Wikipedia

Prodyut Kumar Deka

Prodyut Kumar Deka (born 18 April 1978) is an Indian film & stage director, screenwriter and author residing in Assam, India. His films include Dhunia Tirutabur, Samiran Barua Ahi Ase, Surjasta, Borosi, Chiyahir Rong, Ji Golpor Ses Nai and The Government Servant.

Prodyut Kumar Deka
Born (1978-04-18) 18 April 1978 (age 46)
Occupation(s)Film director, author

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

Career

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In films and television

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He made his debut as scriptwriter and director with the critically acclaimed Assamese film Dhunia Tirutabur (Beautiful Woman),on the backdrop of a missing artiste in 2010. [2] His next film based on a political subject Samiran Barua Ahi Ase (Return of Samiran Barua) 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.

His other films include Surjasta (A Sunset), on the subject of child negligence and a suspense drama Borosi (The Trap) and a television film based on Rabindranath Tagore's story Dristi (The Vision). The film Surjasta received two nomination in Best Actor Male and Female category in Filmfare Awards 2013 (East). [5] [6] [7][8] [9] An anthology film consisting of three stories titled Ji Golpor Sesh Nai directed by three different directors including Prodyut Kumar Deka was completed in 2019.[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 film about newspaper houses in Assam, based on a story by journalist Jitumoni Bora and released online in Reel Drama portal in 2021, and The Government Servant, a film based on a story in the backdrop of Mayong by Sahitya Akademi Award winner Jayant Madhab Bora. The film was also released online in Reel Drama portal in 2023.[17] [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 has written the screenplay of the forthcoming film Smriti directed by Pankaj Kalita which is under production. He also made two short films based on essays written by eminent Assamese writer and journalist Homen Borgohain titled 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 named An Anti-insurgent Journey depicting how former Asam Sahitya Sabha Chief Kanaksen Deka was vocal against subversive activities of the outfit in the nineties, despite knowing that his tough stand might invite death.[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 and directed intimate plays like Moni Kanchan written by Badal Sircar, Jonakor Pohar (The Rising of the Moon), The Game of Chess, 27 Gaari Kopah (27 Wagons full of Cotton) etc. Assamese translation of the play Eserenga Rod (A Sunny Morning) was done by Deka and directed by Pranjal Saikia which was performed in Natasurjya Drama Festival 2016, Guwahati; Kartik Hazarika National Drama Festival 2019, Tezpur and in Poorvottar Rashtriya Rang Utsav, 2017 in many cities like New Delhi, Amritsar, Jaipur and Vadodara.[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]

As author

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He writes on Cinema in the local Assamese newspapers like Sadin, Asomiya Pratidin and Asomiya Khabar. Published books on Cinema are Amar Kotha Teolokor Kotha (2014) and Cinema Suwar Ananda (2017), both anthologies of essays on diverse facets of Indian and foreign films. Two notable works include, a biography of the famous actor Biju Phukan: A Life in Cinema (2021) which won the Best Book on Cinema award in the Prag Cine Awards, 2022 and Doordarshanor Dinbur (2023), a history of television or Doordarshan in Assam. [33] [34] [35]

Ambari is a trilogy of anthropological novels written by Prodyut Kumar Deka based on the Ambari Archeological site which was discovered in Guwahati in 1969. He wrote the first novel Ambari in 2017. [36][37] The second part Prophecy of Ambari was published in 2018, while the concluding part A Monk in Ambari was published in 2020. All the three books have been published by Delhi-based Educreation Publishing.

Personal life

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Prodyut Kumar Deka was born in Guwahati, Assam, younger son of Pabitra Kumar Deka, founder of Roopkar magazine, film critic, screenwriter and humor writer, and grandson of Mahendra Nath Deka, a govt officer and film distributor of early seventies. 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 one son, Nihaar Ranjan Deka.

Prodyut along with his family members also runs a non-government organization Pabitra Kumar Deka Archive, an archive of old Assamese film materials, in memory of his father at their residence. The archive presents Roopkar Award to one outstanding personality every year from stage, film and media 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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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

Published books

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Cinema / Culture

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Year Title Language Genre Publisher Awards
2014 Amar Kotha Teolokor Kotha Assamese Essay Arclights, Guwahati
2017 Cinema Suwar Ananda Assamese Essay Arclights, Guwahati
2021 Biju Phukan: A Life in Cinema English Biography Assam Publishing Company, Guwahati Best Book on Cinema at Prag Cine Awards 2022
2023 Doordarshanor Dinbur Assamese History Asom Prakashan Parishad, Guwahati

Novels

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Year Title Language Publisher Remarks
2017 Ambari English Educreation Publishing, New Delhi
2018 Prophecy of Ambari English Educreation Publishing, New Delhi
2020 A Monk in Ambari English Educreation Publishing, New Delhi
2023 The Big Sleep Assamese Roopkar Prakashan, Guwahati Translated from original English novel written by Raymond Chandler
2024 The Last Signature of Mozart English UD Foundation Translated from original Assamese novel written by Utpal Datta

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "মোৰ বিশ্বাস, সকলো সভ্যতাৰ কিছুমান গোপন অধ্যায় থাকে".
  2. ^ "Notes for a film theory about the cinemas of Assam".
  3. ^ "In mid March "Samiran Baruah Ahi Ase"". Assamesefilmnews.blogspot.in. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  4. ^ "Samiran barua finally arrives".
  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) - Assamese Film and Theatre | News Post". Newslivetv.com. 7 April 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  10. ^ "New Assamese Film Launched".
  11. ^ "A New Experiment".
  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. ^ "The Fourth Pillar". Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  18. ^ "Siyahir Rong–The Dark Side of The Fourth Pillar".
  19. ^ "Assamese Film Portrays Mayong As Not 'Land of Magic'".
  20. ^ "New feature film 'The Government Servant' to hit theatres soon".
  21. ^ "Orong".
  22. ^ "Assamese Film 'Rum Vodka Whisky' To Release on November 24".
  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". 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". Business-standard.com. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  28. ^ "Laikhuta of Kartik Hazarika National Theatre Festival erected at Tezpur".
  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". 7 April 2017.
  36. ^ "Magical Discovery".
  37. ^ "Ambari: An Anthropological Thriller".
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