Surja Bala Hijam (9 Jun 1991,

Imphal Imphal (; , ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (officially known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the former Kingdom of Manipur, surrounded by a ...

) better known as Bala Hijam ( Meitei pronunciation: /ba-lā hī-jam/) is an Indian actress, who predominantly appears in Manipuri films. She is known for her roles in ''Boong'', '' Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi,'' '' Yaiskulgee Pakhang Angaoba'', ''Manipur Express'', '' Sanagi Tangbal'', ''Amukta Ani'' and '' Inamma''.

Career

Bala Hijam made her debut at the age of 15 in

Oken Amakcham Oken Amakcham is an Indian film director, music director and actor who works in Manipuri films. He started his career in theatre and performing arts. He is a recipient of the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Manipuri for the movie ...

's '' Tellangga Mamei'', through the reference of the cinematographer of the movie

Irom Maipak Irom Maipak (20 August 1967 – 20 May 2021) was an Indian cinematographer from Imphal, Manipur. He was the founding president of the All Manipur Cinematographers Association. Maipak had worked for more than three decades in Films and Televisio ...

. She started shooting for her

Hindi film Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and " Hollywood". The industry, producing films in t ...

debut ''Zindagi on the Rocks'', but was left incomplete due to some issues. Her notable role after her first film was in

Romi Meitei Romi Meitei is an Indian film director, screenwriter and lyricist who works in Manipuri films. He is a recipient of several awards at film festivals organized in India and abroad, including a National Film Awards, National Film Award. ''Angan ...

's '' Khangdreda Nongdamba'', where she played a supporting role alongside Kamala Saikhom. ''Panthungee Wangmada'', directed by Yoimayai Mongsaba and produced under the banner Fly High Films was her first film in a leading role. Among her popular films, '' Yaiskulgee Pakhang Angaoba'', ''Manipur Express'', ''Meerang Mahum'', '' Amukta Ani'', '' Delhi Mellei'', '' Sanagi Tangbal'' and '' Thabaton 2'' may be mentioned. She played the role of a differently-abled lady in the movie '' Tamoyaigee Ebecha''. In 2018, she appeared in an educational film '' Who Said Boys Can't Wear Makeup?''. She also featured in the short film '' Lembi Leima'' directed by Mayank Pratap Singh in 2022. In 2024, she played the role of Mandakini in '' Boong'', an internationally acclaimed film that had its world premiere at the

2024 Toronto International Film Festival The 49th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 5–15, 2024. The festival opened with David Gordon Green's film ''Nutcrackers (film), Nutcrackers'', and closed with Rebel Wilson's directorial debut film ''The Deb (fil ...

. Her performance as Mandakini was recognized by ''Screen Echoes Manipur'' as one of the Best 8 Performances in Manipuri Cinema In the Last Decade.

Accolades

Bala Hijam was honoured with different titles at several film awards and festivals.

Selected filmography

References

External links

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Bala Hijam
a
KLMDb
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hijam, Bala Living people 1992 births Meitei people Indian film actresses People from Imphal West district Actresses from Manipur Actresses in Meitei cinema Actresses in Malayalam cinema 21st-century Indian actresses