A passerby stops to take a look at the Ajali Nabou poster on Thursday. Picture by Biju Boro

Feb. 26: It will be like a breath of fresh air for cinephiles in the city. A reprint of the classic box-office hit of the 1980s, Ajali Nabou, will be released in the cinema halls next month.

It will also be a fitting tribute to Ela Kakoty, the actress who played the lead role of the naive and simple sister-in-law. Kakoty died last year.

Kakoty had become such a rage that a brand of Ajali Nabou mekhala chadors, like the ones she wore, became a big hit in the market then.

Ajali Nabou was the first Assamese film to celebrate a silver jubilee. In fact, one print ran for nine months continuously in Urvashi cinema hall. Altogether, the film ran for 47 weeks in Urvashi and Bijulee.

It is also the first film in the Northeast to be made in Eastman colour (35 mm).

The film will be released by .C. Productions, the original production house of the film’s producer, the late Manik Dutta.

Dutta’s daughter Moushumi Pathak said: “The negative of the film was stored in Famous Cine Lab, Mumbai, and was later brought to Rupayan Lab in Calcutta.”

She added, “We had to wait for so many years as there was a court case going on because of a dispute between my father and his partner. There was an injunction on the film by the Calcutta High Court.”

The director of the film Nip Barua has also passed away.

However, many of the protagonists of the wholesome family entertainment are looking forward to the release.

The film was basically a family drama, which revolved around the lives of three sisters-in-law.

Actress Vidya Rao, who had played the role of the mean sister-in-law said, “It was for the first time that I had played a negative role. A lot was spent on my costume, make-up and hairstyle. In fact, wigs were brought from Calcutta and the make-up man Devi Halder was a national award winner.”

Rao said it was a lavish production and had a budget of over Rs 30 lakh. “We had technicians and cameraman from Calcutta,” she added.

Actor Pranjal Saikia, who played the role of bhaiti (younger brother) in the film, is looking forward to watching the movie all over again. “The release of the film was like a festival. It was the talk of the town. The film had a tempo which is still alive somewhere in the corner of our hearts. I am eager to relive the experience all over again.”

The songs of the film, directed by Ramen Barua, were also a big hit. In fact, many remixes have been made of the songs, Sku meli nasaba, Kak bulilu kune nije and Andhar rati kun baru toi.

Actor Nipon Goswami, who played the role of Ajali Nabou’s husband, feels that the release of the film now might usher in a new renaissance in Assamese cinema.

“The new generation will like it as the film embodies the basic human values of love, affection and social and familial ties,” he said.

In fact, Goswami feels that some of the select Assamese movies like Koka Deuta Hati Aru Nati, Buwari and Dr Bezbaruah should be revived.

Laying stress on the need for a proper archive to store the prints of the Assamese films, he said: “Films reflect the culture of a society and these movies should be preserved for posterity”.