Jamshedpur, April 21: For the first time this year, it’s a case of award functions two many for Santhali films, as people of this fledging industry grapple with which glam event to go to, and which to pass.
Pundit Raghunath Academy of Santhali Cinema and Art (RASCA), a socio-cultural outfit led by veteran politician Surya Singh Besra and All India Santhali Films Association (AISFA), led by JMM leader Ramesh Hansda, have decided to organise separate Santhali film awards “nites” on May 5.
The day happens to be the birth anniversary of Pundit Raghunath Murmu, the founder of the Ol Chiki script.
The names and venues are different. The RASCA-sponsored Santhali Filmfare Award will be held at Michael John Auditorium, while the venue for the AISFA-led Jharkhand Cine Award is the Gopal Maidan.
Though the recognition of the film award function was started by RASCA in 2008, it stopped as breakaway members started their own group AISFA, which started its own awards function from 2010. But filmmakers, artists and technicians are confused as to which event to go to. “Since the Santhali film industry is not large and has limited number of film personalities, everyone is in a fix as to where to go and whom to support. Attending one event and bypassing the other will clearly give out the message of wpho is supporting whom. We are all waiting,” said a well-known script writer of Santhali films.
A small silver lining is that both the venues are in Bistupur and one can nip back and forth with some ingenuity.
Both the outfits have decided to promote Santhali culture, language and literature among the five states like Jharkhand, Bihar, Bengal, Assam and Orissa. While the AISFA will screen 14 feature films of the year 2010 for a panel of judges, the RASCA will show 10 video and feature films to the jury panel. “We will promote artistes from the film industry in Jharkhand the same way stars and celebrities in Bollywood receive recognition. Though the film industry here may not be as huge as its Mumbai or regional film counterparts, we have decided to give artistes their due recognition through this award ceremony,” said Surya Singh Besra, who is also RASCA director.
The AISFA also concurs in this view that a festival will help people recognise Santhali cinema, its artistes, technicians and their labour. This is the second year of Jharkhand Cine Award. Last year, the event made its debut in the presence of noted writer and tribal activist Mahasweta Devi.
“Santhali-speaking tribals have been making films for 20 years, but filmmakers, actors and technicians never got due recognition. There is a myth that most tribals are Maoists. The awards ceremony will dispel myths and break boundaries,” said Ramesh Hansda, AISFA chief convener.
