It seems Virat Kohli and Sunil Chhetri got engaged in a fun-banter filled live chat on Instagram on Sunday evening. Instead of sports, they discussed everything from cinema to relationships. When Chhetri, who played the interviewer in the discussion, asked Kohli who he would like to see in his biopic, the Indian captain promptly said, “Myself! I don’t think anybody can play me like I do. I would even have Anushka star as herself in it.”

Chhetri responded by saying, “I believe you can do that because people might not know but you are quite funny and you can act.” However, Kohli said, “It’s a misconception that I can act and I want to set that straight. See, I can even play football. But does that mean you will get me play in the ISL (Indian Super League)? No right? The same way, I can face a camera but you can’t call that acting.”

He added, “But in a biopic, I’ll have to play myself. Aur mujhe khud se behtar kaun play kar sakta hai.” Chhetri then roasted Kohli about the fact that despite a dream wedding in Italy that became the envy of many, the cricketer never actually proposed to Anushka. “I was talking to Anushka the other day and I discovered something,” Chhetri said. Adding to it, “Janaab ne madam ko propose bhi nahi kiya. But it was so natural. She said it so happily. But how does that happen?” Kohli replied, “I believe that when you live life freely and with love, you don’t need a special day like Valentine’s Day. So. It was organic that we never needed to propose or do it formally. We just knew that we wanted to get married.”

Chhetri replied, recalling his own wedding, “In my case, I had to propose out of formality. I went to her (Sonam Bhattacharya) father and asked for her hand. But she got annoyed so I had to propose, as a formality.”

১৯৭০ দশকৰ এখন পিছপৰা গাওঁ। শিক্ষিতৰ পৰিমাণ তেনেই নগন্য। আৰু তেনে শিক্ষিতৰ দুই-তিনিজন লোকে গাঁৱৰ অসাক্ষৰ লোকৰ উন্নতি কৰিব এৰি তেওঁলোকক আৰু অধিক জুৰুলা কৰাতহে বেছি আগ্ৰহী হৈ থাকে। প্ৰত্যেক বছৰৰ বানপানীয়ে থকা-সৰকা কৰা গাওঁবাসীৰ একমাত্ৰ আশা হৈছে মেট্ৰিকত প্ৰথম বিভাগত উত্তীৰ্ণ হোৱা ৰাধাৰ ওপৰত। সকলো মেল-মিতিং তথা গাওঁৰ সৰু-বৰ কথাত আগভাগ লোৱা ৰাধাই গাঁৱত কিছু পৰিৱৰ্তন অনাৰ চেষ্টা কৰে। তাই আনিবলৈ বিচৰা এই পৰিৱৰ্তনৰ বাটত হেঙাৰ হৈ থিয় দিয়ে গাঁৱৰে ঠিকাদাৰ যমুনা হাজৰিকাই। ৰাধাৰ প্ৰত্যেকটো কামত লগ দিয়া, তাইৰ শুভাকাংক্ষী ৰজতৰ সৈতেও নিষ্পাপ প্ৰেমৰ কাহিনীও দেখুওৱা হৈছে বোলছবিখনত।এয়াই হৈছে চিনেমাখনৰ কাহিনীভাগ।

