Prodyut Kumar Deka (born 18 April 1978) is an Indian writer, film and stage director, screenwriter and presently editor of Roopkar magazine based in

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 films include '' Dhunia Tirutabur'' (2009), '' Samiran Barua Ahi Ase'' (2012), ''

Surjasta ''Surjasta'' () is a 2013 Indian Assamese language, Assamese-language Fictional film, narrative feature film directed by Prodyut Kumar Deka. The story of the film was written by journalist Jitumani Bora and scripted by Chandan Sarma. It is based ...

'' (2013), and '' Borosi'' (2014). He turned to writing English fiction gradually from 2016 to 2017 with the anthropological Ambari Series based on the Ambari Archeological site in Guwahati. In 2025, to commemorate fifty years of publication of Roopkar, founded by his father late Pabitra Kumar Deka, the magazine was revived by Prodyut Kumar Deka, who announced it would be published annually as a Special issue.

Film and television

In 1989, he made his debut as a child actor in the TV film ''Dalal'', directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Bidyut Chakrabarty. He later appeared in television serials such as ''Deuta'' (1991), directed by renowned filmstar

Biju Phukan Biju Phukan (18 February 1947 – 22 November 2017) was an Assamese actor. He was born in Dibrugarh, India, where he studied in the Dibrugarh HS Kanoi College and Dibrugarh Govt boys' higher secondary school Dibrugarh. He appeared in more than ...

, and ''Aie Saharate'' (1992), directed by Prabin Hazarika. He made his debut as scriptwriter and director with the critically acclaimed Assamese film '' Dhunia Tirutabur'' (English: Beautiful Woman) in 2009, based on the disappearance of an artist. His next film, '' Samiran Barua Ahi Ase'' (English: Return of Samiran Barua), was based on a political subject and was released in 2012. He tentatively planned to direct a sequel of the movie, titled ''Samiran Baruah Aru Nahe'' but the plans were dropped for unstated reasons. His other films include ''

'' (English: A Sunset), a 2013 work on the subject of child negligence, the 2014 suspense drama '' Borosi'' (English: The Trap) and a 2016 television film, '' Dristi'' (The Vision), based on Rabindranath Tagore's story of the same name. ''

'' received nominations in the Best Actor Male and Female categories at the Filmfare Awards 2013 (East). Deka contributed to one segment (Ardhasatya) in the

anthology film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film or a portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of three or more shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme, premise ...

''Ji Golpor Sesh Nai''. A special screening of the film was held on 18 April 2019 and received favorable praise from the media. Presently he will be directing one segment (Paap) in the forthcoming anthology film ''Kahini Nohoi'' which will pay homage to the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock. His latest projects include ''Chiyahir Rong'', a 2021 film about newspaper houses in Assam, based on a story by journalist Jitumoni Bora, and ''The Government Servant'', a film set in Mayong and based on a story by Sahitya Akademi Award winner Jayant Madhab Bora. Both films were released online in the Reel Drama portal. He was co-scriptwriter of the films '' Orong'' (Strangers in the Mist) (2015) on child psychology and '' Rum Vodka Whiskey'' (2017), based on three unsuccessful love stories in different seasons. ''Orong'' won the National Award for Best Rabha film in 2015. He wrote the screenplay of the forthcoming film ''Smriti'', which is directed by Pankaj Kalita and is under production. He has made two short films based on essays by Assamese writer and journalist

Homen Borgohain Homen Borgohain (7 December 1932 – 12 May 2021) was an Assamese author and journalist. He was awarded the 1978 Sahitya Akademi Award in Assamese language for his novel ''Pita Putra''. He was also the President of Assam Sahitya Sabha from 2 ...

,''Why I write'' (2008) and ''A short film about Walking'' (2011), which were shown in various film festivals. He also made a 50-minute documentary, ''An Anti-insurgent Journey'', which depicts former Asam Sahitya Sabha Chief Kanaksen Deka and his stance against subversive activities of the outfit in the 1990s.

