Nirad Mohapatra facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nirad Mohapatra
Born	Nirad Narayan Mohapatra (1947-11-12)12 November 1947 Bhadrak, Odisha, India
Died	19 February 2015(2015-02-19) (aged 67) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Director, Writer
Spouse(s)	Sabita Mohanty

Nirad Narayan Mohapatra (born November 12, 1947 – died February 19, 2015) was an Indian film director. He was born in the state of Odisha, India. Mohapatra is best known for directing the Oriya language film Maya Miriga. He also made many television shows and documentaries.

Early Life and Education

Nirad Mohapatra grew up in Bhadrak, Odisha. His father was a journalist who worked against British rule in India. After India became independent, his father entered politics. Nirad's mother was a schoolteacher. He was the oldest of seven children. As a child, he loved visiting the cinema near his home.

In 1967, Nirad earned a B.A. degree with high marks. He then started advanced studies in Political Science at Utkal University. However, he left these studies in 1968. He wanted to learn about filmmaking instead. He joined the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune to study film directing. He finished his diploma in 1971. After that, he worked as a teacher at the Institute starting in 1972.

Film Career

In 1974, Nirad Mohapatra started a film club called Cinexstasy in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. At this club, he showed classic movies from around the world. He would also discuss these films with the audience. He ran Cinexstasy until 1983.

He also worked as an editor for the film section of an arts magazine called Mana Phasal. He continued to teach at FTII and wrote articles for national magazines. He also taught a course on how to appreciate films at Utkal University. In 1978, he married Sabita Mohanty. She had actually attended his film appreciation course and his Cinexstasy club.

Maya Miriga

In 1984, Nirad Mohapatra made his first full-length movie, Maya Miriga. He made this film with a very small budget. It was filmed in Puri, a town by the beach in Odisha. The movie was about family life, dreams, and how families can sometimes break apart.

Maya Miriga was a big success. It won second place for Best National Film in India that year. It was also named the Best Third World Film at a festival in Mannheim, Germany. It received a special award from the judges at the Hawaii International Film Festival in the U.S. The film was also shown at many famous international film festivals. These included the 'Critics Week' at the Cannes Film Festival in France, the BFI London Film Festival, and the Locarno Film Festival. Because of his success, he was invited to lecture about film at four universities in the U.S. in 1985.

Documentaries and Other Work

Nirad Mohapatra was especially good at making documentaries. These are films that show real-life events or facts. He was also a judge for national film awards. He helped choose films for the Indian Panorama section of film festivals. He was also a judge for the 5th International Children's Film Festival in Bhubaneswar.

He was part of the main group that ran the Film and TV Institute in Pune. He also helped choose movie scripts for the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) in Odisha. He was a member of the Academic Council for the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata twice. He was also the chairman of the Academic Council for the Biju Patnaik Film and Television Institute in Cuttack, Odisha. He was a guest lecturer at the Film School of KIIT University in Bhubaneswar.

Nirad Mohapatra passed away from a heart attack on February 19, 2015.

Filmography