ছবিখনৰ যোগেদি দৰ্শকক সমাজৰ নিম্নশ্ৰেণীৰ ওপৰত চলি থকা দূৰ্নীতি,শোষণ দিৰ এখন জীয়া ছবি দেখুৱাবলৈ চেষ্টা কৰিছে পৰিচালক যদুমণি দত্তই। গ্লেমাৰহীন আইমী বৰুৱাই “ৰাধা” চৰিত্ৰত কৰা অভিনয়ে দৰ্শকক আকৰ্ষণ কৰিছে। পঢ়া-শুনা নজনা স্বত্বেও “ৰজত” ৰ চৰিত্ৰত থকা ৰাগ ঐনিতম ৰ অভিনয় হৃদয়স্পৰ্শী। শব্দৰে প্ৰকাশ নকৰিলেও ৰজতৰ “ৰাধা” ৰ প্ৰতি থকা প্ৰেম ভংগিমাৰে সুন্দৰকৈ প্ৰকাশ কৰা হৈছে বোলছবিখনত। অসমীয়া চলচিত্ৰৰ প্ৰায় অভিনেতা-অভিনেত্ৰী দেখা পোৱা গৈছে চিনেমাখনত। অৰুণ হাজৰিকা, বিষ্ণু খাৰঘৰীয়া, পবিত্ৰ বৰুৱা, জয়ন্ত ভাগৱতী, বিকি, কপিল বৰুৱা, গুণ মহন্ত, দিলীপ ৰঞ্জন দত্ত, পদ্মৰাগ গোস্বামী, ৰীণা বৰা, ভ্ৰান্তি মেধি আদি কেইবাখনো চিনাকী মুখৰ সমাগম ঘটিছে ছবিখনত। চৰিত্ৰ সমূহৰ নিখুঁট উপস্থাপন কৰা হৈছে “জেতুকা পাতৰ দৰে” ত।
গোলাঘাট আৰু দেৰগাঁও অঞ্চলত দৃশ্যগ্ৰহণ কৰা ছবিখনত ব্যৱহৃত বানপানীৰ দৃশ্যাংশবোৰ প্ৰকৃত। “অগ্নিসাক্ষী” ৰ পিছত যদুমণি দত্তই কৰা তেওঁৰ এইখন দ্বিতীয়খন ছবি। ছবিখনত জুবিন গাৰ্গে কণ্ঠদান কৰা আৱহ সংগীত “জেতুকা পাতৰ দৰে” ই বৰ্তমানেও জনপ্ৰিয়তা লাভ কৰি আছে।

“জুবিন” বুলি ক’লেই উৎসাহিত হৈ পৰে অসমবাসী। এনেক্ষেত্ৰত ছবিগৃহত জুবিনৰ ছবি “কাঞ্চনজংঘা” চাবলৈ অনুৰাগীয়ে কৰিলে ভিৰ। প্ৰথমটো দিনৰ প্ৰথমটো দৰ্শনী চাই অনুৰাগী সকলেনো কি মন্তব্য দিলে চাওঁচোন আহক।

I watched Aligarh four years back. I wanted to write about it since then but didn’t have the apt words. Yesterday I was re-watching it and was again spellbound by it. The writing pattern of Aligarh, at least what I have inferred, is really great if you delve into it. ⁣

Let me start by the basic plot of the movie based on a true incident,  the movie dives deep into the life of Prof. Ramchandra Siras after a sting operation that is carried out on him, on the grounds of which, he was suspended from Aligarh University. He was caught making love to another man. Now I personally do not like summarizing the plot especially for movies like Aligarh, but just for the sake of giving you guys an idea. The film is more than just another social cause. It poses important questions about the issue, yes! But it pays different attention Prof. Siras. He is a quiet, vulnerable, shy person, doesn’t like to open up. He doesn’t want to get involved, he doesn’t want to fight or protest, he doesn’t belong anywhere. In a beautiful scene, Siras is humming along with the song “Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha, Pyaar Ke Kaabil Mujhe”, Bajpayee’s facial expressions are enough to convey what Siras must have felt. He is tired, of everything. And the swinging of his foot to the rhythm of the song tells us that he wants to surrender himself but can’t as the shackles of the world around is stopping him, beautifully summed up by the line “Ji Humein Mazoor Hain, Aapka Yeh Faisla”.  Such a great character study it is. He doesn’t want to belong to any community. When he looks around at the scenario of LQBTQ+ activists protesting for his justice, it can be clearly seen on his face that he cannot fathom the necessity of it, he is perplexed. He doesn’t want to be termed as gay, he says, when the activists approach him, most probably because it makes him somehow feel different. He wants to be treated as just another human being. In a scene with Deepu (played brilliantly by Rao), he explains how we have complicated and polluted love by encrusting it with definitions and how love is such a beautiful word. Even in the courtroom sequences, we can see Siras in the back, in his own world, writing something, as the lawyers continue to argue for and against him. ⁣

Coming back to the writing and direction of the film. As the film starts, we see Prof.Siras on a rickshaw in a quiet and empty road. The camera follows them to an apartment where the rickshaw stops and so does the camera, from now on camera acts like any other person watching the whole scene from outside. The rickshaw walla, Irrfan and Prof. get to the room, after some time, we see two men entering the apartment, we hear some loud noises, some cries and that’s it. We don’t know what has happened clearly. The next shot is a close up of Siras sitting in his underwear, in a dark room, inside his house. The filmmakers’ way of welcoming us to this tale and asserting that we will be witnessing the events as an insider now.  But they need a medium, that medium is Deepu, Deepu is us, the audience. The movies start with the aftermath of the incident, revealing us moments from that night in crucial times, as Deepu investigates and Siras recalls. This works brilliantly to expose the blatant truth and to infuriate the audience.⁣

