Rabi Sarma and Anjoor Lata in a still from Aami Asomiya

Guwahati, Sept. 6: Ace filmmaker Rajiv Bhattacharya has put his money where his heart is. Aami Asomiya (We, the Assamese), his new film, is an in-your-face commentary on the community he hails from and a feel-good saga at the same time.

The title and the pre-release publicity have already made people take notice, and Bhattacharya promises that Aami Asomiya will turn out to be worth every bit of the hype when it hits cinema screens this Friday.

“It’s an attempt to dispel some myths about the community,” the director, whose previous film Seuji Dhoroni Dhuniya was a major success, said today.

Aami Asomiya has an ensemble cast, a hotshot music composer in Zubeen Garg and some of the best technicians of the industry, including art director Phatik Baruah. But the USP of the film is undoubtedly its theme and the use of the colours of the gamocha in every frame.

“All the characters will be seen either in red or white or white-red, like in the gamocha. The gamocha is an integral part of our lives and the film, too, deals with Assamese society and its problems. I have used white and red throughout the film to give it a totally Assamese look and character,” Bhattacharya said.

On whether the film was a serious one, the director said: “It is the kind of film that will make people proud to call themselves Assamese. It is about our inherent strengths.”

Aami Asomiya also deals with the problem of unemployment “in a realistic manner” and provides a solution “in a subtle way”.

The film also has another first in Assamese cinema, an item number. Shot in a bar, the sequence shows newcomer Nitu matching steps with choreographer Ashim Baishya.

Rabi Sarma, Anjoor Lata, Saurab Hazarika, Rimpi Das, Jayanta Bhagawati, Chetana Das and Hiranya Deka play major roles in the film.

“Today’s audience is exposed to glitzy big-budget movies from Mumbai and the West. They expect us to do something on the lines of Hollywood and Bollywood films. I have just incorporated a few new things in my film.”

The pre-release publicity campaign has certainly been a novel one. The producers have even organised processions in the towns with gayan-bayan artistes.