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A short note on Assamese
Film
By Utpal Datta
It was 1935. History of Indian Talking Cinema has just started. AT that
time one Assamese visionary had returned from Germany with adequate film
making training and started first Assamese Motion Picture JOYMATI based on
the life of An Ahom Princess JOYMATI. Unsurprisingly, at that time here was
no infrastructure for Film Making in Assam, yet he started and wrote the
first page of history of Assamese Film. He was Jyotiprasad. He was a poet,
playwright, composer and freedom fighter. For his film he had to bear the
added responsibilities as the script writer, producer, director,
choreographer, editor, set and costume designer, lyricist, voice actor and
music director. The film, completed with a budget of Rupees Sixty thousand
and was released on March 10th, 1935. The picture failed despondently in
business. But he rose like as a phoenix bird and made his second film
INDRAMALATI (1939). This was a commercial success and it recovered all the
losses incurred in JOYMATI. But due to ill health, Jyotiprasad failed to
continue his film making venture. INDARAMALATI was set in the backdrop of
freedom movement of India.
The third Assamese film was MANOMATI based on a famous Assamese Novel
set in the backdrop of Assam History. It was the time of pre independence
and naturally the filmmakers honestly tried reveal their nationalistic
approach in films like Rupahi (46) and Badan Barphukan (1947).
After Independence Assamese film makers also eperiened a new country
with new hopes and aspirations and they tried to express their feelings
through the films they made. They tried to visualize social problems and
human values in a middle class backdrop. Nip Baruah's SMRITIR PARSASH and
Prabhat Mukherjee's PUBERUN may be considered as two examples. The film
Puberun participating in Berlin Film festival begged the honour to be the
first Assamese Film shown in a foreign film festival. Bhupen Hajorika came
up with his remarkable partly autobiographical musical ERA BATOR SUR
((1956) depicting story of a musician searching the milieu of sand and soil
of his native land.
By the middle of the sixties, films were produced in Assam almost on a
regular basis. Most of the films were thematically based on middle class
values and sentiments and theatrical presentation with dominating music
controlled the structural pattern. It should also be mentioned here that
between 1935 and to 1970 a total of 62 films were produced and most of the
films catered the audience.
During the period of 1970-82 a total of 57 Assamese films were made. New
directors started emerging on the horizon with innovative subjects and
filmic treatment. Chaturanga's Aparajeya (1970). Samarendra Narayan Deb's
Aranya (1970), Manoranjan Sur's Uttaran (1973), Deuti Barua's Bristi (1974)
Pulok Gogoi Khoj (1974) Padam Barua's Ganga Chilanir Pakhi (1976) Dr.
Bhabendranath Saikia's Sandhyarag (1977) and Atul Bordoloi's Kollol (1978)
are films worth - mentioning.
Sandhyarag was made with a huge budget though the story resolved with
problems of hunger and crisis of survival. Yet the film received
outstanding commercial success in the home front and critical appreciation
in the national front. The film was shown in Indian Panorama and has
participated in several foreign festivals too. The success of Sandhyarag
encouraged a group of young directors to think in the same way of
Sandhyarag which was the beginning of path breaking process for the
Assamese Film world. Few directors like Jahnu Baruah, Pradip Brahma, Bidyut
Chakravarty, Gautam Bora, Hemanta Das, Sanjeev Hazorika, Swantana Bardaloi,
Manju Bora had joined the path Dr Saikia has introduced. All of them has
created meaningful cinema, earned prizes as prestige from home and abroad,
helped Assamese film to be recognized in a broad arena with own identity.
But, most of the films failed in box office of the state.
Towards the end of 90's, Assamese film has faced lots of problem in film
distribution. As a result Assamese Film industry had to stand in such a
position which was virtually a full stop. But suddenly few films came up
with new promises and audience appreciated those venture though they were
poor imitation of run of mill Hindi Film. In the last decade of 20th
century a large group of young directors came up with their projects to
revive the film industry. But history repeated again. Emergence of compact
disc, unhealthy condition of theatres and poor distribution system attacked
Assamese film industry and the situation is going on. Yet some directors
are trying to continue film making with a different approach. Jahnu Baruah
is making Hindi film and Pradip Brahma in English.
The author may be reached at utpal91@yahoo.com
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