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| First Odia Director Nita Palit |
Date of Birth: 8 March 1923, Katak, India
Date of Death: 26 July 1990, India
Birth Name: Nityananda Palit
Mini Biography
Nityananda Palit, better known as Nitai Palit was born in Cuttack on 8 March, 1923 to Nagendranath Palit and Sarojini Devi.
He
completed his schooling in Ravenshaw collegiate school and was
interested in drama and music from an early age, theatre attracted him.
He started off with writing, directing and producing dramas and plays
and he acted in some of them., standing first in as many as 3 stage play
competitions. His plays were recognized for their innovation and
provided a break from age-old techniques which were prevalent at that
time.
Overtime he developed an interest in film-making.
To
achieve that end, he took upon the task to teach himself the various
technicalities involved in movie-making, reading volume after volume of
books about the various nuances of the art, developing a mastery over
them. He never attended any film institute.
In 1954, he
jointly directed a film, "Kedar-Gauri" with noted playwright Manoranjan
Das. the film featured Bina Kumari, whom he later married, and Gour
Ghosh. With this boost to his confidence, he left theatre for good and
joined film-making. In 1955, he independently directed the film, "Bhai
Bhai", thus becoming the first Odia film director. The film did well,
thus starting a long and colorful journey.
In all, he
directed 12 films, out of which he produced 3, 4 documentaries and 3
tele films. He was also the writer of 9 film-stories, 16 screenplays and
4 documentary scripts.
In 1965,he received the
President's Award from Mrs. Indira Gandhi for direction in his film
"Malajanha". This was the first Odia film ever to be awarded the 'Silver
Lotus' for direction and is still considered a classic. During his
career he was awarded 'Best Director' by the govt. of Odisha four times,
in 1972, 1975, 1977 and 1982. Won the Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy
Award in the year 1982. Was awarded the 'Jaydev Award' in 1982 by the
Govt. of Odisha along with a cash award fro lifetime contribution to
Odia cinema.
In 1980, he set up his own production
house 'Creative Movies Productions' and produced two movies- "Anurag"
and "Raghu-Arakhita".
He was a family man and spent as
much time as he could with his wife and six daughters. His hobbies
included reading, poem-writing, sketching and playing the tabla.
He
was active till the last. His film "Kichhi Aasa Kichhi Sapna" was in
the process of being made when, on 26 July,1990, this great soul
breathed his last, having fallen victim to a massive heart-attack. In
his wake, he left a void that, perhaps, can never be filled. In his
memory, a "Nitai Palit Award" is given each year to Odia film personalities for their contribution to Odia cinema. His legacy lives on.....
Filmography
Director (13 titles)
- 1997 --- Raghu Arakhita
- 1981 --- Kie Jite Kie Hare
- 1980 --- Anurag
- 1977 --- Bandhu Mohanty
- 1976 --- Krushna Sudama
- 1974 --- Mana Akasha
- 1973 --- Dharitri
- 1969 --- Bandhan
- 1968 --- Kie Kahara
- 1965 --- Malajanha
- 1959 --- Maa
- 1956 --- Bhai Bhai
- 1954 --- Kedar Gouri
Writer (2 titles)
- 1977 --- Bandhu Mohanty (screenplay / story)
- 1965 --- Malajanha (screenplay)
Producer (1 title)
- 1997 --- Raghu Arakhita (co-producer)
Reference: IMDB
