[3] In 2023 he performed in Priyotoma, which is the highest grossing Bangladesh film of all time.
Hayat won Bangladesh National Film Awards eight times - Best Story for Dayi Ke (1987), Best Dialogue and Best Screenplay for Traash (1992), Best Story for Chandabaz (1993), Best Director and Best Screenplay for Desh Premik (1994), Best Cinematography for Ammajan (1999), and Best Director for Itihas (2002).
[6] In 2014, he released Shorbonasha Yabaa starring Kazi Maruf and Prosun Azad.
[7] In 2020, he directed political action film Bir, which marked as the 50th directorial venture of him and first collaboration with Shakib Khan as a director.
[8][9] In 2023, he played Shakib Khan's father in Himel Ashraf's tragic romance Priyotoma, which became the highest grossing Bangladeshi film of all time.