Dhemaji: A stately Assam-type house occupies pride of place at Phukan Nagar in Dibrugarh town. Yet it stands forlorn, with its cobweb of memories and unpruned garden.

Assam's cult actor Biju Phukan was born here on February 18, 1947, and stayed till 1970, the year his debut film Dr. Bezbaruah was released. After the film's resounding success, he shifted to Guwahati. From time to time, he would visit the house but financial constraints forced him to mortgage it to the State Bank of India, Dibrugarh, in 2007. He couldn't repay the loan and the bank seized it in 2012. That was the year the actor last visited it.

No one lives in the house anymore. The lock on the gate keeps out visitors.

Dhemaji-based socio-cultural organisation Kolaz told The Telegraph on Thursday that they had written to chief minister Sarbanand Sonowal, requesting acquisition of the house as a memorial to the actor. Kolaz president Bijan Sharma and secretary Jiban Konwar said with Phukan's passing away, Assam had lost a great pillar of Assamese cinema. They said Phukan's "contribution to the development of Assamese cinema was colossal and his legacy should be preserved for future generations". For this, the government needs to acquire and preserve Phukan's birthplace.