Sadek Siddique: An actor, director and politician, all at the same time

Recently Sadek Siddique directed and starred in the movie 'Direct Attack', scheduled for release on 23 December. The film stars Amin Khan, Poppy, Emon and many others in leading roles. According to the director, despite the film's family-oriented storyline, it is primarily a story about a protest against injustice. 

"Out of all of my previous films, I have spent the longest directing this. If not for the Covid 19 pandemic, I would have released it earlier. The release date was pushed again because of the FIFA World Cup," he said. "This movie does not feature the conventional stories we see in commercial films. I hope the audience will like it." 

Sadek is a politician, an actor, a director, a producer, all at the same time. He has been pursuing politics and cultural activities since childhood. And he has found success in both. For a brief period in his life, Sadek served as a minister while he was at the peak of his career as an actor.  

The political landscape during the year 1990 was very tense in Bangladesh. The Anti-Ershad movement spread, and it spread quickly. Amidst all the chaos, Jatiya Party leader Sadek took oath to serve as Deputy Minister of Youth Ministry at the time. 

As soon as he took office, the Anti-Ershad movement escalated, which hindered Sadek from carrying out his official duties. But in that exact timeframe, he starred in the popular movie 'Badsha Bhai', directed by director Dara Shiko. 

"It was very dangerous to hang the national flag on my car at the time. Still, I acted in movies. The director created a special security zone at FDC for me. I shot continuously for a few days and completed the shooting of the movie," said Sadek.

Born in Kalihati, Tangail, Sadek's social, cultural and political activities all began from there. He studied at the Government Saadat College, and during the time gained popularity in politics associated with the Bangladesh Chhatra League. He later held important positions in the Jubo League. 

Sadek was also a freedom fighter during the Liberation War as a member of the Kaderia Bahini. He came to Dhaka after Bangladesh's independence with the aim of pursuing his dreams. 

Sadek enrolled in the Department of Social Welfare, Dhaka University, and also made connections in the entertainment industry. He began acting on stage and TV dramas, and also gained experience as an assistant to film directors. 

It was also around that time that he joined the Jatiya Party, formed by the then General Ershad, while also working as an assistant to director Chashi Nazrul Islam. Chashi was filming 'Devdas' when Sadek joined his crew. Filming a classic movie at the start of his career was a massive boost in morale. He went on to work as an assistant director in six movies with Chashi. 

Sadek directed his first film 'Sundari Beula', an adaptation of 'Jal Beshya', a novel by poet Al Mahmud. He garnered praise for making several more films in quick succession.

Apart from directing movies, Sadek has directed 187 dramas, 76 telefilms and five serial dramas. However, of late, he has been more inclined towards politics, serving as a presidium member of Jatiya Party. Sadek ran for office in the national elections twice before. He is preparing for the next parliamentary elections at present. 

"I think this is the last election in my political career. If nominated and elected, I will devote myself to public service as before," he said.