Bijaya Jena

Bijaya Jena Biography

Bijaya Jena is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Orissa. She debut as an actress first and earned a state award for her performance in Jaga Balia and later she acted in a few Hindi movies and television serials as well. Bijaya as a producer and director too is successful. In 1992, Jena made her directorial debut with the Oriya feature film, Tara which went on to receive National Award and she received multiple nominations in India as well as foreign film festivals for her acting.

Jena was born in a family of academicians and aristocrats where she is the third child. During teens she decided to study acting as a course. Her father was against her decision and he even asked suggestion from a child psychiatrist. When psychiatrist nodded yes, her father couldn’t resist and she was enrolled at Film and Television Institute of India for a Diploma Course in Film Acting. Later she joined film industry and worked in both Hindi and Oriya movies. Jena entered the Indian Film Industry in the 1980s, a time when Indian film industry was affected with new wave cinema and she became a part of it. Holi, Naxalites, Uparaant. Razia Sultan and Amma are credited as her Hindi movies. She has also acted in Doordarshan serials like Jantar mantar, Param veer chakra and Vikram Vetaal. Later she appeared in her won critically well acclaimed movies – Tara and Abhaas.

Jena has always been attracted to spiritualism and the mystical and has often participated in such religious conferences many times. As she was attracted to parallel cinema and found that, after Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal and Mrinal Sen, new wave movies are dying she entered direction field. In 1992, Jena made her directorial debut with the Oriya feature film, Tara. The movie received national award. It was followed by Abhas. She has also served as a jury member for several international film festivals.

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Updated: January 24, 2014