Indra Bania (24 December 1942 – 25 March 2015) was an Indian theatre actor, playwright, film actor and director from

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

. His performance in

Jahnu Barua Jahnu Barua (born 1952) is an Indian film director. He has written and directed a number of Assamese language, Assamese and Hindi films. Some of his notable films are ''Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai'' (1987), ''Firingoti'' (1992), ''Xagoroloi B ...

's '' Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai'' earned him the Silver Leopard Best Actor's award at the

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...

. He was the recipient of the Natasurya Phani Sarma Award.

Biography

Early life

Bania was born at Dhalpur village in

North Lakhimpur North Lakhimpur ( ) is a city and a municipal board in Lakhimpur district in the Indian state of Assam, about northeast of Guwahati. It is the district headquarters of Lakhimpur district. North Lakhimpur is also the name of the subdivision o ...

on 24 December 1942 to an indigenous

Brittial Bania The Brittial Bania/Bania is an ethnic community in Assam, India. The group traces its roots to a merchant community who reached Assam (Kamarupa) in ancient times. Some historians claim that after the Austric group migrated to ancient Assam, the ne ...

(an indigenous Assamese community recognised as a Scheduled Caste). After completing his primary education, in 1958, he came to

Guwahati Guwahati () the largest city of the Indian state of Assam, and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the seat of the Government of Assam. Th ...

for higher education. While continuing his studies, he began his acting career as a stand up comedian. He started to earn a living through popular comedy shows on the stage, performing across Assam. After completing his education, he worked at Assam State Electricity Board until he retired in 2002.

Film and acting career

Bania has been a household name in Assam as well as

North East India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political administrative division of the country. It comprises eight states—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, M ...

in the field of drama since the 1960s. A regular artiste with

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

, Guwahati since 1964, he grabbed the limelight by playing the lead male role in the 1970s play, ''Gobardhan Charit''. He was known for his performance in All India Radio's play, ''Moinar Sangbad''. In 1988,

, the best-known filmmaker from Assam, chose Bania to play the lead role of Raseswar Bora in Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai. He narrowly missed the best actor's award in the national film festival, although, he was chosen for the Silver Leopard Best Actor's award at the prestigious Locarno Film Festival in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. The film won the

National Film Award for Best Feature Film The National Film Award for Best Feature Film is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in I ...

(Swarna Kamal) award in 1988. In 2007, he portrayed the protagonist in a short film, '' Freedom at the Edge''. The film was based on Machang Lalung, a native of

, who was imprisoned for 54 years without trial. The film bagged the Indie Spec Best Documentary Award at Boston International Film Festival in 2007. Bania had acted in more than 40 Assamese films in a screen career spanning over four decades. he had also directed a few award-winning films besides acting in films and TV serials. He was closely associated with Aikyatan, an amateur theatre group based in Guwahati.

Death

Bania died on Wednesday, 25 March 2015 at Hayat Hospital in Guwahati, Assam, aged 72, following a prolonged illness.Indra Bania laid to rest with full state honours
''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

''; accessed 1 April 2015.

Honors and awards

* Silver Leopard Best Actor's award in 1988 * Natasurya Phani Sarma Award in 2010

Filmography

* '' Aparoopa'' (অপৰূপা) (1982) * '' Agnisnaan'' (অগ্নিস্নান) (1985) * '' Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai'' (হালধীয়া চৰায়ে বাওধান খায়) (1987) * ''Haladhar'' (হলধৰ) (1992) * '' Daman'' (Hindi) (2001) * '' Freedom at the Edge'' (2007) * ''Aai Kot Nai'' (আই ক'ত নাই) (2008) * ''Aadalat'' (আদালত) * ''Srimati Mahimamoyee'' (শ্ৰীমতী মহিমাময়ী) * ''Apeksha'' (Hindi) * ''Sendur'' (সেন্দূৰ) * ''Puja'' (পূজা) * ''Suruj'' (সূৰুয) * ''Bohagor Duporia'' (ব’হাগৰ দুপৰীয়া) * ''Jetuki'' (জেতুকী) * ''Papori'' (পাপৰি) * ''Dhrubatara'' (ধ্ৰুৱতৰা) * ''Uttarkaal'' (উত্তৰকাল) * ''Ronga Modar'' (ৰঙা মদাৰ) * ''Mimangsha'' (মীমাংসা) * ''Urvashi'' (উৰ্বশী) * ''Jowane Amoni Kore'' (যৌৱনে আমনি কৰে) * ''Matshyagandha'' (মৎস্যগন্ধা) * ''Sesh Upahaar'' (শেষ উপহাৰ) * ''Koina Mur Dhunia'' (কইনা মোৰ ধুনীয়া) * ''Moromi Hobane Logori'' (মৰমী হ’বানে লগৰী) * ''Jangfai Jonak'' (জাংফাই জোনাক) * ''

Dhunia Tirutabur ''Dhunia Tirutabur'' is a 2009 Indian Assamese movie directed by Prodyut Kumar Deka and produced by Prodyut Kumar Deka & Pankaj Kalita under Arc Lights. Music was composed by Angarag Papon Mahanta. It was released on 9 January 2009 coincide wi ...

'' * '' Samiran Barua Ahi Ase''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bania, Indra 1942 births 2015 deaths Indian male stage actors Assamese-language writers Film directors from Assam Indian male film actors Assamese-language actors Assamese-language film directors Assamese actors Screenwriters from Assam 20th-century Indian male actors