| Himel Ashraf | |
| Birth Date: | 4 February 1987 |
| Birth Place: | Dhaka |
| Nationality: | Bangladeshi |
| Education: | |
| Occupation: | Director, producer, screenwriter |
| Years Active: | 2010–present |
| Known For: | Priyotoma (2023) |
Himel Ashraf is a Bangladeshi director, screenwriter and producer. Best known for his film Priyotoma (2023), which became the highest grossing Bangladeshi film of all time.[1]
Himel Ashraf was born on February 4, 1987, in Dhaka to Md. Siddiqur Rahman and Alfatun Nesa. He passed SSC from Angaria High School, Shariatpur in 2002 and HSC from St. Joseph Higher Secondary School, Dhaka in 2004. He completed his BBA from Stamford University Bangladesh in 2010. He currently resides in Manhattan, US. He studied digital film direction at the New York Film Academy.[2]
Ashraf began his directorial journey as an assistant director in collaboration with Mostofa Sarwar Farooki. In 2010, he began directing full-length Natok (dramas). Among his popular serials are Window, Chowdhury Villa and Goppo.[3] He started his journey as a director with the film Sultana Bibiana in 2017,[4] which received positive response from the audiences.[5] [6] Film critics and lyricist Zahid Akbar of The Daily Star praised his direction.[7] In another review in The Daily Star Amaira Amin criticized his direction, noted that, "The director Himel Ashraf is known for making TV series and the movie definitely felt like a series. However, it is also possible to get the impression that the director has made a full-fledged commercial film."[8] After a gap of 6 years, his second directorial venture Priyotoma was released in 2023 with Shakib Khan and Idhika Paul,[9] which grossed total worldwide, became the highest grossing Bangladeshi film of all time.[10] [11] Film critic Rahman Moti mentioned in Bangla Movie Database that director Himel Ashraf presented the film Priyotoma in a mixed presentation.[12] His third project is Arshad Adnan's Rajkumar, second collaboration with Shakib Khan, which is currently filming.[13] [14]
| 2017 | Sultana Bibiana | Debut film | [15] | ||||
| 2023 | Priyotoma | Highest grossing Bangladeshi film of all time | [16] | ||||
| 2024 | Rajkumar | [17] |