Film on Assam’s floods wins big at IFFI

GUWAHATI: Assamese film ‘Bridge’ by Kripal Kalita won a special jury mention award at the 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) — the second Assamese film to receive such a recognition at the festival after Santwana Bardoloi-directed ‘Adajya’ in 1996. The latter had received the jury award.
“The condition of the Assamese film industry is not good.The award is a great acknowledgement. I honoured to receive it. This recognition will certainly boost the confidence of young filmmakers of the state,” Kalita told TOI.
Kalita, an independent filmmaker with a theatre background, has taken mostly newcomers as crew and cast for the film. The sound design of the film has been done by Amrit Pritam Dutta, a renowned sound artiste, a recipient of several international awards.
Kalita said he had a tough time in the film distribution as “many theatres remain closed because of the lockdown due to Covid-19”.
The 43-year-old filmmaker also said the people of Assam should come to theatres to watch Assamese films.
The film throws light on the devastations and hardships that floods bring to villages every year. “There is no solution in sight for this problem. I, being a farmer’s son from rural Assam, have faced this,” said Kalita, at IFFI, Goa.
He said, “For a particular shot, the crew had to remain submerged in floodwater for seven hours.”
Every year, the mighty Brahmaputra and its tributaries flood many villages and ruin cultivation. Kalita said the film’s protagonist Jonaki goes through an unusual struggle caused by floods. Her plight gets aggravated by the absence of a bridge over the river. But, in the end, she becomes empowered, signifying that “life must go on”.
“Shiva Rani Kalita who plays the role of ‘Jonaki’ was chosen after a screen-testing done on 300 college-goers and theatre artistes. The film, made with limited resources, was shot in a real flood situation in Upper Assam. Real scenes of people struggling in floodwaters have been used in the film,” he said.
Filmmaker and critic Utpal Borpujari said the last few years have been very good for Assamese cinema and this award is another celebration point.