Nirad N. Mohapatra
Encyclopedia
Nirad N. Mohapatra is an Indian film director
.
Nirad N Mohapatra was born in Orissa
, an Eastern state of India. He was the eldest of 7 siblings. His father was a freedom fighter (in pre-independence India), journalist and later entered politics in independent India. His mother was a teacher in school. The foundation to Nirad's value system was laid with this background. He was also exposed to rural and urban life while growing up. All this made him very aware of the realities of middle class life. He was good in his studies with a keen interest in history and literature. His interest in cinema was kindled from his childhood days and further strengthened by the cinema theater very near his house in Bhadrak
, Orissa. He was a good observer of human nature and relationship and strived to understand the same. In years to come, his film and body of work would reflect the same sensitivity.
), but discontinued it to pursue his love for cinema. Joined Film and Television Institute of India, Pune (FTII
) Direction Course, 1968. He was admired for a keen understanding of the theory of cinema. In 1971, he passed out with a first class diploma in film direction. In 1972-1974 joined faculty of film direction FTII as a lecturer. Many noted and acclaimed directors of India namely Girish Kasaravalli
, Janhu Barua, Saeed Akhtar Mirza
, Ketan Mehta
, Manmohan Mohapatra, Vidhu Vinod Chopra
etc. were students during those times.
, Orissa called Cinexstasy. This was with the aim of popularizing good cinema and creat an opportunity for the members to see classics of world cinema with analysis by professionals. This was hugely popular and garnered lot of response from people interested in seeing good cinema from all around the world. Nirad was pivotal in many people from Orissa being inspired to take up a career in cinema and who went on to join FTII, Pune.
During this time he edited the film section of a film cum literature journal Mana Phasal, continued to teach at FTII as a guest lecturer, contributed to several national journals as a freelancer, made a number of documentary films and conducted film appreciation course at Utkal University. It was a coincidence that his future wife was a participant in one of this film appreciation course and the film society 'Cinexstasy'. And before you jump into conclusion, his was an arranged marriage to Sabita Mohanty in 1978. That she too loved cinema was another good thing.
In 1984, Nirad made Maya Miriga- his first feature film. The film was made with a shoestring budget. It was also made with an ensemble of primarily amateur actors. The film was shot completely in Puri
, a beachside town in Orissa. The film dealt with the ever potent issue of those times (it’s still relevant today) – the joint family, aspirations of its members and its breaking up. This directorial debut went on to bag a lot of honor and accolade. It was adjudged as the second best national film in 1984, Indian panorama. It was adjudged the Best Third World Film at International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg(then West Germany). It got the Special jury award at Hawaii International Film Festival
, U.S.. It was selected for the 'Critics Week' of Cannes Film Festival
(France), BFI London Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, Los Angeles Film Festival
and other international film festivals. In 1985 he was invited to visit four US universities to lecture on films.
After that he primarily concentrated on documentaries (see filmography). He has been a member of national film jury and member selection panel for Indian Panorama several times. He has been a jury member for 5th International Children’s film festival, Bhubaneswar. Has been a member of governing council, Film and TV Institute, Pune. He has been a member, NFDC script committee for Orissa. He was twice member of the Academic Council, Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata. He iwas the chairman, academic council, Biju Patnaik Film and Television Institute, Cuttack, Orissa and member, governing council, SIET, Bhubaneswar.
At the moment he teaches at the Film School of KIIT University, Bhubaneswar as a guest faculty.
Currently he spends his time reading and in various capacities as member to the various organizations involved with film and television studies. He is constantly on the lookout for spreading good cinema among the common people and is often the mainstay of various film festivals held in Orissa.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
Nirad N Mohapatra was born in Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, an Eastern state of India. He was the eldest of 7 siblings. His father was a freedom fighter (in pre-independence India), journalist and later entered politics in independent India. His mother was a teacher in school. The foundation to Nirad's value system was laid with this background. He was also exposed to rural and urban life while growing up. All this made him very aware of the realities of middle class life. He was good in his studies with a keen interest in history and literature. His interest in cinema was kindled from his childhood days and further strengthened by the cinema theater very near his house in Bhadrak
Bhadrak
Bhadrak is a city and a municipality in Bhadrak district in the state of Orissa, India.-Demographics: India census, Bhadrak had a population of 1,33,4000. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Bhadrak has an average literacy rate of 73.86, higher than the national average of...
