To A Shining Star From Manipuri Cinema!

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, so go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that’s where you will find success.” - Thomas J. Watson

Well, someone has rightly quoted that failure is a stepping stone to success. There were/are many celebrities across the world who failed in their initial stage of career and struggled hard to achieve their dreams. One cannot ever imagine how the iconic Charlie Chaplin was initially rejected by Hollywood studio chiefs because they felt he was not worth for any role in the film industry. World famous writer J.K. Rowling who has rolled out a lot of Harry Potter dough today was nearly a penniless, severely depressed, divorced lady who tried hard to raise a child on her own while attending school and writing a novel and not to forget Oprah Winfrey the most iconic face on Television who is now one of the richest and successful women in the world, someone who started a tough journey then. Oprah had numerous career setbacks that even included being fired from her job as a TV reporter. And from a local context, we do have many struggling artists in our very society. Their untold stories need a space to be told again and again.

Flipping through the pages of my diary, I realized that I missed out certain things worth sharing about a particular artist in question. This column is in continuation to one of the earlier published columns with the title- ‘From Amamba Lambi to Phijigee Mani- The Journey of An Artist’ As I earlier mentioned, he (most of you already know who) is one of the most talked about actors in Manipur Film Industry. He has been profiled as an actor and singer. His fans go crazy about him. Young boys imitate his style. He is a trend setter not just in our film industry but also among today’s youth. He is a big brother for them. On the whole, old and young Manipuri audiences love him for his originality and sincere attitude.

‘I will act till my last breathe' - This is what he has got to tell about acting as a prominent artist in Manipur Film Industry. It was the same day when I had a chit chat with him when he related me all those bitter accounts of his past life. He wore a depressed look sharing the memories of those days when he almost failed in his struggles to become an artist. Poverty further took a toll in his life because of which he could not travel a smooth journey as an artist in his earlier days of career. He blurted out ‘Akhoi emung na fuutlaga chaaraktaba insaang amata leitrey matamduda’ and cried. For a while I could not believe I was having a chit-chat with one of the prominent artists from our film industry. My heart almost broke listening to all his accounts on that day. He did relate me one particular incident when his family was eagerly waiting for him to return home with a few bucks to buy medicine for his ailing father and also to buy food. He returned with just 10 bucks in his pocket on that particular day. I could not help imagining how he might have felt on that day, but it sure pained my heart over the thought for reasons not known. Fighting all the odd battles of life, he has evolved as an artist and also as an individual today. Kudos to him for his courage, patience and strong willpower that have collectively made him an evolved person today.

We are always in the pursuit of something in our lives and for a true artist it’s nothing but the appreciation of his or her true worth as an artist not as a celebrity in a crowd of hundreds or thousands. He has this strong opinion that every artist in our society deserves at least one opportunity to culture his art. He did relate me again and again about how many artists in our society never get a chance to culture their artistic skill set out of poverty. I have this opinion that the society has a primary role to play in shaping the life of a true artist for whom his art is also the means of livelihood. We must try to support or encourage them in whatsoever way we can. Be it singing, acting, dancing or any profession, every artist must be given a chance to culture his skill.

My primary motive of coming up with a similar theme today is to ensure all the budding artists in our society that they can live their dreams only if they do not let the very dreams waver amid the humdrums of life. I do sincerely wish that many promising artists in our society get inspired by Da Bonny’s story (which is not at all imaginary). No matter how rough and tough the road ahead seems, one should never ever give up. Da Bonny puts it in his words ‘punsida singnaba ama thamgadouni’.

Wishing him many luck and success in his life, wishing him all the happiness under the sun on his birthday- which is today. Before I wind up this write up, here is a stolen verse from Da Bonny, who is also a poet in the making-

ahing amadagi ahing ama,
ayuk amadagi ayuk ama;
matam madi chatkhi,
nong nganbani eina ngairiba

Cheers to our Manipuri Cinema’s Shining Star!

