Amazing Assamese Cinema

Assamese Cinema symbolises the art which gives a platform to see beyond the lenses into the vibrancy, the innocence and the life of  the beautiful state and it also unleashing the hidden potential that stand between its triumphant debut and now tickling many unheard tunes and exploring many unexplored corners -confronting the world with impudence through the realm of the universal medium.

I wondered to myself as I watched Jahnu Baruah’s National Awarded Best Assamese Film ‘Baandhon’ – why was the deliberate connection in the script necessary between an elderly couple from Assam and the aftermaths of a terror attack in Mumbai. Was it just a story narration and I should not try to read between the lines or was it also about the strong unseen  influences between the Bollywood film world which Assamese cinema somehow looks up to today, for possibly quite a few of other good reasons – making, locations, funding, distribution and commercial success. Hard to put a finger on, but tracing back to the inception of Assamese cinema, one finds oral traditions, folklore, folk songs and dances which have been a part of everyday life in this north eastern state of Assam over the ages. With the influx of British imperialism and Bengali culture in its wake, what was once popular, gradually came to be looked down upon. There was also a positive side to this. It exposed the educated Assamese to the Indian Renaissance. The Assamese youth who went to Kolkata for higher studies drew inspiration from it and began expressing their views on Assamese nationality. This backdrop had a profound influence on one Mr. Jyotiprasad, considered the pioneer of Assamese film, to connect to a meaningful past in the first produced Assamese film ‘Joymati’ in 1935. This is perhaps the origin of Assamese cinema that can be traced to today. All started as a result of dreams  and aspirations of the  revolutionary visionary Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwala which was his full name, who was also a distinguished poet, playwrite, composer and freedom fighter. He was almost a one man production team in the making of the first Assamese film under the banner of Chitrakala movietone. Without trained manpower he made this maiden film multitasking as the script writer, producer , director, choreographer, editor, set and costume designer, lyricist and music director. The film completed with a budget of Rupees sixty thousand and was released in March 1935.

Jyotiprasad’s lineage also played a role in his feat. His great-grandfather was Navrangram Agarwala, a Marwari trader from Rajasthan who came to Assam in 1829 and embraced Sankaradeva’s Vaishnavism. His son Haribilash Agarwala published the religious texts of Sankaradeva. Jyotiprasad’s paternal uncle Chandrakumar Agarwala was a poet who launched the journal Jonaki, which heralded the age of romanticism in Assamese literature. Jyotiprasad himself was a poet, dramatist, musician, sculptor and filmmaker. So when the Indian film industry was still nascent, Jyotiprasad chose to appeal to Assam’s meaningful past through folk narrative of Ahom princess Joymoti. The film showcased all that was essentially Assamese the sets, the outfits, the outdoor scenes, Japi dance, Bhaona performance, the songs…Jymoti thus became a vehicle of cultural assertion of a people subjugated by colonial and cultural imperialism.

Joymoti’s tale had become a symbol of cultural resistance and resilience for the Assamese community. Today, her story is peppered with folk elements, making it a piece of art that can be retold, questioned and reflected upon. When Jyoti Prasad Agarwala chose her tale to make the first Assamese film he was thinking about this ability of a wildly popular narration to transcend its times, and also to strengthen community bonds along the way. As Assam celebrates Shilpi Divas, the birth anniversary of Agarwala, it’s as good a time as any to tackle a few questions about the current state of Assamese cinema, and its journey from the pre-Independence era to contemporary times. The days of social realist cinema didn’t last long, though,  this can be said to be true for many other states in the country too. Agarwala’s Jyoti Chitraban studio, which couldn’t have been set up keeping the bottom-line in mind,  suffered from monstrous neglect and apathy on the part of the state government.

Despite crippling obstacles like governmental neglect, societal disdain and an acute lack of screens, Assamese cinema has come a long way. The culture of cinema watching has been disturbed due to several socio-political reasons, insurgency being one of them. So, frankly there is not much reference to look up to, which in turn obstructs the path of localised filmmaking. The slackness of the government is somewhat responsible for the mediocre performances of regional cinemas. Film making did carry on over the years but at a slow pace and almost entirely due to the interest of a few passionate film makers like  Baruah. And to a large extent they were produced by the maker’s own expenses. Quite grim to think of with all the talent in the field the region has. Another aspect coming forward was as we see most  states in India have their own film schools. With the state falling short in providing proper infrastructure, the talented seekers from the North East who desire to make it big in the film industry are forced to travel to bigger cities in search of better opportunities. Although there are several qualified people who have learnt cinema as a subject by coming to places like Delhi, Pune, Kolkata etc, they do not go back to work in Assam as there is no developed film industry  there. The medium of cinema would enable Assam to draw itself closer to the world. Also, the progress of cinema in these regions will present employment opportunities and also build a platform for the rise of local talent.  It would also help in changing the perception of the people towards the region. The people will come to know about the rich cultures, traditions and various ethnic groups, their life-style, and most importantly the issues of concern which are yet to be addressed to the outside world.

