GUWAHATI: When 43-year-old Kripal Kalita was shooting his movie ‘Bridge’, never did he imagine that it will turn out to be the only one from Assam to be selected in the Indian Panorama category for the 51st International Film Festival of India.
These films will be showcased during the 8-day film festival in Goa from January 16.
Set in Assam, Kalita’s movie is a colourful canvas of an unusual struggle of a teenage girl residing along the bank of a tributary of the mighty Brahmaputra. “The Brahmaputra and it’s tributaries are notorious for floods every year which wipe out many villages. Still, people love the river and it’s green valleys. Through this film, an attempt has been made to draw the attention towards the agony of the people losing everything every year and the daily troubles and hindrances faced in the development of the helpless, poor, honest and simple people residing in the interior parts of the green valley,” Kalita told TOI.
He added, “Due to lack of basic facilities, like a bridge, people suffer a lot in these remote areas as they are completely cut off from the rest of the world. Because of limited connectivity, they are deprived of proper education and health facilities.”
Highlighting these issues, the movie is based upon true life incidents. “This film portrays the story of Jonaki, a strong and independent woman, who endures a lot in her life at a very young age. Her home village is ravaged by floods every year and the lack of a bridge makes the entire village suffer. Despite multiple attempts and prayers, their problem never gets solved. However, they start from the scratch every year with a new ray of hope,” Kalita said.
The Sound Design of the movie has been done by Amrit Pritam Dutta, a renowned sound artiste who has several international awards for his work.