She is a budding Assamese actor presently having a relatively busy schedule in Mumbai, thanks to German playwright Bertolt Brecht’s operas, based not on conventional lifestyles, but beyond, where the rules of society are not rigid and confirmed, and where there is ample scope for innovative acting. The operas, directed by Chandan Roy Sanyal, are set to be staged at the National Centre for Performing Arts and Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai, followed by a scheduled tour of Bangalore later. Yes, she is the one and only Onooja Bhuyan, daughter of Manu Bhuyan and SN Bhuyan of Lachit Nagar, Guwahati.
Onooja featured in Assam Tribune, May 2009, Panorama Section!!!!
She was recently in the city for a short visit. A psychology graduate from Christ College, Bangalore, Onooja’s passion for acting – that took shape during the play Charlotte’s Web enacted by the students of Maria’s Public School in 2000, and staged at Kalakshetra for three evenings – led her to join the Join the Dots Group, Bangalore, where her acting skills got nurtured through six plays staged at the Centre for Film and Dramatics there, under the intense glare of theatre critics and the general public. Then, to further hone her skills, Onooja joined Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares school in Mumbai for a three-month specialised acting and film appreciation course under the watchful eyes of FTII graduate Hemendra Bhatia and NSD pass-out Yashraj Yadav and other visiting expert faculty members, she informs. There, she was familiarised with the different artistic genres, including the natural way of acting under Cannes Film Festival specialist Amit Kumar, Onooja says, adding that Actor Prepares also makes the artistes resort to routine yoga to enhance their concentration, stamina, besides making them adept in Bollywood, jazz and contemporary dances. Precisely, the Actor Prepares courses provide the aspirants with ample inputs, making them proficient in camera, scene work, theatre exercises, monologues, story build-up, direction, giving a compact but solid knowhow of the entire filmmaking process, Onooja says. Onooja’s maiden professional debut was through Manju Bora’s five-episode TV serial Upalabdhir Anugrah, which is set for telecast in DD, Guwahati shortly, she says, adding, “I’m focussing only on acting with total dedication for serials, movies, short films and ad films sans any language bar”, meaning, she is ready to try it out in South Indian, Bengali and any other language, besides, of course, Hindi and Assamese, ‘if the offers suit my taste’, she says. Its story is profound and emphasizes the importance of developing friendship for the sake of humanity amidst the backdrop of the menacing religious divide, Onooja says, informing about Upalabdhir Anugrah, where her co-actors in the lead roles included Juri Sarma and Pankaj Saikia. She has also acted in a short film titled Doll’s Play for Alliance Francaise. Onooja versatile looks – she appears a different person in different photos – coupled with a desire to achieve something big with her dedication and passion for acting, compensate for her lack of a robust stature and she really appears firm on the road to glitz and glamour – her portfolio photographs shot by Mumbai’s Pinki Manchandani tell just that. Besides, her mother Manu says, “We don’t owe any credit for whatever she has achieved in her choosen field till date, for she has ventured in the line all alone, albeit with our support and blessings.”
Simanta Bhagawati
Dexterous Doctor 