Bhanumati Devi (15 May 1934 – 4 January 2013) was an Indian

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

who worked in the Odia film industry.

Early life

Devi was born in

British Burma British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...

on 15 May 1934. She moved to

Puri Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, with her Indian family following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Career

Devi began acting in the theater in 1942 when she was just seven years old. Some of her best reviewed stage roles were in ''Lakhye Hira'' and ''Napahu Rati Namaru Pati’''. Devi appeared at the

Annapurna Theatre Annapurna Theatre is the pioneer of Odia Theatre Company. Formation In 1933, Somnath Das formed Jayadurga Natya Mandali, an opera party in Khandualkote village in the undivided Puri district. A couple of years later, the organizers decided to ...

Cuttack Cuttack (, or officially Kataka in Odia language, Odia ), is the former capital, deputy capital and the 2nd largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. It is also the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised f ...

for more than forty years. She made her film debut in 1954 in '' Amari Gann Jhia'' when she was nineteen years old. She was especially active in the

Cinema of Odisha Odia cinema, also known as Ollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema, dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Odia language widely spoken in the state of Odisha. Odia Cinema is based in Cuttack in Odisha, India. The name Ollyw ...

during the 1950s and 1960s. Devi's was cast in a lead role in more than a dozen Indian films. Some of her most prominent roles include her character, Harabou, in the 1966

Odia film Odia cinema, also known as Ollywood, is the segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema, dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Odia language widely spoken in the state of Odisha. Odia Cinema is based in Cuttack in Odisha, Indi ...

, ''

Matira Manisha ''Matira Manisha'' (Man of the Soil) is a 1966 Odia film directed by Mrinal Sen. Based on the Kalindi Charan Panigrahi novel of the same name, the film contrasts traditional and modern values as exemplified by the different attitudes of two br ...

'', for which she won a

National Film Award The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...

. Her last film was '' Jaydeb'', which was released in 1986. Devi was awarded the

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

from the

Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English language, English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. It is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture (India) ...

in 1985. In 2005, she received the Jaydev Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Odisha State Film Awards. Bhanumati Devi died at her home on Red Cross Road in

, on 4 January 2013, at the age of 78.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Devi, Bhanumati 1934 births 2013 deaths People from Sittwe People from Puri Indian film actresses Indian stage actresses Actresses from Odisha Actresses in Odia cinema Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Burmese emigrants to India Burmese people of Indian descent 20th-century Indian actresses