, Orissa. He was a good observer of human nature and relationship and strived to understand the same. In years to come, his film and body of work would reflect the same sensitivity.
Early life
Nirad continued his studies and completed B.A (Hons) with distinction (1967). He enrolled for postgraduate studies in Political Science (Utkal UniversityUtkal University
Utkal University, Bhubaneswar is the oldest university in Orissa and the 17th oldest university in India. It is a teaching-cum-affiliating university that has produced some of the best brains in Orissa. There are at 26 post-graduate departments at the university campus for studies and research in...
), but discontinued it to pursue his love for cinema. Joined Film and Television Institute of India, Pune (FTII
Film and Television Institute of India
Film and Television Institute of India , is an autonomous Institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It is fully aided by Central Government of India. It is situated in the premises of the erstwhile Prabhat Film Company in Pune, India...
) Direction Course, 1968. He was admired for a keen understanding of the theory of cinema. In 1971, he passed out with a first class diploma in film direction. In 1972-1974 joined faculty of film direction FTII as a lecturer. Many noted and acclaimed directors of India namely Girish Kasaravalli
Girish Kasaravalli
Girish Kasaravalli is a noted film director, and one of the pioneers of the Parallel Cinema in Kannada cinema, who has won the National Film Award for Best Film four times, Ghatashraddha , Tabarana Kathe , Thaayi Saheba and Dweepa...
, Janhu Barua, Saeed Akhtar Mirza
Saeed Akhtar Mirza
Saeed Akhtar Mirza is an Indian screenwriter and director in Hindi films and television. He is the maker of important Parallel cinema films like Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! , Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai , Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro and Naseem , which won two National Film Awards in 1996.He is...
, Ketan Mehta
Ketan Mehta
Ketan Mehta is an Indian film director, who has also directed documentaries and television serials.-Early life and education:Born in Navsari in Gujarat, Ketan Mehta did his schooling from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, Delhi and later graduated in film direction from Film and Television Institute of...
, Manmohan Mohapatra, Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Vidhu Vinod Chopra is an Indian director and producer. Chopra is the head of his own company, Vinod Chopra Productions, and is particularly known for producing the Munna Bhai films and 3 Idiots.-Early life:Born in a Punjabi family of Kashmir,...
etc. were students during those times.
Filmy career
From 1974-1983 he founded and successfully ran a film society at BhubaneswarBhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chedi dynasty who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital...
, Orissa called Cinexstasy. This was with the aim of popularizing good cinema and creat an opportunity for the members to see classics of world cinema with analysis by professionals. This was hugely popular and garnered lot of response from people interested in seeing good cinema from all around the world. Nirad was pivotal in many people from Orissa being inspired to take up a career in cinema and who went on to join FTII, Pune.
During this time he edited the film section of a film cum literature journal Mana Phasal, continued to teach at FTII as a guest lecturer, contributed to several national journals as a freelancer, made a number of documentary films and conducted film appreciation course at Utkal University. It was a coincidence that his future wife was a participant in one of this film appreciation course and the film society 'Cinexstasy'. And before you jump into conclusion, his was an arranged marriage to Sabita Mohanty in 1978. That she too loved cinema was another good thing.
In 1984, Nirad made Maya Miriga- his first feature film. The film was made with a shoestring budget. It was also made with an ensemble of primarily amateur actors. The film was shot completely in Puri
Puri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...
, a beachside town in Orissa. The film dealt with the ever potent issue of those times (it’s still relevant today) – the joint family, aspirations of its members and its breaking up. This directorial debut went on to bag a lot of honor and accolade. It was adjudged as the second best national film in 1984, Indian panorama. It was adjudged the Best Third World Film at International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg(then West Germany). It got the Special jury award at Hawaii International Film Festival
Hawaii International Film Festival
The Hawaii International Film Festival is a film festival held in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It was started in 1981 by Jeannette Paulson Hereniko and has been held annually in the fall for two weeks...
, U.S.. It was selected for the 'Critics Week' of Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
(France), BFI London Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, Los Angeles Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Festival
The Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times is an event held annually in June in downtown Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Film Festival began as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 1995. The first LAIFF took place over the course of five days in a single...
and other international film festivals. In 1985 he was invited to visit four US universities to lecture on films.
