Samarendra Narayan Dev

Samarendra Narayan Dev (1940-2025) was a filmmaker, playwright and television director, born in Mangaldai into the Darrang royal family. He wrote plays from his youth and acted alongside Bishnu Rabha and Phani Sharma. His plays Bhikha and Bandor Aaru Jokhola were part of his role in popularising absurdist theatre in Assam. In Kolkata in 1967 he assisted Ashutosh Banerjee on Tini Bhuboner Pare before returning to Assam.

His first film as director, Aranya (1971), was written and directed by him and made by a club of friends under the banner United Production. Its subject was poaching and the destruction of forests, and it won the National Film Award for the best regional-language film. His second, Putala Ghar (1976), also won a national award. He went on to make Sonor Horin, Raja and Kazirangar Kahini, and returned after a long gap with the historical film Bir Chilarai (2013). In all he made six features, along with telefilms, documentaries and serials for Doordarshan.

He died on 26 January 2025, aged 84.