Diganto Samad wants to carry forward Tele Samad’s legacy through music

Diganto Samad is the son of the late Tele Samad, one of Bangladesh’s most loved comic actors, a performer whose face and performances remain part of the country’s film memory. So, it would have been easy to assume that Diganto would step into acting. However, his path took a different direction. He chose music.

For Diganto, this was not a sudden departure from family legacy but another way of staying connected to it.

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“My father was a multi-talented artist,” he shares, adding, “He acted, painted, and also did music. I feel proud that I can carry at least one side of his legacy.”

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A childhood shaped by music

Diganto’s formal relationship with music began early. He started training at the age of six, learning classical music and Nazrul Sangeet at home. That foundation gave him discipline before he entered the professional world.

When the time came to choose a career, the film industry was going through a difficult phase. According to Diganto, the environment at FDC did not feel encouraging at the time, and his father was not very interested in seeing him pursue acting.

“Because of the overall situation of the film industry at that time, my father preferred that I pursue music,” he recalls.

That advice mattered. It did not push him away from the arts, but toward a different branch of it. As he grew older, Diganto moved from classical and Nazrul training into modern songs, band music, and eventually the underground music scene.

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Melody before genre

Ask Diganto what kind of music he connects with most, and he does not give a narrow answer. Rock and pop-rock are close to him, but he does not want to be boxed into one category.

“Music has no boundaries,” he states. “Personally, my favourites are rock and pop-rock. I used to listen to a lot of pop, and Michael Jackson was a huge favourite of mine. I actually started listening to English tracks through his songs.”

What matters to him most is melody. Whether it is pop, rock, metal, or film music, he says a song must carry a strong tune for him to feel attached to it. This explains the direction he seems to be taking now. His work may shift between band music and playback, but he wants the song's emotional centre to remain clear.

Entering playback by rebuilding from scratch

Diganto recently stepped into playback singing through films, including Rockstar and Malik. The opportunities came in unexpected ways, especially after a frustrating setback.

“I began messaging music directors and producers I knew,” he explains. “I told them I am a musician, described my voice texture, and asked them to let me know if there were any opportunities.”

One of those messages reached Jahid Nirob. After hearing Diganto’s vocals through covers and reels on his new profile, Nirob invited him to the studio. There, Diganto contributed backing vocals to three songs for Rockstar: “Amake Uriye Dao,” “Bhalobasha Dish, Bhalobasha Nish,” and “Amake Niye Jao.”

Another opportunity arrived even more casually. During a visit to Adit Rahman’s Fatman Headquarters, he was asked to record a few lines.

“I didn’t even know what it was for,” he shares. “Later, I found out I had sung the title track for Malik.”

For Diganto, these moments are reminders that career shifts do not always arrive through formal announcements. Sometimes, a conversation in a studio is enough.

“You never know how opportunities come,” he says. “I spent many years in the underground music scene, and now I want to work in the mainstream. This was a big opportunity for me.”

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Building his own recognition

Being the son of Tele Samad brings both affection and comparison, but Diganto does not resist the association.

“I don’t want my father’s name to die out,” he affirms. At the same time, he feels his father’s contribution to Bangladeshi entertainment deserved greater national recognition, even posthumously.

Diganto’s path is still forming, but the direction is clear. He is not trying to escape his father’s shadow, nor is he trying to live entirely inside it. Instead, he is building a career where both truths can exist.

He is Tele Samad’s son. He is also Diganto Samad, the singer. And if recognition comes one day, he already knows where it will go.

“If I ever win an award,” he elaborates, “I will always dedicate it to him.”

Photo: Courtesy