R Prashanth
What is it that attracts us to fairy tales? Is it the magic? Is it the flights of imagition at bedtime? Or is it the warmth of an elder imparting morals? Kothanodi, which had its Assam premiere at the river island Majuli last evening, stays loyal to all these notions except for one distinct spin.
These tales weren’t going to be the saccharine sweet, escapist fare that one sees in the modern day understanding of folklore. Children are often shielded from the malice that the world of folklore and fairytales are littered with. The makers of Kothanodi eschew all this sugarcoating while keeping the stories universal. Not all tales end happily ever after. And the journey of each character has the rocky patches and bad hair days that life in general has to offer.
Though not the first to adapt Assamese folktales to film, these dark retellings have broken ground with a series of firsts—the unfettered, dark rrative being but the tip of the iceberg.
‘Kothanodi’ had its world premiere almost a year back at the coveted Busan Intertiol Film Festival. A prestigious first for an Assamese film. Film buffs in India would’ve noted its extensive festival run in the past year. Critics and film curators definitely have.
The film has travelled to prestigious festivals across the world. Melbourne, Stuttgart, Goteborg, Los Angeles are some of the prestigious film festivals that laurel the film.
It is also the first Assamese production to receive an Asian Cinema Fund grant. Not an easy feat as filmmakers acquainted with film grants would testify. Its makers successfully crowd-funded it further to finish the film. Another first for the industry and definitely an inspiratiol feat for the steadily burgeoning independent film scerio in the country.
Kothanodi’s list of felicitations came full circle when it bagged the tiol Award for the Best feature film in Assamese early this year. An award that further endorses the universal yet rootedness of the film’s canvas.
The makers also maged to attract the talents of globally acknowledged stalwarts like Seema Biswas and Adil Hussain as well as popular stars like Zerifa Wahid and Kopil Bora who are primarily known for their contribution to what is the current mainstream in Assamese films and have them play against type. The Assamese industry rarely witnesses an ensemble of such calibre and range. Maybe another first?
Matching this stellar line up step for step are two newcomers Kasvi Sarma and Majuli’s very own show stopper the Sattriya danseuse Monisha Bhuyan.
The film is loosely adapted from Lakshmith Bezbaroa’s ‘Burhi Ai’r Xadhu’, which translates to ‘Grandma’s Tales’ in Assamese. The dialogues are by the acclaimed novelist Dr. Arupa Patangi Kalita who has always otherwise avoided writing for celluloid by choice.
Regiol movies are often burdened with the cultural idiosyncrasies that are difficult to get past. This is Bhaskar Hazarika’s directorial debut and through these folktales the film reinforces the notion that when a film presents a piece of heritage engagingly, it empowers the viewer to interpret it in a contemporary context, thereby making the content truly universal.
Back to its Assamese roots, the journey of the film has again come full circle with last evening’s Assam premiere at Majuli. And as evidenced by the audience at the screening, a good film will pin the viewers to their seats, be it at home or at far stretches of the world, like Stuttgart and Goteborg.
It was in Majuli that the film had started its production in 2014. Without any theatre at its disposal Bhaskar and his motley group drew local support yet again. The Uttar Kamalabari Satra provided the hall and other infrastructure and also helped set up a projection system.
The evening began with a prayer for success by Sri Jardhan Goswami- the Satra Adhikari of the Uttar Kamalabari Satra. The occasion was also graced by special guests like Pallav Gopal Jha, DC (District Collector) and Amiya Bhuyan, the SP (Superintendent of Police) of Majuli. The premiere screening of the film would have been incomplete without the presence of Pawan Bezbaroa, a well regarded academic and a third generation descendant of the eminent writer of Buri Ai-r Xadhu as well as the founder member of the Satra - Rasraj Lakmshith Bezbaroa.
It was a delightful first time experience for the people of the largest river island in the world and a UNESCO heritage site. And a delightful homecoming for Kothanodi and it’s vibrant team.
(Kothanodi releases across Assam on September 16. It had its World Premiere on October 3, 2015 in the Busan Intertiol Film Festival and its Assam premiere at the more than three centuries old Uttar Kamalabari Satra hall in Majuli on September 13.)