Nagamese-Hindi film 'Nani Teri Morni' Screened at Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival

Guwahati: The Nagamese-Hindi film Nani Teri Morni by director Akashaditya Lama was screened at the ongoing Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival (BVFF) in Guwahati on Thursday. The Film produced by the Children’s Film Society of India.

The film though targeted for audience in the age group of 5-10 years, yet it was a film compelling and entertaining enough that no matter who it was intended for, there was really nothing to stop an adult from enjoying it, although some elements were clearly added to appeal to the children.

The film is based on the real-life story of the youngest recipient of the National Bravery Award in 2015, eight-year-old Mhonbeni Ezung from Nagaland. Mhonbeni, played in this movie by the delightful Zinen Nilo Kant, was fishing with her grandmother at a river in Chudi village in Wokha when her grandmother suffered sudden cramps, then a stroke, and fell unconscious in the river. Mhonbeni dragged her grandmother out of the river, then ran 7 kilometres through a dense jungle to get help and save her.

Nani Teri Morni is narrated by Mhonbeni’s grandmother and begins by talking about how young Mhonbeni loved hearing stories, often the same story again and again. One of her favourites was the story of Ranchan, a brave tribal leader who single-handedly fought off a man-eating tiger to save his tribe, which had given up on him, and moved to another village.

Talking about the film,director Akashaditya Lama said that much of the movie’s 10 lakh budget was spent on travelling to remote, jungled locations, and also on the VFX that helped ease the film’s transitions between Mhonbeni’s life, the recounting of old Naga legends and the dark magic unleashed by the witch, Miss Dar-Ku-La.

Nani Teri Morni will hold particular appeal for those from Nagaland, but otherwise, also the stories and traditions are conveyed in such an intriguing way that will only make any audience want to immediately go home and do a google search about Naga tribes, history, culture and traditions.

Any movie buff will find respite in the little, adorable and astonishingly talented child actor, five-year-old Zinen Nilo Kant. The mature performance of the naturally gifted kid actor is good enough to compete with any Bollywood superstar.

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