Ankur Bora
Childhood is a period full of adventure, amazement and
wonder for everyone and everything in its sphere. Children see the world with
unbiased eyes, never judgmental, never opinionated. As we grow up, we become self-conscious,
the pull of one’s race, ethnicity or religion become dominant leading to
division, intolerance and bigotry. However, as we age and gain wisdom through experience,
we become the little children again – instead of analyzing everything and
letting inconsequential matters, we began to appreciate and again embrace the
world of joy, love and innocence.
The decade of eighties in Assam was a tumultuous
period - an upheaval unparalleled in the history. It was the best of the time,
it was the worst of the time, when a just and peaceful movement by the
indigenous Assamese fearful of becoming minority in their own land was
exploited and overpowered by anger and violence. The movie Xhoihobote Dhemalite
(Rainbow Fields) set in the time of Assam’s student agitation and in the back
drop of this unrest, is a heartfelt drama that will certainly strike a
nostalgic chord in anyone who grew up in that era.
The title of the movie Xhoihobote is a metaphor that
cuts across geographical barriers. Whether it is the orphanages in Afghanistan,
displaced families of Myanmar or the refugee camps of Syria, the violence
affects the children most. The innocent mind, the magical world, the playful days
of children are shattered by violence, protest and agitation every day – Have
the world ever stopped to think about them? Bidyut Kotoky’s film is about these
children caught in conflict.
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| Bidyut Kotoky with the child actors |
The movie takes us into the main character Niyor’s
childhood, the happiness, the fun and games. Bidyut’s portrayal of lush green
fields of Assam, set against the backdrop of picturesque Brahmaputra valley
where childhood innocence flourishes, is so vivid and lyrical that even those
of us who didn’t grow up there might imagine we did. As unrest begins to brew,
these children encounter devastating act of violence. One day, while walking
back home after school, they witness a violent mob on rampage. The brutality, seeing
people burning to death, is the pivot that propels the rest of the movie.
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| Jani Vishwanath is the founder of a family foundation called Healing Lives, which extensively works in the field of Education in underprivileged countries |
Bidyut Kotoky
is a sensitive young man with a vision that nobody understood. The making of the movie, how he pushed against
all odds, itself is a captivating story. The money for the movie was raised
through crowdfunding, a novel concept whereby the director reaches out to
people with a similar mindset who will come forward and contribute financially.
While he was able to raise a decent amount, it was not enough. Undaunted,
Bidyut set off to convince Jani Vishwanath, a Dubai-based Indian
philanthropist. Ms Vishwanath, initially, had no idea about the movie – “I just knew that Assam is a beautiful state
in India, but beyond that I didn't know anything.” As she got to know more
about Bidyut’s struggle, she felt an urge to rescue the project by offering him
the funds he needed for the movie's commercial release, “It's so wonderful to know that there are people like Bidyut who want to
make a difference, people like him
are the beacons of hope”.
One of the defining moments of the film is the
arrival of grandfather of Niyor, played by Victor Banerjee. It is a treat to
watch as filled with theatrics, the legendary actor lights up the screen
addressing Niyor’s family as “raiz xokol”
– a popular Assamese word to address the audience. The grandfather, in an
effort to defuse the incident where the grandchildren witnessed the violent
mob, tells them that everything happening that day was a play, the act of
violence was just part of a film shooting. It is a stirring tale, a common
man’s desire and search to make sense of a seemingly senseless world. Xhoixobote
Dhemalite does recollect the pain and suffering of a horrific incident, but the
director has also been able to remake the past. While leaning on memory he
exercises his imagination and creates a new memory. It is a story of
redemption, a message of hope in an age of cynicism and an affirmation that
inspires us to dream on and keep moving.
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| Victor Banerjee with Dipannita Sharma |
ankurbora@hotmail.com
Updated
Xoixobote Dhemalite was shown on November 3 and 4th 2018 , at the Cinema St. Louis under the Category Asian Focus. Cinema St. Louis offers programs that provide glimpses of the human experience from around the world. It was a great occasion for Assamese community to watch an Assamese movie at the theater, following is a write-up by Chandan Mahanta to Bidyut.
For me, personally, it was a nostalgic trip, a
homecoming, for more reasons than one. I grew up in a village ten miles south
of Sibsagar, not too far from the Naga Hills, a place called Namti. That could
not be a familiar name to most people. The story line involving the insurgency
touched my family’s life also, in more ways than one and thus was very
relevant. You captured the sights, sounds and life of my childhood that are so
indelibly etched into my being, beautifully. I thank you and commend you on
that. That it was authentic, was very important for me. I have seen other films
where Assam’s rural scenes were incorporated, but the life portrayed did not
always carry the authenticity that Xoixobote Dhemalite carries. Right from the
beginning I connected to the sounds of rural Assam that you all picked up with
great sensitivity and incorporated into the film so skillfully. I was greatly
impressed by something most people would not even register, the sounds of the
plough-man moving his oxen in the rice paddies in the background, sounds that
are deeply embedded in my memory as sounds of a primordial struggle for
survival. The drone of the ‘Hetuluka' ( green barbet), the sounds of the Dauk (
Marsh Hen) at dusk, the wail of the Keteki, call of the Kuli sorai( Indian Koel), the symphony on
night insects , all of them! I did not miss the two women fishing in the
paddies in the distance in one scene. The sensitivity with which you and your
associates crafted these into the movie made it very special for me. Selection
of the ocale at Gogamukh ( although I had not ever been there) was very wise.
I loved the child actors. They did great. It must
not be easy to direct children to be natural and not ‘ACT’. From the opening
scene, the little girl who would not drink the juice, I was amazed how you had
it done so naturally and authentically. The boys and girls did a very nice job
in the film. Kudos on that! Bob, the RIFF reviewer also mentioned that. The
overall acting was much better than what
little I have seen of films from India, where the recurring problem I find is
with ‘ACTING’, not being natural and believable. I found Dipannwita’s part the
most natural among the adults.
Great going! Hope you all will at least break even
if not make some money and that Xoixobote Dhemalite will lead to even bigger
and better successes to come. Our very best wishes to you and your associates. Hearty congratulation to Amrit Pritam Dutta. I understood that Amrit is
India's best sound engineer and that he won the prestigious Golden Reel Award (the sound world's equivalent to the Oscars). What a great collaboration here!
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