Theatre

He revived the theatre group Aikyatan in late 2010s, originally founded by his father Pabitra Kumar Deka in the early 1970s. With the group, he has directed plays such as ''Moni Kanchan'' (

Badal Sircar Sudhindra Sircar (15 July 1925 – 13 May 2011), also known as Badal Sarkar, was an influential Indian dramatist and theatre director, most known for his anti-establishment plays during the Naxalite movement in the 1970s and taking theatre out o ...

), '' Jonakor Pohar'' (English:The Rising of the Moon), '' The Game of Chess'', and '' 27 Gaari Kopah'' (English: 27 Wagons full of Cotton). Deka penned an Assamese translation of the play '' Eserenga Rod'' (English: A Sunny Morning), which was premiered in Natasurjya Drama Festival 2016 under the direction of Pranjal Saikia. Also associated with

Indian People's Theatre Association Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) is the oldest association of theatre-artists in India. IPTA was formed in 1943 during the British rule in India, and promoted themes related to the Indian freedom struggle. Its goal was to bring cultur ...

, Assam, he has directed '' Coffee Housot Apeksha'' (On the occasion of platinum jubilee) and the famous play

An Inspector Calls ''An Inspector Calls'' is a modern morality play and drawing room play written by English dramatist J. B. Priestley, first performed in the Soviet Union in 1945 and at the New Theatre in London the following year. It is one of Priestley's ...

in 2019 at Guwahati.

Writing

He writes on cinema in the local Assamese newspapers like ''Sadin'', ''

Asomiya Pratidin Asomiya Pratidin is an Assamese language, Assamese daily newspaper catering to all of Assam, with five editions published from Guwahati, Bongaigaon, Dibrugarh, and North Lakhimpur. The other periodical and magazines published under Pratidin gr ...

'', ''Agradoot'' and '' Asomiya Khobor''. He has published several books on cinema and television. His 2021 biography of actor

, ''Biju Phukan: A Life in Cinema'', won the ''Best Book on Cinema'' award in the Prag Cine Awards, 2022. He has also written a trilogy of anthropological novels based on the Ambari Archeological site which was discovered in

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 ...

in 1969. Presently, he edits the famous cultural magazine Roopkar published yearly.

Publications

Non-fiction

* , anthology of cinema essays * , anthology of cinema essays * , biography * , a history of television or

Doordarshan Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...

in Assam

Novels

Ambari trilogy * * * Translations * *

Personal life

Prodyut Kumar Deka was born in

, Assam. He is the younger son of writer and film critic Pabitra Kumar Deka and the grandson of Mahendra Nath Deka, a government officer and film distributor in the early 1970s. He has one elder brother Prantik Deka, a still photographer, film critic and producer of documentaries. Prodyut passed his graduation in Commerce in 2000 and completed Law in 2006 from

Gauhati University Gauhati University also known as GU, is a collegiate public state university located in Guwahati, Assam, India. It was established on 26 January 1948 under the provisions of an Act enacted by the Assam Legislative Assembly and is the oldest un ...

. He works as a Section Officer in the Assam Secretariat since 2010 and lives in Pub-Sarania, Guwahati, Assam (India). He is married to Pallabi Borah, who hails originally from Nagaon, and they have two sons, Nihaar Ranjan Deka and Ivan Deka. Prodyut and his family members run the NGO Pabitra Kumar Deka Archive, an archive of old Assamese film materials, in memory of his father. The archive has presented the Roopkar Award to one outstanding personality from stage, film and media annually since 2011.

Filmography

As producer/director

Stage drama

As director

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deka, Prodyut Kumar 1978 births Living people 21st-century Indian male writers 21st-century Indian non-fiction writers 21st-century Indian novelists Assamese-language film directors Assamese-language writers English-language writers from India Film directors from Assam Novelists from Assam Screenwriters from Assam Writers from Guwahati