Jamuna

Biography

Jamuna was the fourth daughter of the six daughters of Puran Gupta, a resident of a village near Agra, India. Each of the sisters were named after Indian rivers like Ganga, Jamuna, Bhagirathi etc. As destiny would have it, Jamuna came to reside in Calcutta, a leading film producing city in India, in the thirties and played a small role in Mohabbat Ki Kasauti (1934), directed by P.C. Barua. A romance started although Barua, hailing from the native Indian state of Gauripur, Assam, was already twice married. As the actress, who was to play Parbati in Barua's next venture Devdas (1935) reported inability to attend the studio on the very first day of shooting, Jamuna was called from Barua's residence (she was living with him by then) and was asked to get down to work stright away without any preparation whatsoever. Thus she came to be the first Parbati of Indian talkies- Miss Light had played the role in the silent vertion of the enormously popular Sarat Chandra novel. Aishwarya Rai happens to the last so far and Devdas has been made and re-made a number of times. Jamuna played the same role in the Hindi version also and was accepted in this very first proper exposure as an actress in her own right. She continued to act in Barua's films like Grihadaha (1936), Maya (1936), Adhikar (1939), Uttarayan (1941), Shesh Uttar (1942), Chander Kalanka (1944)and the respective Hindi versions of each film. Barua had left the prestigious New Theatres in 1940 and was directing as well as producing his films. Thereafter she acted in a number of Barua directed Hindi movies like Amiree, Pehchan and Iran Ki Ek Raat. These films however did not add to the prestige of either to Barua or to Jamuna and are better forgotten. Jamuna also acted outside Barua direction in three Bengali films Debar (1943) and Nilanguriya (1943) where she proved herself without Barua's influence. Her last film Malancha (1953) was also outside Barua's direction. She also starred in its hindi version Phulwari (1953). Barua's untimely death in 1951 when he was only 48 changed Jamuna's life altogether. She had three sons by Barua, Deb Kumar, Rajat and Prasun. They were all minors at the time and the Gauripur estate refused to take any of their responsibilities. She had to wage a legal battle with the powerful and influential royal family to get her and her children's dues and recognition. Time settled the matters and she was allowed ownership of the house with its vast adjoining land and also an allowance. Jamuna spent the rest of her life after Barua as a housewife, busy in bringing up her minor sons. She had to complete the unfinished film Malancha of course but said good bye to the world soon after. Later in her life she did attend a number of functions to celebrate the centennary year of husband P.C.Barua and recived felicitations on behalf of the Goverment of India and the state Government of Assam as the first Parbati of Indian talkies. Her last days were not very comfortable and she was bedridden for more than six months prior to her death. Her death totally snapped the ties with the thirties. No other Indian actress of her time and calibre is alive today. She is survived by her three sons and their families and a host of relatives and admirers.