Again, as compared to Assamese cinema, Assamese viewers  prefer Western and conventional Indian film. When compared to films from the other regions of India there is hardly any competition from Assam which in itself is not a very positive indication.The State Government needs to come up with a policy to give some incentives to the producers who shoot at least 75 percent of their films in Assam which will give employment to the local people and also sustain the film culture Besides the state government’s reluctant attitude – these promising filmmakers are yet to explore the region. With only Kalpana Lajmi’s film ‘Daman’ shot in Assam, no other filmmakers have initiated anything to feature the real North East.
Films from the state also lack proper branding. Development of the local industry will not only promote the cinema here, but will also boost the tourism industry.

The other problem is Video films in VCD format are a craze in Assam. They are short, soothing, musical, and, in a way, promote the folk cultures of the various ethnic groups in the state. Made in Assamese and a few other local dialects, initially the video films were mostly musicals. They sold for their music. In the last decade, they have come to dominate the local film scene even as the production of big screen, commercial Assamese films has dropped. It started with films like Chall, Gauri, Jonbai, and Jaanmoni . Later, films like Rangdhali cashed in on the craze . Many industry insiders believe that video films are now eating into the fortunes of big screen movies.  As a viewer explains in today’s busy life, you cannot expect people to go out to a theatre to watch a dull movie. It’s a waste of both time and money. People buy VCDs at Rs 30 – Rs 40 each and watch them at home, at their convenience and complete entertainment. From the film maker’s point of view, lower budgets allow video filmmakers to experiment with casting and themes unlike their counterparts in the big screen film industry – a video film needs about Rs 7 lakh to Rs10 lakh, while a big screen movie entails a cost of anywhere from Rs 35 lakh to Rs 60 lakh. As a result, big screen films stick to the tried and tested formula while video films explore newer topics such as social issues and the insurgency in the state.

However, not everyone believes that video films have affected big screen films. The other school of thought is that the industry is plagued by poor scripts. Video films cannot be a hindrance to the growth of big screen movies. For instance, the Mumbai Film Industry or Bollywood hasn’t run out of steam despite the production of endless telefilms and serials. The fact  remains that 60% of the big screen Assamese commercial films lack quality. However, the popularity of video films has its downsides too. Low budgets and the lure of making a quick profit are attracting a lot of people with literally no knowledge of filmmaking to the industry, which is leading to both a drop in the quality of the films and repetition of themes. Piracy too has emerged as a big threat to the industry. A producer makes a profit on a film only if he manages to sell 50,000 copies.

Assamese cinema faces a major shortage of exhibition space as many cinema halls had closed down during the last decade. Moreover, with the insurgency in the state people were afraid of stepping out. As a result, the owners converted cinema halls into shopping complexes.Now there are just about 40-odd screens for Assamese films, which means that even if a film runs ‘houseful’ in all these theatres for several months, it would not get back its investment. At the same time, thematically and treatment-wise, Assamese cinema has failed to keep pace with other Indian-language cinemas such as Marathi, Malayalam or Bengali. Because of this, we are not seeing any Assamese film being celebrated in the festival circuit, except a few films like ‘Halodhiya Choraye Baodhan Khai’by Jahnu Barua. The number one thing that should be done is abolishing the entertainment tax on local films. One of the big reasons for Marathi cinema flourishing is that it is tax-free. If Hindi or English film tickets are priced at Rs 150, a Marathi film ticket would be Rs 105-110. That automatically gives audiences an incentive. In Assam, the tax is supposedly returned to the producer, but that means making the rounds of govt offices, and if people haven’t come to see the film in the first place, there’s no point anyway.

The state possesses vibrant young Documentary filmmakers who have won accolades at various film festivals. Although there are various topics on which a documentary film can be made – Assamese film-makers will have to travel a long way in terms of Documentary Film projects, especially in terms of funds. Many documentaries have been made that brought to the limelight the effects of climatic change in the North East, the impacts of AFSPA and social life. No doubts every cinema that is produced has to undergo tons of hard work by a team of experts. And that hard work is counted to be successful only when those cinemas get appreciated by their audience. But it’s a hard core reality that unfortunately regional cinema doesn’t have an audience. In an effort to popularise Assamese cinema, a production company has come out with a novel idea of introducing mobile theatres. The 500-seater travelling theatre has a screen that is 15 feet high and 35 feet wide, a high definition projector and a surround sound system. It has all the amenities of a modern cinema including a generator, all enclosed under a single tent. The theatre has been travelling since its introduction in Dergaon in Jorhat district in to pull the 79-year old Assamese film industry out of a two-decade long crisis.

The future of cinema in Assam will get bright only if the younger lot of film-makers  make a wholesome effort to join the national/global mainstream while focusing on stories that spring from the soil of the region. All great cinemas are culture – specific in terms of subject – matter and are universal in their appeal. That is the balance that remains important in the maze of national and global cinematic thought where  it’s easy to loose the local flavour and thus the interest of the audience.