“Triumphant Revival: ‘Keyo’ Sparks Hope and Honors Assamese Artistry”
The year’s most heartening news came in the form of the film adaptation of Natasurya Phani Sarma’s classic play ‘Keyo’ (Why?), which will be released at the end of January next year after Natasurya’s timeless creation made its way to celluloid courtesy of the persistent efforts of an unsung, yet zealous and prominent representative of the present generation of Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwala’s family.
Natasurya Phani Sarma’s classic play ‘Keyo’, scripted and directed by Aparup Agarwala under the banner of Tezpur’s Sree Haribilash Movies, has already completed the shooting portion in various locations of Tezpur, and most recently, it’s editing work, too, has been wrapped up in Guwahati. Touted as a milestone in the Assamese film industry, this film is the creative brainchild of Aparup Agarwala, the artistic son of late Bibekananda Agarwala, brother of Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwala.
Phani Sarma wrote the social drama ‘Keyo’ inspired by his experience as an actor, and the profound grief he felt at the news of his son’s untimely death while acting on the stage in upper Assam.
The story of ‘Keyo’ is based on the life of a struggling artiste, who spends his time and energy entertaining people with his artistic creations, but receives very little compensation from society for his efforts. Barely making ends meet, he can’t afford to call a doctor to attend to his seriously sick son, who needs medical attention. Stirring and heart-wrenching, ‘Keya’ depicts the utter frustration of an artiste as a result of financial crisis, and the gross negligence meted out to him by society.
“The story mirrors the sacrifice and the real life struggle of Natasurya,” said Aparup Agarwala, who makes his debut as a filmmaker. Throughout his illustrious journey, Phani Sarma endured immense financial struggles. A socially responsible artiste, Phani Sarma’s bitter disappointments in life resulted in the creation of the drama ‘Keya’, which is just as relevant today as it was when it was first performed. “The play itself is so relevant to the present scenario, grasping many of those socio-economic disparities and problems, which beset modern society today,” Agarwala adds. Besides directing and scripting, Aparup Agarwala has also conceptualized and scored the film’s music.
Now that the film’s editing has been wrapped up, the work on the background score will commence soon. Director Aparup Agarwala initially planned to release the film on the day of Silpi Divas, celebrated annually on January 17, but several other Assamese films are expected to release on that day, so he is now thinking of releasing the film on 31st January, the day observed as the birth anniversary of Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha.
‘Keyo’ is cinematographed by the experienced Sumon Dowerah, art direction is by Kulen Borah, sound designing is by Debajit Gayan, editing executed by Jhulan Krishna Mahanta, costumes by Sumon Riya Phukon, choreography by Mitali Dutta Borthakur, and makeup by Arup Das. The film’s chief assistant director is Ronal. Musically arranged by Manash Hazarika, the playback singing has been done by Lonismita Devi and Dikshit Mahanta. The various roles in the film are enacted by a number of unfamiliar faces, including Partha Dutta, Primrose Saikia, Udayan Goswami, Naba Barua, Bhupen Sarma, Sujeet Sarma, Ujjal Saikia, Palashree Das, Preety Khound Mahanta, Prashanta Borah, Anima Kalita Bordoloi, Rasmita Bhuyan, Tilak Nath, Purbashree Agarwala, Minu Tibrewal, Bhargav Kalita Bora, among others.
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