Bijaya Jena (@dollyjena ), from Cuttack, Odisha, is an Indian actor, film director & producer. She was the youngest of 3 children, in a family of aristocrats & academicians. After school, she joined FTII,Pune for a 2-year acting course, despite parental opposition.
She started with a guest appearance in film ‘Hum Kisise Kam Nahin’(1977). Then a prominent role came her way in Naxalites, a socio-analytical film in Hindi. It was soon followed by remarkable performances such as her role of Laila in ‘Razia Sultan’, lead roles in ‘Amma’ & ‘Holi’. She bagged Best Actress State Award for her performance in Odia film ‘Jaga Balia’(1983). The Odia film ‘Hakim Babu’ in which she handled a lead role also won National Award for best Odia film. Her directorial debut via Odia film ‘Tara’ won her National Award for Best Director(1992).
With an aim to leave a mark in national & international arena, Dolly settled in Mumbai. She did Hindi tv serials like Ek Kahani, Vikram Betaal, Param Veer Chakra & TV plays like Gogol’s Inspector General, Mahesh Elkunchwar’s Aks Aur Aina etc. Her second movie, ‘Abhaas’(1997) in Hindi was screened at various film festivals. She acted, scripted, directed, & produced the film.
She served on Governing Council of FTII from 1992-1995. Having participated as jury member for many national & international film festivals, Jena is currently working on a film ‘The Survivor’ based on acclaimed Odia novel ‘Dana Pani’ written by Gopinath Mohanty.
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Fof Women's Day on March 8 2021, we present stories of 8 Inspiring Women of Odisha. For this, at the outset, we want to thank
#bmcbhubaneswar @smartcitybhubaneswar for conceptualizing the Street Art and Mural Project (STAMP) & making murals of fine women on Bhubaneswar's walls before #InternationalHockeyWorldCup2018. In busy city dwellers' lives, these 60 plus numbers of women's murals over a dedicated km-plus stretch of walls, have kept denizens connected to their awe-inspiring life stories. And Team Utkalamrita pays tribute to 8 such inspiring women, having done a humble photoshoot with these Larger-Than-Life Murals in the backdrop.