One of my favorite scenes from the movie is a sequence where Deepu and his Editor Namita are taking a casual walk and having a conversation alone and that leads up to them making out. Suddenly there is cut to the past where Siras his making love to Irrfan. The writer’s way of saying that it is as natural as a girl and a boy making love to each other, a human making to love another human.⁣
⁣
In a situation where people are protesting against a man and for a man, for his rights, the only thing that man strives for is a few moments of happiness, a few moments of solace.⁣

•Directed by- Hansal Mehta•⁣
•Screenplay by- Apurva Asrani⁣
•Written by- Apurva Asrani⁣
•Cinematography- Satya Rai Nagpaul•⁣
•Edited by- Apurva Asrani•

Lady of the Lake was always meant to be a movie but later it took the shape of a documentary. The story revolves around a fishing community of Manipur who managed their two ends meet with a humble livelihood on a floating village amidst the Loktak Lake. The backdrop to this story is the real-life intervention by the local government in 2011 where several homes were destroyed and destituted the villagers. But, in the hustle and turmoil, the home of Tomba and his wife were spared. Tomba, now scared by this mass destruction is catatonic about his powerlessness and finds his empowerment in a gun. His personality changes, but for the worse. The main casts of the movie, Ningthoujam Sanatomba and Sagolsam Thambalsang’s on-screen presence was kept realistic and is appreciated by the critics and audience.

The movie made its World Premiere in the category of Asian New Currents (Competition Section) at the 21st Busan International Film festival, 2016. It had its European Premiere at the 67th Berlin Film Festival in 2017. It has won awards that include:

• Golden Gateway Award (for the Best Indian Film) at the 18th Mumbai Film Festival, 2016 (MAMI). 
• It was also selected in the Indian Panorama at the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa.
• The film won the NETPAC Award at the 22nd Kolkata International Film Festival, 2016.
• Special Jury Award at the 15th Pune International Film Festival, 2017.
• National Film Award for the Best Film on Environment Conservation, 2016; and the count goes on.

With such creative minds and the charismatic display of characters, North East India is indeed hopeful to touch new heights in the times to come.

The film is based on an Assamese novel written by Sahitya Academy Awardee, writer Yeshee Dorjee Thongchi. The cast includes veteran apatani actor Hage D. Appa as the protagonist ‘Lobsang’ and the lead role is played by Tashi Lamu along with 26 other supporting actors.

The concept of the story portrays Polyandry and the socio-cultural ethos of the Brokpas, sub-tribe of Monpas. According to the Director, the movie deals with love, hatred and jealousy that breed between two husbands of a Monpa woman. It has portrayed the plight and psychological pressures handled by the trouple. The 2-hour long movie was entirely shot in the local Monpa dialect at an altitude above 10,000 feet in the Tawang and Dirang areas.

The movie has won the Special Jury Award and the FIPRESCI (International Film Critics Federation) Award at MAMI International Film Festival 2017 in Mumbai.

The Director had an exclusive interview where he seemed quite enthusiastic about his upcoming movie.

Q: When and how did you conceptualize “Astittwa”?

Astittwa was basically conceived in July 2017. Since then we are working on it. I have conceptualized it on Dr. Bhupen Hazarika’s song, ‘Aami Oxomiya nohou dukhiya’. We all have been listening to this song since childhood, but as I said, ‘there’s always a right time.’ So, when I had actually gone into the depth of the song and analyzed it, this very concept emerged.

Q: From where did you get the inspiration for “Astittwa”?

Well, as I’ve already mentioned it, that I was inspired by Dr. Bhupen Hazarika’s song. But again if I highlight another viewpoint then you can say Astittwa is a story about any common people. When you’ll see the characters, you’ll be able to compare them with the people around you. In fact, we all are just like the characters depicted in the movie. I’ve stayed in other parts of India and went abroad too; met a lot many people and it’s always a human nature to compare- the comparison between the people of that country and our native people, the lifestyle and so on. It makes us have an idea about how we are different from others, where are lacking behind and what we should do to develop ourselves. So, these things were in my mind since before. There are so many famous Assamese people living outside. They too have that wish to uplift Assam, take it forward and help the people living here. At times, we have discussions on these things that help us have an insight into the real picture as in, the problems that we are facing. There are some vague ideas that I had; everyone has some kind of idea of this sort, right?

