Mamoni: The muse

Guwahati, Sept 21: Talented director Ranjit Das has been waiting patiently for the past six years for the commercial release of his film Sanskar (The Offspring), based on a short story by Jnanpeeth award winning writer Mamoni Raisom Goswami.

His dreams came alive today by an overwhelming response to the first public screening of the film at a city theatre, organised by the Gauhati Cine Club, under the presidentship of Hare Krishna Deka, poet and Assam police chief.

“With movie buffs fed up with the same old song-and-dance routine of mainstream Assamese cinema, the film got such a good response,” said Das, who won the national award for the best first non-feature film in 1996 for All Alone If Need Be.

The film, which was completed in 1997 and officially screened before delegates and mediapersons at the Calcutta film festival the same year, won three state awards in 1999 — for best actor, best male playback singer and best editing. It was also telecast by Doordarshan on its national channel.

“Unfortunately, a commercial release of the film has not been possible so far mainly because we were not sure whether the film would do well at all,” said the film’s producer, Kabin Saud. But after having tested the waters today, Saud is hopeful of a “release” soon.

A film’s release usually involves an additional investment of at least Rs 4 lakh, for prints and publicity.

Sanskar was completed about the time when the market for Assamese commercial cinema was booming. A serious movie like this did not stand much of a chance to attract a large audience then. “If the response is poor, the losses can be immense,” said Chandan Sarmah, the film’s executive producer.

The problem surrounding Sanskar’s release has once again brought to focus the need for mini theatres, especially for serious cinema, which has a niche audience. “The rent for a 1,500-capacity theatre is around Rs 55,000 for a week. The rent for a 500-capacity hall would be one-fifth of that amount and, therefore, screening serious films would not face the hurdles they do now,” said Sarmah.

Sanskar, featuring award-winning actor Bishnu Kharghoria and Purabi Sarma, Shilpishikha Barua, Lakhi Borthakur and Leena Das in the other roles, revolves around the relation of a village landlord and a Brahmin widow. The caste problem is highlighted when the widow, despite having a dubious reputation, has doubts over giving birth to a child of the low-caste landlord.