Please tell us about your work with respect to Emuthi Puthi. How has this experience been for you as a professional?
I essentially engaged with Emuthi Puthi as a writer and co-producer. My work largely was about developing the story and co-writing the script. I was also helping the director Kulanandini Mahanta by overseeing the creative process. I would like to believe that given my experience as a director I could provide some cinematic insights that contributed positively towards the overall quality of the film.
Assamese cinema is truly coming of age these days with so many fresh genres being explored by way of scripts. Your thoughts on this please.
Instead of saying that Assamese cinema is coming of age I would say that Assamese cinema is now actually stepping into the 21st century. This is largely happening because of the progressive trends that Assamese cinema is witnessing in terms of production and distribution. This landscape has visibly changed and it is being reflected in the kind of scripts that are being made and the kind of films that are being shown. The late nineties marked a wave of popularity for Assamese cinema and in very recent years this popularity has made a comeback. I am hopeful that the progressive trends in terms of making, producing and distributing films will continue (and evolve) and that we shall be able to match strides with the rest of the country.
Please lend us an overview of the dynamics of making and exhibiting an Assamese film today. How does this situation compare with the situation 20 years ago? For instance Ratnakar was an example of an unprecedented blockbuster in the recent past so one would assume that things have started looking up.
Well the dynamics of making and distributing an Assamese film has not much changed over the years. Just that today as producers and directors we are in a position to keep a tighter track on how and where our films are being exhibited. I really don't know how exactly the situation has changed when compared to 20 years ago but yes I do know that a lot has changed. There is a vast difference in the way in which a film is made and distributed today. Technological advancements are definitely attributing to this change among other things. Yes Ratnakar was a telling example of this change as it was an unprecedented blockbuster and I am hoping that we see many more blockbusters from the Assamese film industry.
What have been some of the specific impacts of covid and overall challenges plaguing the industry today? What is the way forward?
One of the biggest challenges of Assamese film industry has always been the lack of exhibition spaces. And after covid this problem has aggravated as many theatres had to forcibly shut down. In my view the way forward is micro cinemas. We keep hearing about government schemes planning to offer subsidies for people who want to set up micro cinemas and I truly hope that it becomes a reality.
How important are screenings at film festivals?
The importance of film festivals are actually determined by the genre of the film in question. For instance if you are making a commercial film you can totally by-pass that route. But for small independent projects (much like the ones that we make from this region) film festivals are important for they help to create a buzz around the film. It is important to understand that the judges and people who frequent film festivals are connoisseurs of cinema and hence participating in a film festival also translates to value feedback for the director.
Your thoughts in terms of OTT releases of Assamese films. Is the platform being adequately leveraged?
OTT platforms have definitely translated to a fresh lease of life for small film producers like us. But the platform has not been adequately leveraged by Assamese cinema yet. There is a reason behind this. Even today Assamese films do not have much viewership. And therefore as directors and producers our immediate responsibility is to build a loyal base of audiences by creating compelling and relatable cinema. Once this is done it is much easier to tap OTT channels who have their own prescribed criterions (including potential viewership) for acquiring scripts.
Finally your advice to aspiring filmmakers of the region?
Well I shall simply say do not watch too many films. Instead read more books as that will result in some uniqueness and originality in terms of your cinematic vision. Secondly I shall urge all aspiring filmmakers to work much harder on their scripts. It is very important to have a tight compact and sensible script and making a script entails time-anywhere between six months to a year.
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