DHAKA, Feb 18: Bangladesh’s leading director and producer Ehtesham, who shot to fame making commercially successful Urdu-language feature films, died in Dhaka at the weekend due to old age complications, family sources said.

A family member of the 75-year-old film maker said Ehtesham died in his sleep on Sunday.

Ehtesham is also credited with discovering many cinema talents, including Pakistan’s leading actor Nadeem, who later became his son-in-law marrying his only daughter.

Born as Abu Nur Muhammad Ehteshamul Haq in Dhaka in 1927, Ehtesham joined the local film industry in 1950 as a cinema distributor. Six years later he set up his own cinema production company and launched his first film “Ae Desh Tomar Amar” (This country is yours and mine).

His pioneering efforts led to the establishment of film studios and other technical facilities under the state-run Film Development Corporation in the capital city of the former eastern province of Pakistan.

The living legend of the Dhaka film industry Ehtesham drew countrywide attention in 1965 by making immensely successful Urdu-language entertainment movies in Dhaka.

After the emergence of Bangladesh in 1971, Ehtesham returned to making films in Bengali - the state language of the newborn country. By producing “Chadni” (Moonlight) in 1990, once again with new talents, he had set a new trend in making movies.—dpa