Guwahati/Imphal, March 18: The Northeast has bagged six Rajat Kamals at the 60th National Film Awards, 2012 declared today in New Delhi.

While Baandhon (Assamese), Ko:yad (Mising) and Leipaklei (Manipuri) were adjudged the best feature films in their respective languages, Manipuri Pony (English and Manipuri), a non-feature film, bagged the award for the best exploration/adventure film.

Ko:yad, directed by Manju Borah, also won the Rajat Kamal for best cinematography. Sudheer Palsane handled the camera work in the film while the post-production was carried out at Prasad Film Laboratory in Chennai.

According to the jury members, Ko:yad, being “a stark and realistic film with a strong subtext about a driftwood collector makes compelling viewing”. “The unexplored charm of northeastern India through different seasons is all the more alluring through the eyes of this cinematographer,” the jury said.

Ko:yad has become the first Mising film to bag a Rajat Kamal.

“I am very happy, especially because of the fact that most of the artistes in my film had never faced a camera before. Besides, receiving the best cinematography award at the national level by working within such limitations is a tough job,” Manju Borah said.

On the other hand, Moni Bordoloi bagged the Rajat Kamal for best narration /voiceover in a short film, Suranjana Deepali (Assamese). “Evocative, gentle and understated, the voiceover gives a meaningful expression to the subject of the film,” the jury said.

The award for Baandhon, directed by Jahnu Barua, also brought joy to officials of the Assam State Film (Finance and Development) Corporation, which produced the film.

The best film award carries a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh each for the producer and director.

“The lives of a garrulous and nitpicking, yet loving, old couple and their inability to come to terms with the tragic loss of their only grandson on November 26, 2008, forms the subject matter of this compelling film,” the jury said about Baandhon.

Veteran actor Bishnu Kharghoria, who played an old man in Baandhon, was awarded with the Jury’s Special Mention Award “for emoting the life and moods of an old man caught in the vortex of the tragedies of life”.

According to the jury, Aribam Syam Sharma’s Leipaklei is “a simple story told in a straightforward simple narrative highlighting social reality” while his Manipuri Pony traces and presents “the historical significance of the game of polo which had its origins in Manipur and is played all over the world.”

“I am very happy because I work both on feature and non-feature films and I am told that there is no filmmaker in India who could win awards in two different categories till now,” Syam told The Telegraph.