Mrs. Wahida Mollick
Actress, Director, Associate Professor

Mrs. Wahida Mollick, an associate professor at the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies of Dhaka University, joined as a lecturer in 1990 while a subsidiary course on theatre and music started in 1989. That is, she has been working since the establishment of the department (1994). Prior to this, she was a part-time teacher in the Department of Drama and Dramatics at Jahangirnagar University in 1989. She was the chairman of the department from 2000 to 2003. She completed her Honors and Masters Degree in ‘Social Work’ from Rajshahi University and another Masters Degree in Drama from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. Ten of her research papers have been published in various important research journals in Bangladesh. Mrs. Wahida Mollick and Shahman Moishan jointly written a notable research book named Poshak Porikalpanar Nandan-Bikkhan (Aesthetic Philosophy of Costume Design). She has also published numerous research and critical articles on art, literature and film in various national dailies, weekly, fortnightly and half-yearly journals.

She taught Natyashastra and Sanskrit Drama, Oriental and Western based vocal acting, costume design, advanced acting practice and also theoretical and practical lessons on drama production, planning, directing at departmental, national and international level. In addition to her academic lectures, she has played a significant role in the theatre community by regularly participating in drama education, conducting workshops and presenting seminar papers in various universities, institutions and organizations. For example, in 2000, under the academic exchange agreement between King Alfred College of the United Kingdom and the Department of Theatre and Music of Dhaka University, to participate in the Theatre for Development (TfD) and its practical application in the field. Participation in a seminar on 'Human Rights' held in Chiang Mai (Thailand) in 2002. He also worked as the Chief Instructor in a number of workshops on Natyashastra and Sanskrit Drama, Costume Design, Voice Acting and Theatre Production organized by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Besides, she worked as the Chief Instructor in a number of workshops at National Institute of Mass-Communication, Bangladesh Film and Television Institute, Dhaka University Television, Film and Photography Department, Rajshahi University Drama Department, Chittagong University Drama Department, Charunidam School of Acting, Gana Sahajya Sangstha, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi and the other organizations.

Since 1975, Mrs. Wahida Mollick has been working relentlessly on theatre direction and stage design. She started her acting career in the traditional cultural sphere of the family holding the hand of his father, the renowned and ingenious theatre personality Master Tafazzal Hossain. She regularly performed in various plays at the ‘Theatre Workshop’, Kolkata based theatre troupe, for four years. Besides, she worked with some of the prominent theatre personalities of the subcontinent like Utpal Dutta, Badal Sarkar, Kumar Roy, Manoj Mitra, and Ashok Mukherjee. She has been involved in drama production and acting in association with various theater groups and organizations. Such as- Stage One Dhaka, Reach Mix Cultural Foundation England, Theatre Workshop Kolkata, Rajshahi Cultural Association, Natyachakra are notable. Her notable acted plays are: Bikkhubdho Otit Ebong Nazrul, Bella Obellar Golpo, Dibaratri, Lathi, May Dibosher Goplo, Muktadhara, Hasya Lasya and Bhasya, Sararattir, Pragoitihashik, Manabkantha, Janak, Suchana, Goodnight Maa, and Setalar Daya.

She worked with Badal Sarkar's Shatabdi Natyadal on Third Theatre for about two years. In 1991, Mrs. Wahida Mollick and Rahmat Ali established the first professional theatre troupe in Bangladesh called Drishyakavya. She directed the team's first production Sararattir. Notable among her directed plays on stage are Madhyam Bayogand, Urubhangam, Goodnight Ma. Through this research-based production, for the first time in Bangladesh, she directed the play according to the appropriate script of the acting method, stage and costume described in the Natyashastra.The indigenous theatre production Mahua is another impeccable creation by her. On the stage, she designed the costumes of more than fifty plays including A Doll’s House, Behular Bhasan, Macbeth, Three Sisters, Shong Bhong Chong, Uruvhangam, Madhyam Bayog, Hamlet, Basanta Jagran, Chaka, Dakshina Sundari, Bohni Bisarjan Bo-Dwip, Suchana and Raspuran. In addition to teaching, Mrs. Wahida Mollick has been performing and designing costumes for the last four decades in Bangladesh on stage, radio, television, advertising and film. Apart from stage theatre, she has designed costumes for various important full-length and short films, television dramas and advertisements in Bangladesh. Such as- Adhiyar, Mrittikamaya, Mollabarir Bou, Gaheen Baluchar, Ranger Manush, Smritir Alpana Anki, Tebhaga series are notable. Produced by Asiatic Marketing Communication Limited and funded by USAID, she designed costumes of Sisimpur, and it is the Bangladeshi version of Sesame Street, the famous entertainment and educational program for children in New York, USA. Besides, she has been responsible for the overall costume designing of the National Inauguration Ceremony of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman which was organized by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

She has been regularly acting in dramas and films on various national and international government and private television channels since 1986. She has acted in about three hundred and fifty television dramas. Her acted television serial dramas and telefilms are: Ranger Manush, Doll’s House, Bhaber Haat, Sedin Chaitramas, Gahine, Satkahan, Mone Mone, Beej Mantra, Aynal Laskar, Pap Punya, Aboha, Sukher Nangar, Di-Chakrayan etc. Notable films she has acted in are: Adhiyar, Lalon, Jibandhuli, Amar Bandhu Rashed, Mrittika Maya, Krishnapaksh, Dub Santar, Abujh Bou. Her notable international films and serials are: Mayar Janjal, a joint production of India and Bangladesh, and Ujan Ganger Naiya, drama a series funded by the BBC World Service. Mrs. Wahida Mollick has been working as a regular voice actor in Bangladesh Radio since 1967. Notable among his radio dramas are: Lajja, Irsha, Bishorjon, Nichu-Tolar Manush, etc. Apart from Bangladesh Radio, he also gave voice in various advertisements and in documentaries. Her notable contribution to the field of voice acting is her contribution to the Bangladeshi edition of Meena, a cartoon on the development of women education in South Asia.

In 2013, she won the National Film Award for Best Costume Design for the film 'Mrittika Maya'. She has also won many awards for his participation and special contribution in the drama and film industry. Notable awards she has received are: Bangladesh Chalocchitra Sangbadik Samiti Award-2003, Best Character Actress (Drama Series), Bangladesh Chalocchitra Sangbadik Samiti Award-1999, Best Actress (Antagonist Actress), Star Award’2017, RTV Best Actress (Series), Fulkali Award -2001, Best TV Actress, Bangladesh ‘Mahila Parishad Award’ in 2009 for her contribution to acting. She has served as a member of the Bangladesh Film Censor Board, Meril Prothom Alo, a member of the Bangladesh Short Film Grants Committee and a member of the jury of the RTV Star Awards. She was the program maker and policy maker of the Bangladesh Institute of Theatre Arts (BITA).

Mrs. Wahida Mollick, a renowned theatre academician and actress of Bangladesh, has been making continuous contribution in Bangladesh and internationally through her tireless efforts and relentless work and participation.