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| A still from the documentary |
Sons of Abotani: The Misings, a passionate documentary by nationally acclaimed filmmaker Gautam Bora, created a sensation among the new generation of cine buffs at the recently concluded Festival of Films from Northeast India for its sensitive content, powerful cinematic language and technical brilliance.
The 30-minute film sheds light on the trials and tribulations of the Mising community living in Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts of Assam.
One of the most significant ethno-linguistic communities of Assam, the Misings continue to face immense hardships owing to floodwaters submerging their villages. While living amid water for almost eight months a year, they undertake great trouble in sustaining their agricultural activities. But despite all such hardships and constraints, they have succeeded in preserving their rich cultural identity.
The film pays tribute to the tenacious struggle and rich culture of the Misings.
On the other hand, it expresses concern about the threat caused to the existence of their native land by floods and unabated erosion.
Instead of a background narration as seen in most of the documentaries, the director has projected the day-to-day life of the Misings through the monologue of a man roaming in and around his village on a boat. While his first person account in Mising language has brought in a rare ethnic flavour to the film, English subtitles have enabled the viewers to follow the basic content.
The documentary becomes more expressive and touching through the spellbinding visuals captured by Vivek Banerjee’s innovative camerawork. In fact, there is uniqueness in the overall scenes of the film. On most occasions, there is rare smoothness with the camera placed on a moving boat.
Moreover, Bora’s immaculate sense of framing along with Banerjee’s unmatched skills in camera operation, especially while panning to capture subsequent visuals without frequent cuts, have taken the film to a distinctive height.
Another notable aspect of the film is its audiography. Sher Choudhury’s background music, composed totally on the basis of Mising folk tunes, is impressive. The use of Mising oineetom (folk song) in a female voice and a bamboo flute for other folk tunes, perfectly complements the basic essence of the film.
The film won Bora the National Award for Best Documentary in 1991. However, due to lack of facilities for documentary screening, it was not exposed to a young audience so far.
It is indeed encouraging and enchanting to find pure cinema still mesmerising viewers, going by the waves it created among the audience at the film festival.