GUWAHATI: 'Secret Killings' or 'Gupta Hotya' - the darkest phase of Assam, is a cruel reminder of what people in Assam have once witnessed and learnt to live with, without closure.
Two-time National Award winner Nilaanjan Reeta Datta's debut Hindi film 'Shadow Assassins' puts the spotlight back on the 'secret killings' of Assam, which marked the darkest period in the history of the Northeastern State.
The dreaded night-time knock on the door ended up unleashing a blood bath, with more than 1,100 innocent civilians reported having been killed between 1998 and 2001. Over two decades after the 'secret killings' ended, the chilling carnage continues to cast long shadows on the survivors and their families. The film 'Shadow Assassins' is based on facts according to the Retd Justice KN Saikia Commission's report on the brutalities. But, in 2018, based on a writ petition the Guwahati High Court declared the constitution of the commission invalid. As the director mentioned, the film also ultimately keeps the identity of the assailant in shadow as no valid justice was finally delivered and the identity of the assailants remains a mystery to date. 'Shadow Assassins' turns back the pages on a dark chapter of history that has for long remained in the backdrop of our collective conscience. The story of 'Shadow Assassins' narrates a fictitious character named Nirbhay Kalita. Nirbhay leaves his home in Guwahati, Assam, with dreams of starting a new chapter in life on a college campus over 2,000 km away in Pune, Maharashtra. But the political turmoil in his home State soon engulfs him and his family, triggering a chain of events that will radically alter the course of his life.
The film, comprising an ensemble cast and crew drawn from the Hindi, Bengali and Assamese film industries with Anurag Sinha and Mishti Chakravarty in the lead; Rakesh Chaturvedi Om, Hemant Kher, KP Sandhu, Monuj Borkotoky, Akash Sinha in pivotal roles, released nationwide on cinemas on December 9.
Actors from Assam like Ranjeev Lal Baruah, Bibhuti Bhushan Hazarika, Violet Nazir Tiwari, Stuti Choudhury, Mrigendra Narayan Konwar, Ranjita Boruah, etc., play important roles in this film. The costumes have been designed by renowned Assamese costume designer Garima Saikia Garg and the make-up was done by Biswa Kalita. Moreover, this film has two songs by Javed Ali and Zubeen Garg under the music direction of Ashu Chakraborty.
As the director of the film has said, this is probably one of the few Bollywood films that have been made on an original plot from Assam. (ANI)
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