The music of Assam consists various genres of folk and modern music, drawing its artistic basis from the history of Assam, from Assamese culture and its ancient traditions. In recent times, starting from the late eighties, popular artistes have modernized the music catering to local popular demand.
Jyoti Prasad Agarwala was a noted Indian playwright, songwriter, poet, writer and film maker from Assam. He was considered as Assamese cultural icon, deeply revered for his creative vision and output and is popularly called the Rupkonwar of Assamese culture. In fact, he is regarded as the founder of Assamese cinema for Joymoti (1935). His death anniversary is observed as Silpi divas his honor.
Assamese cinema, is an Indian film industry of Assamese-language. It is based in Assam, India. The industry was born in 1935 when Jyoti Prasad Agarwala released his movie Joymoti. Since then the Assamese cinema has developed a slow-paced, sensitive style. In beginning the industry were called Jollywood, named for Agarwala's Jyoti Chitraban Film Studio.
Jahnu Barua is an Indian film director. He has written and directed a number of Assamese and Hindi films. Some of his notable films are Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai (1987), Firingoti (1992), Xagoroloi Bohu Door (1995), Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Mara (2005), Konikar Ramdhenu (2003), Baandhon (2012), and Ajeyo (2014).
Jayanta Hazarika was an Indian singer and composer associated with Assamese music. He wrote lyrics for a few songs and composed music for several movies. He was the younger brother of Bhupen Hazarika.
Joymoti or Joimoti is a 1935 Indian film widely considered to be the first Assamese film ever made. Based on Lakshminath Bezbaroa's play about the 17th-century Ahom princess Joymoti Konwari, the film was produced and directed by the noted Assamese poet, author, and film-maker Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, and starred Aideu Handique and acclaimed stage actor and playwright Phani Sarma. The film, shot between 1933 and 1935, was released by Chitralekha Movietone on 10 March 1935 1935 and marked the beginning of Assamese cinema.
Phani Sarma (1910–1970) was an Indian theatre actor, playwright, film actor and director. Beginning as a stage actor, he appeared in the first film ever made in Assamese cinema, Joymati, in 1935. Sarma was conferred with the title "Natasurya" for his contribution towards Assamese drama.
Devdas is a 1937 Assamese film based on the Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novella, Devdas. Directed by Pramathesh Barua, it stars Phani Sarma as Devdas, Mohini as Chandramukhi, and Zubeida as Paro. The songs were playbacked by Shamshad Begum and Bhupen Hazarika. This was Barua's last of three language versions, the first being in Bengali and the second in Hindi.
Literature from North East India (Assamese: উত্তৰ-পূৱ ভাৰতৰ সাহিত্য is literature in the languages of North East India and the body of work by English-language writers from this region. North East India is an under-represented region in many ways. The troubled political climate, the beautiful landscape and the confluence of various ethnic groups perhaps have given rise to a body of writing that is completely different from Indian English literature. North-East India was a colonial construct and continues to be one by virtue of having a historically difficult relationship with the Indian nation state.
Beauty Sharma Barua is a singer from Assam, India. She is one of the best-known and most respected Assamese folk music, Indian classical music, ghazal and bhajan singers of Assam. More popularly known as The Melody Queen of Assam and Beauty Baideu, she has recorded over a thousand songs for All India Radio, Doordarshan, albums and others. She has sung songs in over six regional Indian languages, though primarily in Assamese and Hindi. Beauty Barua married renowned writer and lyricist Dwijendra Mohan Sharma (1948–2006), called the Man with Melody in His Pen by The Daily Telegraph, in 1976.
Luitok Bhetibo Kune is a 2013 Indian Assamese drama film directed by Prabin Bora, with his own screenplay and produced along with Samrat Bora under the banner of Bistirna Films. The story, script and dialogues of 'Luitok Bhetibo Kune' are by Prabin Bora himself. After Parinam (1974), 'Angikar' (1985) and 'Prem Bhora Chakolu' (2003) Luitok Bhetibo Kune is the fourth film directed by Prabin Bora.
The most significant and a landmark development in the cultural life of Assam was the establishment of the Baan Stage (old) or Baan theatre, the first modern Assamese theatre hall at Tezpur in 1906. The Baan Stage gave a platform for development of the Socio-Cultural scene of Assam. The great cultural trio Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha and Nata Surya Phani Sarma blossomed here. Phani Sarma along with Bishnu Rabha directed the most successful Assamese movie Siraj.
Baharul Islam is an Indian theater actor. An alumnus of the National School of Drama, which he had joined in 1987 Baharul has acted in more than 80 plays, designed and directed 30 plays for his theater troupe Seagull. He is one of the busiest theatre artists in Assam. He is also a film actor who works in Assamese and Hindi films.
Poley Poley Urey Mon is a 2011 Indian Assamese language drama film directed by Timothy Das Hanche, produced by Phukan Konwar, Purnananda Gogoi and Beauty Baruah under the banner Hills Motion Pictures Association of Diphu. The casts of the movie are Nipon Goswami, Moloya Goswami, Barsha Rani Bishaya, Gayatri Mahanta, Ravi Sarma, Rimpi Das, Parineeta Borthakur, Tarun Arora, Mahika Sharma etc. Bollywood actor Raza Murad and former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi also performed a cameo in this movie.
Sonar Baran Pakhi is a 2016 Indian biographical film based on life of the Assamese folk singer Pratima Barua Pandey. The film was directed by Bobby Baruah Sarma. Sonar Baran Pakhi is the first Rajbangshi-language film. It was voted Best Feature Film at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.
Surjya Kanta Hazarika is an Assamese litterateur, an eminent scholar, author, publisher, playwright, lyricist, composer, cultural activist, feature film and documentary maker, social worker and philanthropist. Hazarika is a recipient of the Padma Shri Award in 2008 for his contribution to Literature & Education. He is the current president of Asam Sahitya Sabha.
Piyoli Phukan is a black & white Assamese language film directed by Phani Sarma, released in 1955. The film is based on the life and struggle of a historical character of Assam, Piyoli Phukan, son of Badan Borphukan, who revolted against British occupation. He was sentenced to death and hanged in 1830 at Jorhat. The film is produced by Gama Prasad Agarwalla under the banner of Rupjyoti Productions, Tezpur, Assam. Music is composed by Bhupen Hazarika. Piyoli Phukan is the first Assamese film, which got national recognition. The film was honoured by the Certificate of Merit in State Awards, 1956.
Sudakshina Sarma was an Indian Assamese language singer and musician. In a career spanning over seven decades, Sarma recorded songs in a variety of genres across Assamese music spanning both classical and modern including Borgeet, Kamrupi Lokgeet, and Goalpariya Lokogeet. She also popularized Jyoti Sangeet, songs written by Assamese writer and lyricist Jyoti Prasad Agarwala and also Rabindra Sangeet.
