdhury, but criticised his inconsistent makeup.

In 2025, Chowdhury played himself in two of the year's most successful productions: Tanim Noor's Utshob and Sanjoy Somadder's Insaaf.

Personal life

Chowdhury met his wife Shanta, a physician by profession, in 2005. They got married legally on August 7, 2007, and then had a Hindu wedding ceremony on August 22. Shanta gave birth to their son, Shaishob Rudra Shudda, in 2009.

Shudda joined the entertainment industry in 2022 playing a minor character in the drama Sushil Family. He subsequently appeared alongside his father in the drama Iti Tomar Ami and the web-film The Last Defenders of Monogamy (both 2024).

Public image and other work

Writing for The Daily Star, Shah Alam Shazu comments that Chowdhury's performance in Aynabaji (2016) "propelled him as everyone's favourite actor", while his portrayal of Misir Ali in Debi (2018) "made him synonymous to the role for the current generation of Misir Ali fans". while Syed Ahmed Shawki, who directed him in Karagar, named Chowdhury as "one of the finest actors of this time". In national media outlets, Chowdhury is often described as one of the highly acclaimed and successful actors of Bangla cinema. Four films starring ChowdhuryMonpura (2009), Aynabaji (2016), Debi (2018) and Hawa (2022)rank among the highest-grossing Bangladeshi films, and the latter two also are top-grossing Bangladeshi films in the international market. Agnideb Bandyopadhyay of The Telegraph credits the actor as the foremost propeller of Bengali media into the global scene, noting, "There is a new dimension to Chanchal Chowdhury that is unlocked with every project that he embarks on, where his fandom knows no borders or lines." A writer for The Business Standard praises the actor's quality-over-quantity approach, contrasting it with his contemporaries who "are more worried about how they measure up to Shah Rukh Khan and Tom Cruise".

Chowdhury is a celebrity endorser of multiple brands, including Bashundhra Tissue and Chik herbal hair color. In 2016, Chowdhury and actress Nusrat Imrose Tisha became ambassadors for mobile phone service company Robi Axiata Limited, for a period of two years. He and Tisha are also part of the Ritu project that aims at spreading public health awareness on menstruation, and he is associated with Bashundhra's campaign on improving public perception of autistic people. In August 2022, Chowdhury became the ambassador of Shikhbo, Jitbo, an educational startup aiming to enrich learning experience for students.

Works

Films

Television

Theatre Year Title Role Notes 1996 Kalo Daitya Arannyak Natyodol Production 1998 Shangkranti Laley Arannyak Natyodol Production 1999 Prakritojoner Kotha Arannyak Natyodol Production 2000 Ora Kodom Ali Arannyak Natyodol Production2003 Mayur Singhason Arannyak Natyodol Production Songkranti Arannyak Natyodol Production Che'r Cycle Shubra Bengali Theatre Production; re-performed in 2020 2020 Taqdeer Taqdeer Syed Ahmed Shawki Hoichoi 2021 Contact Black Ronju Tanim Noor and Krishnendu Chattopadhyay ZEE5 Unoloukik Psychologist Robiul Alam Robi Chorki Episode: "Mrs. Prohelika" Dark Room Pablo / Iftekhar Amin Golam Sohrab Dodul Cinematic Ladies & Gentlemen Special Appearance Mostofa Sarwar Farooki ZEE5 Boli Sohrab Company Shankha Dasgupta Hoichoi Jaago Bahey Illyas Siddiq Ahmed ChorkiEpisode: "Shobder Khwoab"2022 Pett Kata Shaw Mahmud Nuhash Humayun Episode: "Misti Kichu" Karagar David Syed Ahmed Shawki Hoichoi 2023 Overtrump Selim Bashar Georgis Chorki 2024 Rumi Rumi Vicky Zahed Hoichoi 2024 Kalpurush Salzar Rahman 2025 Feu Sunil Sukorno Sahed Dhiman Chorki

Accolades As of 2024, Chowdhury is the recipient of multiple accolades, including three National Film Awards for Best Actor and seven Meril Prothom Alo awards: two for Best Actor, four for Best Actor (Critics' Choice) and one for Best Model (Male). Year Awards Category Work Results Ref.2006 Meril Prothom Alo Awards Best Model (male) Maa 2010 Meril Prothom Alo Awards Best Actor (Critics' Choice) Moner Manush 2016 Meril Prothom Alo Awards Best Actor (Critics' Choice) Aynabaji 2016 National Film Awards Best Actor Aynabaji 2021Hoichoi Awards Breakthrough Performance of the Year Taqdeer and Boli Meril Prothom Alo awards Best Actor (Critics' Choice) Dui Diner Duniya

Footnotes