Aideu Handique

Aideu Handique Biography

Aideu Handique was the first heroine of Assamese silver screen. She played the female lead of first Assamese movie - Joymoti (1935) directed by noted writer and playwright, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala. She remained unmarried throughout her life since she called her co-star, ‘Husband’. She acted in the film at age 16 and had to face ostracism from the society where she lived. She had to face a lot of oppositions as she worked with male artists for the movie. She never acted in another film and saw the movie for the first time only in 1985. This legendary actress passed away on 17 December 2002 in Kamargaon, Golaghat.

Aideu Handique was born in 1920 in Pani Dihingiya, Golaghat. Her parents were Nilambar Handique and Laxmi Handique. When Jyotiprasad Agarwalla decided to make the first Assamese movie, based on the life of Ahom queen Joymoti he went on to search a heroine for the role. An associate of Agarwalla was Aideu’s cousin. When he showed the photographs of Aideu to the filmmaker he was impressed by it. Yet the director had to attempt a lot to make her agree for the movie. She finally nodded her head after getting permission from her father.

But after that she was isolated from the society and her family was fined by a kangaroo court also. No man was willing to marry her and she lived in solitude till her death. Since there were only less number of theaters then, the star was not able to see her on celluloid. She saw the movie only when Assam celebrated the golden jubilee year of Assamese cinema in 1985. Like the tragic queen Joymoti, the first heroine of Assam was also destined to a tragic life. She passed away in 2002 aged 87.

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Updated: September 04, 2014