Award-winning Khasi film Oatah screened in Shillong

A REPORTER

SHILLONG, April 28: The much hyped Khasi film directed by tiol Award winning director Pradip Kurbah, Oatah – of the earth, which won the Rajat Kamal award in the tiol Film Awards filly premiered at St. Anthony’s College here on Thursday.

The film featuring Merlvin Jude Mukhim and Sweety Jane Pala in lead roles is produced by Pomu Das and Marji Kurbah. Other veteran actors include Enshon Lamare, Richard Kharpuri and Mary Nonghuloo.

Oatah is filmed largely amidst the rural outback of Meghalaya including Thangsning, Mawlynngot, Mawkynrew, Jongksha, Rapleng and parts of Iewrynghep, Umkhoi, Wahlyngkhat and Lyngkyrdem in East Khasi Hills, with a few scenes shots in Shillong.

Sweety Jane Pala, leading actress, who stepped into the shoes of a rape victim in the movie was applauded for her acting where some school students in the interactive session said that it was inspiring.

On being asked as to how she prepared for the character, she said, “I did rehearsal for a month.”

Melvin Mukhim’s acting was applauded by the audience with his comic timing.

Speaking to reporters as to how did he deftly slipped into the character of a garrulous villager and how he prepared for the role of a Nongkrem speaking lad, he said, “It took a couple of months and it took a lot of sincere effort of visiting places like Jongksha, Mawkynrew, Mawlyngot, to understand the language and the kind of dialect.”

Asked if he has done justice to his funny character which is a far cry from his usually serious acting, he said, “If at all the people have laugh and gone all along the way with the character, I think it is because they connect.”

In the interactive session, the audience applauded the movie, the beautiful landscape presented in the movie and the leading actors were praised for their inspiring acting.

It may be reminded that earlier Oatah has been officially selected for the Hong Kong Intertiol Film Festival. After screenings in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Jaipur, the film was also showcased at Festival of Cinema, Manipur on April 13. The movie is the second Khasi film to bag the tiol Award. In 2014 Kurbah had won the award for Ri – Homeland of Uncertainty, a film based on the diminishing returns of militancy.