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Prodyut Kumar Deka

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Prodyut Kumar Deka
Born (1978-04-18) 18 April 1978 (age 46)
Occupation(s)Film director, author
Notable workDhunia Tirutabur
Samiran Barua Ahi Ase
Surjasta
Borosi

Prodyut Kumar Deka (born 18 April 1978) is an Indian film and stage director, screenwriter and author based in Assam. His films include Dhunia Tirutabur (2009), Samiran Barua Ahi Ase (2012), Surjasta (2013), and Borosi (2014).

He turned to writing English fiction gradually from 2016-17 with the anthropological Ambari Series based on the Ambari Archeological site in Guwahati.[1]

Film and television

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He made his debut as scriptwriter and director with the critically acclaimed Assamese film Dhunia Tirutabur (English: Beautiful Woman), based on the 2010 disappearance of an artist. [2] His next film, Samiran Barua Ahi Ase (English: Return of Samiran Barua), was based on a political subject and was released in 2012.[3][4] He tentatively planned to direct a sequel of the movie, titled Samiran Baruah Aru Nahe but the plans were dropped for unstated reasons.[citation needed]

His other films include Surjasta (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. Surjasta received nominations in the Best Actor Male and Female categories at the Filmfare Awards 2013 (East).[5][6][7][8][9] Deka contributed to the 2019 anthology film Ji Golpor Sesh Nai.[10][11][12] A special screening of the film was held on 18 April 2019 and received favorable praise from the media.[13] [14][15][16]

His latest projects include Chiyahir Rong, a 2021 film about newspaper houses in Assam, based on a story by journalist Jitumoni Bora,[17] and The Government Servant, a film set in Mayong and based on a story by Sahitya Akademi Award winner Jayant Madhab Bora. The film was also released online in Reel Drama portal in 2023.[18][19][20]

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.[21][22] He wrote the screenplay of the forthcoming film Smriti, which is directed by Pankaj Kalita and is under production.[citation needed]

He has made two short films based on essays by Assamese writer and journalist Homen Borgohain,Why I write (2008) and A short film about Walking (2011), which were shown in various film festivals.[23] [24] 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.[25]

Theatre

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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), 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.[26][27][28]

Also associated with Indian People's Theatre Association, Assam, he has directed Coffee Housot Apeksha (On the occasion of platinum jubilee) [29][30] and the famous play An Inspector Calls in 2019 at Guwahati. [31] [32]

Writing

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He writes on cinema in the local Assamese newspapers like Sadin, Asomiya Pratidin, and Asomiya Khobor. He has published several books on cinema and television. His 2021 biography of actor Biju Phukan, 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 in 1969.

Publications

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Non-fiction

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  • Amar Kotha Teolokor Kotha (in Assamese). Guwahati: Arclights. 2014., anthology of cinema essays
  • Cinema Suwar Ananda (in Assamese). Guwahati: Arclights. 2017., anthology of cinema essays[33][34][35]
  • Biju Phukan: A Life in Cinema. Guwahati: Assam Publishing Company. 2021., biography
  • Doordarshanor Dinbur (in Assamese). Guwahati: Asom Prakashan Parishad. 2023., a history of television or Doordarshan in Assam

Novels

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Ambari trilogy

  • Ambari. Delhi: Educreation Publishing. 2017.[36][37]
  • Prophecy of Ambari. Delhi: Educreation Publishing. 2018.
  • A Monk in Ambari. Delhi: Educreation Publishing. 2020.

Translations

  • Chandler, Raymond (2023). The Big Sleep (in Assamese). Guwahati: Roopkar Prakashan.
  • Datta, Utpal (2024). The Last Signature of Mozart. UD Foundation.

Personal life

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Prodyut Kumar Deka was born in Guwahati, 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. 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

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As producer/director

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Year Title English Title Genre Awards/Festivals
2002 Hatura The Monkeys Paw Tele play/Doordarshan Kendra
2003 Abartan 5 Episode/Doordarshan Kendra
2006 Murder TV series/NE TV
2008 Mayajal 5 Episode/Doordarshan Kendra
2008 Shanti Tirtha 5 Episode/Doordarshan Kendra
2008 Why I Write Short film Hyderabad film festival, Mumbai International film festival, North East Film Festival, Twilight Film Festival, New Delhi
2009 Dhunia Tirutabur Beautiful Women Feature Best Director, Editor and Make up Award in Assam State Film Festival, 2010
2010 Cinema Cinema TV series/NE TV
2010 Pas Porichalokor Pasta Kahini 5 Short films/Rong TV
2011 A Short film about Walking Short film Dhaka International film festival
2011 Samiran Barua Ahi Ase Return of Samiran Barua Feature 12th Kolkata International film festival, 2012
2012 Eta Nikhut Hatya 5 Episode/Doordarshan Kendra
2013 Surjasta A Sunset Feature Nomination in Best Actor Male and Female category in Filmfare Awards 2013 (East)
2014 An Anti-Insurgent Journey Documentary 3rd Bangalore Short Film Festival, Indian Cine Film Festival, 2014, Mumbai
2014 Borosi The Trap Feature 5th Dada Saheb Film Festival 2015, New Delhi
2016 Dristi The Vision Tele film/Prag News
2019 Ji Golpor Sesh Nai Never Ending Stories Feature (First Anthology film from Assam) 12th International Guwahati Film Festival, 2020
2021 Chiyahir Rong The Color of Pen Feature 13th International Guwahati Film Festival, 2021
2023 The Government Servant Feature Northeast Film Festival 2023, Mumbai, Filmeraa Film Festival, 2023

