Goutam Koiri: A poet at heart

Goutam Koiri was accepted at Rajshahi University's department of public administration for his undergraduate studies, but he chose not to attend. He felt his calling was elsewhere and so he waited. It was not an easy choice to make.

Eventually, he was accepted into the Jahangirnagar University Department of Drama and Theater Studies. He was relieved. He wrote his first book of poetry, 'Opor Prishthay Droshtobbo,' during his second year of studies, which caught legendary playwright Selim Al Deen's attention. The realm of ideas started to open up after that. 

Goutam began developing skills in acting, drama writing, and directing. He began his professional career as a director. In the early days, he himself wrote the scripts of the plays he directed. Dramas he directed first started airing on television in 2011.

"I actually wanted to be a poet. The thought, still, has not left my mind. But since I have gotten accustomed to it, I got more interested in directing. I enjoy working in this field. Whatever happens, I will never distance myself from writing."

Goutam was born in Muktagacha, Mymensingh and got involved in writing when he was merely a schoolkid. He excelled in writing poems and short stories even before graduating from higher secondary school. 

He used to visit the popular writers and poets whenever they visited from the capital. When he graduated high school he moved to Dhaka to pursue higher education.

Early in his career, he primarily made single-episode dramas. "Kagoj er Camera," a drama he directed at the time, aired on Maasranga TV. It had a significant impact on the theater community and Goutam Koiri has drawn widespread attention ever since. He eventually moved to making drama serials.

The popular drama serial 'Apoorba' was his first foray in the longer format, which led to many other drama serials subsequently, including 'Five Female Friends,' which was broadcast on Gazi TV. The show dominated the viewership charts. Since the advent of OTT, he has embraced this new platform as well.

'Ke', directed by Goutam, was released on Bioscope recently. 'Ke' marked the return of popular duo Tauquir Ahmed and Zahid Hasan on screen. The series has been getting good responses from the audience. He also directed another web film on Chorki named 'Antanagar'.

"At present, audiences are more drawn to OTT, so I am also trying to pay more attention to this platform. On top of that, the investments being made into the platform give us more latitude. I get to execute my plans to my satisfaction. The number of OTT channels are also increasing at a rapid pace. I am hopeful of working on some good content in the future."

He created a 30-minute short film with financing from the Ministry of Culture, Bangamata, based on Sheikh Fazilatunnessa Mujib. It will soon be shown at all Shilpakala Academy auditoriums across all districts. He received the Charuniram Kahinichitra Award in 2018 for a drama he directed, 'Sheshta Ektu Onnorokom.' In the future, he intends to make this into a feature-length film.