This article was published on 27 May 2012

From Amamba Lambi to Phijigee Mani - the Journey of an Artist

‘Meikhet Maru Ama-tangdi Khetlamba Paami Hougatlakliba Artist Ma-yam Asida Mangaal Macha Amatang Oirasu Piramba Ngamnaba’ – this has become one of my favourite contemporary quotes in Manipuri. Well, this quote is copyrighted and no one shall have the legitimacy to claim it his or hers. My story on the journey of an artist has a justifiable connection with this quote. I am equally glad and proud to share this story with everyone and to acknowledge the identity of this special artist in question.

The story goes this way:

Once upon a time in Imphal, there was a kid who used to loiter around the streets of the town, desperately seeking for a means of livelihood to support his parents and siblings. For a child, who was supposed to play with his friends at the leikai lampaak, he spent his time fighting a fierce battle of survival. Life was a daring challenge for him and his struggling family who cannot afford two meals a day. He spent his childhood worrying about the needs and demands of his family rather than his own.

Hingnabagi laanfamda chilhao thiba yaade — he had proved it many a time during his struggling days as a child and as an adolescent. He started earning a livelihood, working as a labourer (from hajira suba) at a very tender age. Later he started going from one leikai to another selling journals and at one time during his teenage days, he worked as a news hawker. Quite a tough journey for a child with so many ‘erei-turei’ at each and every turn of his life, but he never gave up.

Perhaps, the general knowledge book on Manipur would fail to identify the pioneers of second-hand shopkeepers in Imphal town (among which he is also one). Guess what? He still cherishes the memory of those days when he had to yell ‘yaangkhei yaangkhei’ at the second-hand shop with his friends. He admits, ‘What I am today is just because of what I was then’.

Against all the odds, today, he has won the heart of thousands of his fans in Manipur. He has become the latest craze among the Manipuris. Everyone loves him for his originality and sincerity. A gem of an actor in Manipur film industry and a natural artist, his journey is quite commendable in more than one way. He is a living example of a true artist, who has paved his own way standing firm on his conviction and an invincible spirit. His chingjaoguum lengdraba lingjel and an overwhelming inspiration that he has been continuously seeking from many bitter experiences in his past have so far moulded him to become the true artist he is today.

In the entertainment world, he started in the theatre, and shifted to shumaang leela and later made a stylish entry to the Manipur film industry. A newbie in shumang leela, his first play Amamba Lambi was a super flop (so did he say). From Amamba Lambi to Aruba Echel, which marked a turning point in his career in shumang leela and then to Yaiskul Pakhang Angaoba, one of the most popular Manipuri digital movies in recent time, he has solely defined and proved himself as an inborn artist. Today, it would not be an exaggeration to call him one of the rare ‘Pheejigi Mani’ of the Manipur film industry. Call him Yaiskul Pakhang Angaoba, Yo Sanatombi, Ronald or Thonba, he is one of the favourite stars in Manipur. Kudos to this artist, actor, singer and most importantly, a wonderful person!

He seeks his inspiration from real-life experiences. Sometimes his nephew and sometimes the leipung-famba leikai kids, there are many sources of his inspiration. But most significantly he gives the credit to his Oja-Guru, parents and those hard lessons in the past that have enabled him to become the person he is today.

He feels that there are many struggling artists in our society who need our support and encouragement to culture their artistic skills. He wants to convey a strong message that their inspiration should not wither away simply because they have been born and brought up in families that cannot afford to let them go their way. ‘Meikhet maru amatangdi khetlamba paami hougatlakliba artist mayam asida mangaal macha amatang oirasu piramba ngamnaba’, this is exactly what Gurumayum Bonny Sharma wants to convey to all the budding artists in our state.


We may win many laurels and achieve many things in life. But what counts is how we accomplish those goals. And as they say ‘sanagi magundi meida itlaba matungdadang khang ee’, we should never get discouraged at any walk of our life and move on no matter what, why or how. Interestingly I learned all these from just one single rendezvous with Da Bonny.

PS: Follow the river and you will find the sea: this is Da Bonny’s favourite quote by his father (late) Gurumayum Robindro Sharma, and now one of my favourites too.