Stage drama

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As director

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Year Title Original writer Translation Group Venue
2011 Moni Kanchan Badal Sircar Nayan Prasad Adda Surjya, Ambari
2016 Jonakor Pohar (Rising of the Moon) Lady Gregory Prodyut Kumar Deka Aikyatan Surjya, Ambari
2018 Game of Chess Kenneth Sawyer Goodman Prodyut Kumar Deka Aikyatan Surjya, Ambari
2019 An Inspector Calls J. B. Priestley Phani Sarma IPTA Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir, Uzan Bazar
2024 27 Gaari Kopah (27 Wagons full of Cotton) Tennessee Williams Suresh Kumar Aikyatan Surjya, Ambari

References

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  1. ^ "মোৰ বিশ্বাস, সকলো সভ্যতাৰ কিছুমান গোপন অধ্যায় থাকে". janambhumi.in.
  2. ^ "Notes for a film theory about the cinemas of Assam". Assam Movies. Blogspot. 2015.
  3. ^ "In mid March "Samiran Baruah Ahi Ase"". Assamesefilmnews. Blogspot. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  4. ^ "Samiran barua finally arrives". Wordsofeast. Blogspot.
  5. ^ "Assamese Film Surjasta(সূৰ্যাস্ত) to Release on 17th May". 11 May 2013. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  6. ^ "Filmfare Awards 2013 Nomination List of Assamese Cinema". 19 March 2014. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  7. ^ "Nominations for Vivel Filmfare Awards (Assamese)". 28 March 2014.
  8. ^ Roy, Abhijit. "Pradut Kumar Deka's suspense-thriller Boroshi releases in 18th April". Creativica.in. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  9. ^ "Assamese Films: News This Week (25-31 March 2013)". Newslivetv.com. 7 April 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  10. ^ "New Assamese Film Launched".
  11. ^ "A New Experiment". Assam Tribune.
  12. ^ "Loneliness links three stories". Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Northeast's first anthology film screened in Guwahati, Assam". The Hindu. 21 April 2019.
  14. ^ "NE's first anthology film screened". 19 April 2019.
  15. ^ "3 filmmakers give northeast its first anthology". 21 April 2019.
  16. ^ "Northeast's first anthology film screened in Guwahati". 22 April 2019.
  17. ^ "Siyahir Rong–The Dark Side of The Fourth Pillar". Magical Assam. 2018.
  18. ^ "The Fourth Pillar". Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Assamese Film Portrays Mayong As Not 'Land of Magic'". pratidintime.com.
  20. ^ "New feature film 'The Government Servant' to hit theatres soon". newslivetv.com.
  21. ^ "Orong". kff.in.
  22. ^ "Assamese Film 'Rum Vodka Whisky' To Release on November 24". kothasobi.com.
  23. ^ "prodyut deka, guwahati, India". Festivalfocus.org. 18 April 1978. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  24. ^ "A short Film About Walking". Cultureunplugged.com. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  25. ^ "Bangalore to screen film on Deka". telegraphindia.com. 12 June 2014. Archived from the original on 16 June 2014.
  26. ^ "Spanish play staged at Poorvottar theatre fest". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  27. ^ "Northeast takes centre stage". Business Standard News. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  28. ^ "Laikhuta of Kartik Hazarika National Theatre Festival erected at Tezpur". Assam Tribune.
  29. ^ "IPTA platinum jubilee".
  30. ^ "IPTA Drama Festival Held at Guwahati". Archived from the original on 28 August 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  31. ^ "AN INSPECTOR CALLS TO BE STAGED ON NOVEMBER 27".
  32. ^ "'Assamese adaptation of Priestly's classic in Guwahati'".
  33. ^ "Cinema Sowar Ananda - Book on Cinema Released". Magical Assam. 26 March 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  34. ^ "'Cinema Sowar Ananda' : New Book on Cinema by Prodyut Kumar Deka". Kothasobi.com. 22 February 1999. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  35. ^ "Cinema Sowar Anandar Utsat". Assam Tribune. 7 April 2017.
  36. ^ "Magical Discovery". Assam Tribune.
  37. ^ "Ambari: An Anthropological Thriller". Sentinel Assam.
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