Noted film director Hridaynanda Agarwala passes away

In the early 1970s he chanced upon seven reels of the lone print of Joymoti while cleaning his garage after the film was almost forgotten and lost since the Second World War. He had engaged Dada Saheb Phalke awardee and eminent Assamese singer and director Bhupen Hazarika in 1976 to make the documentary Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad aru Joymoti and incorporated the seven reels there by copying and re-mastering them,the sources said.

Agarwala had also independently directed two critically-aclaimed Assamese movies Kesa Sun and Dhoomuha.

Agarwala till his end was managing the state’s first cinema hall Jonaki established in 1939 by his brother Jyoti Prasad Agarwalla. His wife,a noted social worker Padma Agarwallan had died earlier. Hridayananda is survived by two daughters and two sons.