Filmmaker Munin Barua no more

GUWAHATI, April 7: Renowned Assamese filmmaker and dramatist Munin Barua, fondly called as Bhaimon da, who will be remembered for successfully bringing back cine goers to the box office when the Assamese was in a lean period, is no more. He breathed his last at 1.55 am at his Kahilipara residence in Guwahati on Saturday at the age of 72.

He leaves behind his wife Manjila Barua and two children. The mortal remains of the director were cremated at bagraha Crematorium in Guwahati later in the day with state honours. His son Mas Barua, assisted by singer Zubin Garg, lighted the pyre. 

Earlier his body was taken to Jyoti Chitraban Film Studio where tribute was paid to him. State Cultural Affairs Minister ba Kumar Doley and Chief Minister’s Media Adviser Hrishikesh Goswami and others of the film industry rushed to his house to pay him tribute.

Film stars Pranjal Saikia, Jatin Bora, Pabitra Margherita, Pulak Gogoi, Barsha Rani Bishaya, Angoorlata Deka (MLA), Aimee Baruah and others also paid him tribute. 

Born in 1947 at Khumtai in Golaghat district Munin Barua did contribute a lot to the Assamese film industry. Pita-Putro, Prabhati Pokhir Gaan, Hiya Diya Niya, Daag, yak, Bidhata, Rong, Randhenu, Pratima, Pahari Konya, Konyadhan, Priyar Priyo are some of his highly popular Assamese movies. He built a new era in the Assamese Film Industry. In 2000, his film Hiya Diya Niya created history as blockbuster in Assamese cinema, which also helped revive the Assamese film industry. His film Dibandhoo received tiol Film Award for Best Feature Film in Assamese in 2005. While his film Barood also fetched him the best film award in 2003-04, his film yak fetched him the State Award for Best Director in 2001-02. 

Munin Barua started his career in Assamese cinema as a script writer and assistant director in mid-1970s. He has written scripts for 21 films, which includes Bowari, Ghar-Sansar, Sonmoi, Mon-Mandir, Sewali, Daag, Barood, Rong, Maya, Bidhata etc. He worked as assistant director for Shiva Prasad Thakur’s films Bowari, Ghar-Sansar and Sonmoi. Barua made his directorial debut jointly with Nipon Goswami in the 1987 movie Pratima. He also scripted 90 dramas and many of them were staged by mobile theatres. Apart from movies Barua also directed television serials.