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The more such efforts at recreating the folk and other stories of the NE in languages within the region in different formats (books/films/plays) the better. - Utpal
Laughter balm on Bodo wounds - Film on Lakshminath Bezbaruah classic brings humour back to troubled belt | ||
| P. BRAHMA CHOUDHURY | ||
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Kokrajhar, Sept. 12: Years of insurgency took laughter out of the lives of the Bodo community. It has taken a story by the famous litterateur Lakshminath Bezbaruah, acknowledged as the king of humour writing in Assamese, to bring the guffaws back. A Bodo video film based on Bezbaruahs classic tale, Kukuri Kona, has turned out to be the biggest commercial hit in Assams Bodo heartland, leaving the young and old alike in splits. The films title, Dao Khana, is a literal translation of the storys Assamese name, which means night blindness in English. With due apologies to the great writer, we did take some liberties with the story to make our film appealing to Bodo audiences. But the spirit and essence are the same, producer Funka Basumatary said. He said the objective of making a film based on Bezbaruahs story was to give the Bodo people a chance to laugh for the sake of laughter. Director Bhupati Brahma, who also wrote the screenplay, said Bodo society had passed through turbulent times and deserved a respite. The light-hearted film is symbolic of the lives of the Bodos, whose smiles are returning. The film was made under the banner of the highly successful Fesla Productions. The story of Dao Khana revolves around a farmer, his wife and their two daughters of marriageable age. Constant nagging by his wife forces the farmer to look for a suitable match for their eldest daughter, Rupasri. His search ends with Nujrang, an orphaned youth from a nearby village. The fun begins when the viewers come to know that Nujrang suffers from night blindness, but his wife and fawning in-laws remain unware of it. As in Bezbaruahs classic, the best is saved for the last. Returning home one day, Nujrang suddenly realises that dusk is near and he is still far from home. Just when he is wondering what to do if his bluff is called, the shrewd youth notices his cow and promptly catches her by the tail to be guided home safely. Two popular actors, Jagadish Basumatary and Ratima Goyari, play the roles of Nujrang and Rupasri with consummate ease, while Purna Brahma as the father and Purul Boro as the mother manage to keep the humour going. Dao Khana followed the moderate success of another film, Saltaimara, based on a Bodo folktale of the same name. These stories were written years ago, but are still contemporary. It feels nice that our filmmakers are now making films based on folktales the audience can relate to, said Joysree Brahma, a Kokrajhar-based teacher, Bodo writer Jwngsar Narzary said the success of Dao Khana had proved that simple tales are what the people like to see. Bodo audiences watching Dao Khana are rolling with laughter and the producer of the film is laughing all the way to the bank. |
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