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

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

. His performance in

Jahnu Barua Jahnu Barua (born 1952) is an Indian film director. He has written and directed a number of Assamese and Hindi films. Some of his notable films are '' Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai'' (1987), '' Firingoti'' (1992), ''Xagoroloi Bohu Door'' (1995) ...

's ''

Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai ''Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai'' ( Assamese: ''হালধীয়া চৰায়ে বাওধান খায়'', English subtitle: ''The Catastrophe'') is a 1987 Indian Assamese-language film made by director Jahnu Barua. It won t ...

'' earned him the Silver Leopard Best Actor's award at the

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, sh ...

. 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 of L ...

on 24 December 1942 to an indigenous Brittial Bania (an indigenous Assamese community recognised as a Scheduled Caste). After completing his primary education, in 1958, he came to

Guwahati Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest 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 ...

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 , native_name_lang = mni , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , motto = , image_map = Northeast india.png , ...

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

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...

, 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

. 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 ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. The film won the

National Film Award for Best Feature Film The National Award for Best Feature Film is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India. It is one of sev ...

(Swarna Kamal) award in 1988. In 2007, he portrayed the protagonist in a short film, ''

Freedom at the Edge ''Freedom at the Edge'' is an Assamese language short film by Aneisha Sharma based on a real-life story. Synopsis The story is about a youth named Machal Lalung from Middle Assam, who was charged and imprisoned in various Indian jails without t ...

''. 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'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

''; accessed 1 April 2015.

Honors and awards

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

Filmography

* ''

Aparoopa ''Aparoopa'' is a 1982 Indian Assamese language drama film directed by Jahnu Barua. It is the first feature film of the director and also the first Assamese film produced by National Film Development Corporation of India. It stars Biju Phukan, ...

'' (অপৰূপা) (1982) * ''

Agnisnaan Agnisnaan is a 1985 Indian Assamese language drama film directed by Bhabendra Nath Saikia. The film is based on Saikia's novel titled ''Antareep''. The film starred Indra Bania, Kashmiri Saikia Baruah, Chetana Das, Ashok Deka, Moloya Goswami, A ...

'' (অগ্নিস্নান) (1985) * ''

'' (হালধীয়া চৰায়ে বাওধান খায়) (1987) * ''Haladhar'' (হলধৰ) (1992) * '' Daman'' (Hindi) (2001) * ''

'' (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. It receiv ...

'' * ''

Samiran Barua Ahi Ase ''Samiran Barua Ahi Ase'' is a 2012 Indian Assamese-language political film directed by Prodyut Kumar Deka and produced by Deka and Mrinal Das under Arc Lights. It is based on a story by journalist Manoj Kumar Goswami. The music was composed by ...

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 20th-century Indian film directors