Thespian Bijay Mishra is a force to reckon with. With the distinction of writing more than 60 thought-provoking plays, multiple screenplays and dialogues for Odia films, Bijay is undoubtedly a colossus in the state’s art and culture landscape. His original thoughts, deep insight into human behavior, expression of intimate feelings and realistic dialogues put him in a league of his own. After winning the Kendra Sahitya Akademi award and several state-level awards, including the Odisha Sahitya Akademi and Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi, he was conferred with Jayadev Award last week for his outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Odia cinema. Needless to say, the award was long overdue for him. Sunday POST caught up with the octogenarian to know more about his six-decade-long illustrious career and the significance of awards in his life.
On getting the Jayadev Award
Although late, I am glad that my contribution to Odia cinema has been recognised. I have written screenplays and dialogues for more than 60 films. Although I have earned a lot of fame and money working in films, theatre remains my first love. I would have been happier had I been bestowed with Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Award constituted by Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi for my contributions to theatre.
On setting a new trend in Odia theatre
Initially, I wrote run-of-the-mill stories and family dramas. I wasn’t happy with those. I wanted to do something different. I started reading Bengali literature when I was in Class VI, which gave me exposure to a new world. It gave me an opportunity to work on changing trends. Besides, I often wander around in slums and railway stations. Railway stations are places where you come across a lot of characters. I used to interact with them to understand their psyche. I was working with the government and was entitled to travel in air-conditioned coaches. However, I preferred travelling in general class so that I could observe life from a closer distance. So, the most of my plays revolve around the middleclass people and their problems, sufferings and contemporary hypocrisy. In fact, in most of my plays I become one of the characters and the stories unfold through my eyes. Birupakhya in Sababahakamane or Nilakantha in Jajabar are a few examples.
On making darkness a central character
Sababahakamane not only set a new trend but also brought in a change in theatre literature in Odisha. In fact, it changed the technicality of stage productions in terms of set design, lighting and dialogues. The actors enacted their parts on a dark stage for the first 10 minutes of the play. So much so, that the then Chief Minister Harekrushna Mahatab, who sat next to me, thought there was some technical issue with the lighting. The audience also became restless. But the play got a standing ovation at the end and the chief minister was impressed with the new style. ‘You bewildered the audience by making darkness a character,’ he said to me after the show. It was satisfying and the response of the audience encouraged me to keep on experimenting throughout my career.
On celebrating failures
I got a lot of success in my literary career spanning 60 years. But I used to celebrate my failures too because those were the moments that helped me evolve as a playwright and dialogue/screenplay writer. I put my heart and soul into everything I do. While I would succeed most of the time, there were also occasions when they didn’t meet expectations. Hence, my failures give me a scope to introspect. I dissect them to find out where I went wrong.
On reviewing art work
Back in the 1970s, I was known as a playwright and dialogue/screenplay writer. But I was almost forced to turn art critic around that time. Although I was into theatre, I used to hang around with prominent artists like Dinanath Pathy, Asim Basu and Asit Mukherjee. When Dinanath planned to hold his first exhibition in Bhuabaneswar, there was no art critic in the city. So both Dinanath and Asim da asked me to play that role. The latter even taught me the chemistry between canvas and paintbrush for a few days ahead of the exhibition. My piece Theme Ra Sandhanare Dinanath Pathy (Dinanath Pathy in search of theme) was published in one of the largest circulated local dailies and was appreciated by many. That was an unusual experience.
On his inspirations
I was not inspired by any particular writer as such. I used to read a lot and there are many favorites. In western literature I read Arthur Miller, Shakespeare, Bernard Shaw and others. Similarly, in Bengali and Odia I like reading Rabindra Nath Tagore, Sharat Chandra Chatterjee, Ramapada Choudhury, Fakir Mohan Senapati, Kanhu Charan, Gopinath Mohanty, Kalindi Charan Panigrahi and others. Yes, I followed Satyajit Ray when I started writing screenplays as he was such a versatile personality and Shyamal Mukherjee (an assistant film director from Kolkata) taught me how to write screenplay during my Jajabara days.
On favourite plays and films
All my plays are my brain child and are close to my heart. Still I will rate Sababahakamane, Duiti Suryadagdha Phulaku Nei and Tata Niranjana as my best works. The last one has been translated to Nepali and a number of other Indian languages. Among my films, my first project Jajabara is my favourite, which I also had directed along with actor Hemanta Das and legendary singer Akshaya Mohanty under the pen name Trimurty.
On the future of Odia films
Honestly, I am extremely disappointed with the kind of films being made these days. The producers should remember that filmmaking is an art and not just a money-minting profession. Why can’t we make content-driven films like those being made in Hindi? Recently, I watched Amitabh-Tapasee Pannu starrer Badla. Although it is a remake of a Spanish murder mystery The Invisible Guest, director Sujoy Ghosh pulled it off nicely. I liked it. I also liked some other movies like Uri, PK, Kahani, Drishyam, Article 15, Section 375 and a few others. They are generating content from real-life incidents and situations, while we are becoming dull. I want the filmmakers in Odisha to do thorough research and read literatures. I am sure this will have a positive effect on the quality of the films.
Born – July 16, 1936
Jewels in his crown
Jayadev Award
Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award
Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award
| Landmark plays and movies | |
| Plays | Movies |
| Ashanta Graha | Ashanta Graha |
| Sababahakamane | Jajabara |
| Tata Niranjana | Suna Chadhei |
| Jane Raja Thile | Jahaku Rakhibe Ananta |
| Duiti Suryadagdha Phulaku Nei | Rajanigandha |
| Banaprastha | Sasughara Chalijibi |
Bijay Mandal,OP