
When
Mary Kom released
last year, it sparked off a debate on a topic of growing concern: inclusion of
actors from the East in mainstream Bollywood. For, while the movie was a
tremendous success,
Priyanka Chopra hardly resembled
Mary Kom. The movie probably deserved an actor from the
East playing the role of the legendary boxer. With the exception of actors from
the Bengali film industry, who have enjoyed decent spells of success in
Bollywood, actors from the other regional industries in the East have remained
largely off the radar. A few of them, though, have starred in a few critically
acclaimed movies and while efforts for inclusion haven't been fully committed,
the actors have shown that they have much to bring to the table. We take a look
at some of them.
Actors from the Bengali film industry have enjoyed most
success. Right from Suchitra Sen to Ashok Kumar, plenty of good actors have
found a place in Bollywood. One of them is
Konkona Sen Sharma. One of the
leading names in parallel cinema, she made her debut as an adult in the Bengali
thriller
Ek Je Achhe Kanya (2000).
She acted in several critically acclaimed Bengali films like
Dosar (2006) and
Goynar Baksho (2014), but her breakthrough performance came in
Mr. and Mr.
Iyer (2002), which, among other things, won her the National Film
Award for Best Actress. She achieved success in B-town with movies like
Wake up Sid (2009) and the 2010 movie,
Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? Her performances
have been hailed as natural, nuanced and effortless.
Another star of Bengali cinema,
Prosenjit Chatterjee, fondly
known as Bumba Da, took a step towards Bollywood in the year 1990 with
Aandhiya. He played the role of Mumtaz's
son. His debut film was
Ice Age (1983)
which made him an overnight star. He rose to outstanding popularity with movies
like
Dosar (2006) and
Chokher Bali (2003). Twenty-two years
after his Bollywood debut, he made a comeback in
Shanghai (2012). The film opened to critical acclaim. He won the
Stardust Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. While Chatterjee remains
fundamental to the Bengali film industry, his work in Bollywood has been
noteworthy, to say the least.
Anu Choudhury is an acclaimed figure in the Oriya
film industry. The recipient of many Oriya Film State Awards, she began her
career as a child artist in Oriya films, and shot to fame with
Maa Gojbyani (1998). Her work won her
the Oriya State Film Award for Best Actress. She marked her Bollywood debut
with
Nirvana 13 (2011), directed by Jitin
Rawat. Being an independent film, it did not receive much mainstream exposure,
but it won her the Best Actress award at the Los Angeles Movie Awards. She has also worked on the Hindi film
Babloo Happy
Hai (2014
). Clearly, the talented actor has plenty to contribute.
The veteran actor and theatre artist from Tezpur, Assam is
one of the superstars of the Assamese film industry. To many who enjoy Assamese
cinema, Goswani is representative of an era, a legend. His debut role was as a
child actor in Piyali Phukan (1957). The
film was awarded the Certificate of Merit at the National Film Awards Ceremony.
His first leading role was in the film Sangram
(1968), but it was with Dr. Bezbarua (1969)
that he really established his worth as a hero. Goswami also acted in a few
Hindi films including Kalasandhya (1997)and Daman (2002). His acting has been
applauded on many occasions and he remains an icon.
Bala Hijam

Mary Kom (2014)
was probably a golden opportunity to shine the spotlight on talented faces from
the Manipuri film industry. While that opportunity slipped by, the truth is
that there are plenty of talented actors finding their niches. One of them is
Bala Hijam, who has acted in over thirty films. She made her debut at the age
of 17 in
Tellanga Mame (2008). She
won the Special Jury Award from Film Academy Manipur. In Bollywood, she will be seen in the Hindi film,
Zindagi on the Rocks. While
the film hasn't been released yet, there's plenty to look forward to.
While not directly
coming from the regional film industries, the Eastern states of India have
produced remarkable talent over the years. From Adil Hussain, who appeared in
the Hollywood movie, Life of Pi (2012) to Danny Dengzongpa, who achieved
tremendous success in Hindi films to Geetanjali Thapa. It is time that more such
voices came to the fore and with much expectations, BollyCurry hopes that Bollywood opens their arms to such talented artists!
Writer: Tanisha N.
Editors: Shreya S. & Gunia K.
Graphics: Saraa K.
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