new year in Assamese cinema
Amidst the discussions on the unserious film making of Zubeen Garg and the resemblances Ratnakar shared with Theri, the hope of a second Oscar run led to the release of Rima Das’ Bulbul Can Sing.
After collecting many laurels at the national and international platform audiences too showered praises upon release.
But a dissatisfied few had also criticized the movie for its technical shortcomings.
A hard hitting tale of a group of friends finding love, life and themselves in the midst of societal dogmas and stigmas, Bulbul Can Sing is raw, insightful and empowering and in all its skepticism an extension of the world created by Village Rockstars.
With long postponed movies releasing one after another, the month of November was a clearance sale for Assamese cinema.
Topon Bordoloi’s Rowd Hoi Aha Tumi went unseen and unnoticed.
It wouldn’t be completely right to say that the makers didn’t focus on the promotion of their film but the movie simply failed to garner buzz due to obvious reasons.
Even the scenery of Singapore, Malaysia and Kerala in the film failed in its search for audience.
The immediate second release, Astittwa too struggled to find viewers as many shows were cancelled due to the unavailability of patrons.
A film too conscious of its objective and intentions, Astittwa shares direct ties to our current geopolitical moment but offers nothing new in terms of storytelling.
The thirst was only for making a cultural commentary.
Pranabjyoti Bhorali’s Epar Xipar starring Amrita Gogoi and Udyan Duarah too faced a similar fate.
November also saw the limited release of two Bodo films Raja Narzary’s Gwthar and Rajni Basumatary’s Jwlwi – The Seed.
Bhaskar Hazarika’s Aamis was the biggest surprise of the year.
Having its premier at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, there wasn’t a better cinematic metaphor this year.
Aamis like many is a love story spun around food only it doesn’t stay there.
A mouthwatering concept that quickly descends into terrifying wickedness, Aamis is a delicious horror in disguise of a love story.
Bold, brilliant and beautiful picture where both beauty and brutality is uncompromised Aamis provoked an intense debate of morality and its impact on viewers upon release.
Aamis suffered on its third week as the state awoke to a strong and violent opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 but will garner a cult following in the coming years.
The last release of 2019 Achinta Shankar’s Pratighaat too suffered unable to complete its first week run as the region plunged into a week-long darkness of curfew and internet shutdown.
The losses incurred by this action thriller starring Amrita Gogoi in all rage will be unimaginable.Soon enough National Award winning filmmaker Jahnu Barua withdrew his film Bhoga Khirikee (still awaiting a theatrical release) from the Assam State Film Awards and Film Festival in protest against the Citizenship Bill, now an Act.
Also, the Film Policy for Assam still lies in the making as it has always been.
This is how the different year turned into a difficult year for Assamese cinema!
With upcoming release Himanshu Prasad Das’s Guru now postponed from January to May, it is to be seen how 2020 plays out for Assamese cinema.
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