Eminent Assamese director and 12-time National Film Award winner Jahnu Barua is known for his socially conscious cinema. Over the last 40 years, Barua has made 13 films in Assamese and one in Hindi. His most well-regarded movies include Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai (The Catastrophe) and Hkhagoroloi Bohu Door (It’s a Long Way to the Sea). In an interview, the 69-year-old director spoke about the challenges facing independent cinema, his upcoming Hindi movie, and the influence of his mother on his films. Here are edited excerpts.
Assamese
directors have been in the news of late, such as Aimee Baruah’s ‘Semkhor’ (in
the Dimasa language) and Reema Das’s ‘Village Rockstars’ and ‘Bulbul Can Sing’.
How do you see contemporary cinema from the North-East?
The kind of attention the local film industry needs
particularly from the government is not there. As a result, filmmakers are more
into commercial cinema, and it’s affecting the film industry. We see influences
from Bollywood. But there is a lot of good talent. If they get support, they
will definitely come up with good stuff.
At the same time, we need to
understand that the entire North-East as a market for local films is very
small. Since cinema depends on the market, it suffers a lot. That’s why
government and public support are needed.
Despite an
undeveloped market you have been making Assamese movies for the last four
decades.
Like any filmmaker, it has been quite a struggle, but a
good struggle. I don’t make commercial films. The kind of films I make are
difficult not only in Assam but anywhere in India. I like to make films on
certain social issues that appeal to me, and I feel that as a filmmaker, I
should concentrate on those subjects.
‘Firingoti’,
which you directed, and Satyajit Ray’s ‘Agantuk’ won the National Award for
Best Film in the same year in 1992. How do you remember your interaction with
Ray?
I met him twice. He had come to see my film in Kolkata
once and then at a film gathering, Chidanand Dasgupta introduced me to him. He
had said a lot of good things about my films. I still remember that I could not
sleep the whole night.
What did he
say?
He said, there is so much promise in you and I am so
happy to see that. It was a great thing for me to hear. It was a dream come
true.
Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai (1987).
Directors
trained at the Film and Television Institute, such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan,
Girish Kasaravalli and yourself, have transformed regional cinema. How do you
see your journey?
There is a very strong passion among filmmakers in
regional languages, starting with Adoor Gopalakrishnan, to make different kinds
of meaningful films that we can call Indian and India can be proud of. But this
parallel cinema could not take off properly. No system has properly supported
it, including the government. Unfortunately, politicians and bureaucrats are
not aware of this medium. Their understanding of cinema is very poor.
I would not say that the
movement has died down, it’s still there. Young filmmakers with whom I interact
have a very good mindset. Filmmakers from Assam, Bengal, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya
and Maharashtra are coming up with very good ideas. It will definitely make a
difference tomorrow.
Since your
first film, ‘Aparoopa’, you have had strong female protagonists. Aparoopa
leaves her husband to be with her former lover. When I saw Bhaskar Hazarika’s
‘Aamis’, ‘Aparoopa’ came to mind.
It’s definitely from the kind of family background we
have had. In Assamese society, unlike in many other states in India, there is
equality when we talk about women. Ever since I was a child, I have been comparing
the position of women and the way they were treated in the movies, particularly
in Bollywood. I would feel sad about the way they were portrayed.
I was very attached to my
mother. She used to be full of wisdom. The kind of respect she commanded… when
I write a woman’s character, I take her as a role model. It’s not that I give
extra attention to women, it’s what they deserve.
You directed
a Hindi movie ‘Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara’ in 2005. What can you tell us
about your new Hindi film, about the seventeenth-century Ahom general Lachit
Borphukan?
I am in the middle of the project. It’s a historical
subject. A lot of research needs to be done. I have been busy with the project
for two-and-a-half years. It’s the first time a film is being made on this
subject. I have completed the script and hope to shoot by 2023.
You are a
politically conscious filmmaker. You voiced your concerns against the
Citizenship Amendment Act. Recently, civilians were killed by security forces
in Nagaland’s Mon district. Should the Army apologise?
I am not very politically aware about the things
happening there, but as a citizen I must say that such things are very
unfortunate. It will not be wise on my part to comment on the political aspect
but as a humanist, any kind of killing is very painful. We need to seek an
amicable solution through talks. It should not be through violence. I don’t
approve of any kind of killings.
Filmmakers
rarely speak against the government’s policies or the country’s socio-political
situation anymore. What are your thoughts on the matter?
I think as a responsible citizen, and I don’t take sides.
But in a democratic nation I respect democratically elected leaders, whether
one likes it or not.
Making political comments is,
of course, difficult nowadays. It’s a difficult situation for a creator. Today
everything is judged politically, and that saddens me.
Filmmakers are politically
conscious people. We have a very strong constitution. My comment was not
against CAA, but was in favour of safeguarding Assamese identity. Because I am
from Assam, I know there is a genuine problem, but I don’t take it as a
religious way.
