Acting Career

Bijaya Jena is an accomplished actress known for her roles in Hindi and Odia cinema, as well as television series such as Ek Kahani, Vikram Betaal, and Param Veer Chakra. Additionally, she’s appeared in TV plays like Gogol’s Inspector General and Mahesh Elkunchwar’s Aks Aur Aina.

Jena’s performance in the Odia film, Jaga Balia, won the State Award for Best Actress. She has also been a part of critically acclaimed Hindi films such as K. A. Abbas’s The Naxalites, Kamal Amrohi’s Razia Sultan, and Ketan Mehta’s Holi.

She played a role in the film, Hakim Babu, which claimed the National Award for Best Odia Film. Furthermore, Jena made her presence felt in the international film circuit with her appearance in Ismail Merchant’s British film, The Deceivers.

Writing, Directing and Production Career

Bijaya Jena launched her directing career in 1992 with the Odia film, ‘Tara’. Not only directing, she co-wrote and produced the film as well as playing the lead role. ‘Tara’ is based on a short story by Bimal Dutt, who was also the primary scriptwriter. The film was recognized with the 1992 National Award for Best Odia Film.

Bijaya’s second directorial venture was titled Abhaas (1997) and was in Hindi. Her involvement was multifaceted – she acted in, scripted, directed, and produced the movie. The film ‘Abhaas’ was featured on BBC Channel 4, as part of the celebrations marking “100 Years of Indian Cinema”.