After that he primarily concentrated on documentaries (see filmography). He has been a member of national film jury and member selection panel for Indian Panorama several times. He has been a jury member for 5th International Children’s film festival, Bhubaneswar. Has been a member of governing council, Film and TV Institute, Pune. He has been a member, NFDC script committee for Orissa. He was twice member of the Academic Council, Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata. He iwas the chairman, academic council, Biju Patnaik Film and Television Institute, Cuttack, Orissa and member, governing council, SIET, Bhubaneswar.
At the moment he teaches at the Film School of KIIT University, Bhubaneswar as a guest faculty.
Currently he spends his time reading and in various capacities as member to the various organizations involved with film and television studies. He is constantly on the lookout for spreading good cinema among the common people and is often the mainstay of various film festivals held in Orissa.
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1974-75 | Dhauligiri Shanti Stupa | (Cultural documentary, 35mm, B&W, English). Worked as Director, purchased by Films Division, Mumbai. 3 programmes for SITE, Cuttack Base Production Centre as outside producer. |
| 1976 | The Story of Cement | (Industrial documentary, 16mm, Colour, English). |
| 1983 | Maya Miriga Maya Miriga Maya Miriga Maya Miriga Maya Miriga (1984 is an award-winning Oriya film film directed by Nirad N. Mohapatra.-Story:The story of a family, where three generations live under a decaying roof. The widowed grandmother is the titular head, her son Raj Kishore Babu, father of four sons and a daughter,... |
(Feature, 110 minutes, Colour, Oriya) Worked as Director Screened at Cannes, London, and Los Angeles Film Festival. Best Third World Film (Mannhein, Germany). Special Jury Commendation Award (Hawaii, U.S). Second Best National Feature Film 1984. Best Director, Orissa State Award 1985. |
| 1985 | Chhau Dance of Mayurbhanja | (Cultural documentary, 35mm, Colour, English). Worked as Producer & Director for Films Division, Mumbai. |
| 1986 | Pata Painting | (Cultural documentary, 16mm, Colour, English). Worked as producer & Director for Films Division, Mumbai. |
| 1988 | Tamasa Tire | (Tele-film, 16mm, Colour, Oriya). As producer for Doordarshan, Cuttack. |
| 1989 | The Vanishing Frontier | (Ecological documentary, 16mm, Colour, English). As Producer and Director for INTACH, New Delhi. |
| 1990 | A New Horizon | (Documentary on polio, 16mm, Colour, Hindi & English). As Producer and Director for NIRTAR, Olatpur. |
| 1991 | Aparajita | (Women empowerment documentary, 16mm, Colour, Oriya). As Producer and Director for UNICEF. |
| 1994 | Ama Gaon Halchal | (Eight-part educational video serial). As producer only for The National Literacy Mission, New Delhi. |
| 1995 | Maestros of Odissi | (Cultural documentary in 35mm, Colour, Sanskrit) As producer & Director for Odissi Research Center through I&PR department. |
| 1996 | A Ray of Hope | (Documentary, video, English). As Producer and Director for the Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment, New Delhi. |
| 1997 | Patriotic Songs, Literature and Mass Media | (6 episodes in video). Specially commissioned for celebration of 50 years of Independence by Doordarshan, Bhubaneswar. |
| 1999 | Joyful Learning | (Educational documentary in video). As Producer and Director for D.P.E.P, Government of Orissa. |
| 2001 | Chilika - A Fragile Eco-System | (Ecological documentary in Beta, English). As producer and Director for P.S.B.T in collaboration with Doordarshan, New Delhi. |
| 2002 | T.B. – A Curable Killer | (Documentary on health in Beta, English) As producer and director for DANTB, Orissa |
| 2003 | Kana Mamu | Doordarshan serial on (six episodes) by Kanta Kabi Laxmikanta Mohapatra and one episode on “Tadpa” by Dr. Gopinath Mohanty |
| 2005 | Jasoda | a 3-part serial on child adoption sponsored by Women and Child Development Department, Govt of Orissa. |
External links
- Nirad Mohapatra's Official Web Page
- http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/1368/year/1984.html[Ref.3]
- http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/278802 [Ref.4]
- http://delcinema.it/news/2007-06/locarno_it_giorno_di_bruno_ganz.php[Ref.5]