Some, they express it, some do not (laughs). I’ll give you an instance; we do have to get together with our families or those small family meetings where we sit together and talk. Here, if you can relate, most of the time when the topic regarding our culture and traditions arise, we discuss it intensely. Similarly, in this movie, you’ll find the same thing and maybe find many similarities with our day-to-day discussions. These ideas and thoughts are inside you, inside me and everyone else but maybe remained unexpressed or ignored. When you’ll see the movie, you’ll be able to compare it with the song that I mentioned, ‘Aami Oxomiya nohou dukhiya,’ and understand today’s scenario. Bhupen Da has created this masterpiece so many years back and had shown us the future; that is why he is a legend. So you can say that the inspiration for this concept was my surroundings, the people around me, my mother, my brother, myself, or anyone else. It can also be the early morning newspaper.

Q: What is your view, if I ask how Astittwa will attract the public?

Actually, 50% of the answer is already given. People will be watching what they have been thinking and feeling. Certain wishes that are within us which never have been expressed or were brought into the light. So, the public will be seeing those inner voices of themselves portrayed on the silver screen. Of course, it is not possible to cover every corner of our emotion in a 90-120 minute movie, but we have focused on certain situations and played with them which everyone will be able to connect to their personal life. There are lots of things to be known and discussed. Hence, I can say that it portrays the feelings of each and every Assamese person and it is my belief that the people will be able to be ‘one’ with the movie.

Q: What are your future plans and projects?

Astittwa is my ‘debut’ movie. I’m working on this past 2 years. Yes, I’ve other concepts and ideas, too. But they aren’t materialized yet. I’ve been fully focused on this upcoming movie. Maybe after I come up with this, I’ll be able to tell you something regarding my other projects.

Q: It has been seen most of the time that the theatres are not able to give a convenient timing to the public to watch the Assamese/regional movies. So, do you think that the Government can take some initiative into this?

It is a big question for me. I don’t think I’m that expert in this field to comment on the matter. At present, there are so many legends in our industry. I’m no one in front of them. Maybe when I’ll make my identity in the industry, I’ll be able to understand these things better. I have been hearing this issue for long. But of course, I don’t know the reason behind it. I’ll have to analyze it before answering and I’m still a novice in the industry. This issue has been discussed by many of our distinguished people for a long time. But as far as I know, Film Policy is coming shortly and many more theatres are been planned. Just like the saying goes, ‘necessity is the mother of all inventions’, the same way we have identified the problems and along with the government, we came up with the solutions too. Hence, all the loopholes that we have been discussing are going to be solved and everything turns to be good. Moreover, the day isn’t far when the Assamese film industry will be at par with any other regional movie industry in our country. We have such gems in our industry who took our movies to the Oscars and brought National awards for the state. We have. Janu Da, Rima Baideo like eminent personalities with us. Hence, I think the Assamese film industry is in safe hands.

Q: Any message you would like to give?

In the end, I would like to say, remove all the negativities and let’s all be positive by making good and quality movies; our audience will eventually come because public needs entertainment as well as a message from our movies.

            Debutant Director, Anmol Gurung’s Appa is a solemn tribute to all the fathers whose efforts and love for the children generally go unnoticed. The story has beautifully depicted the love between the jeep driver, Birkhe, played by ace actor Dayahang Rai and his son, Siddharth, a Bengali boy whom he gave shelter after his parents die in an accident. Birkhe being a drunkard wasn’t able to take care of the boy and hence everyone advised to send him to send the boy to a boarding school. Moreover, he wasn’t allowed to meet him until he finishes schooling.

            On the other side, Siddharth grows up to be a popular student in his school who falls in love. The story reaches it’s peak when Birkhe finally gets a chance to meet the boy. The storyline takes the viewers to two different aspects; the high school romance and the agony of a father to meet his son. The convincing role of these two new actors, Siddharth Raj Tamang and Allona Kabo Lepcha is indeed heart winning.

            The beautiful drone shots captured of the Sandakpur sceneries and interesting camera angles are like icing on the cake. They have enhanced and highlighted the movie to another level along with the songs which fits the situations appropriately.

            The movie has beautifully portrayed the selfless love of a father towards his child and his agony of not meeting him for years. It has very well attracted the public and has given them an eye-pleasing time.