Ramdhenu Assamese movie

Personal Jottings

By RK Rishikesh Sinha

Ramdhenu Assamese movie

I wish to express my feelings associated with the Assamese movie Ramdhenu. Don’t get me wrong since writing on the movie it doesn’t mean to discourage cinemagoers to throng Gold Cinema. In contrast, it doesn’t mean a complete silence to be maintained; hitherto it is to bring the Assamese movie Ramdhenu and Assam film industry to a discussion.

My close encounter with Assamese entertainment dates back to the year 1997 when I first landed in Guwahati. I was completely alien to the Assamese language; the fear that Assam (read Guwahati) is a terrorist-infested area, which was very natural coming from Kashmir, however soon withered away from my consciousness. Now after a decade when I don’t stay in the city, I feel those study days in Guwahati were indeed Ramdhenu days for me.

Ten years down the memory lane, for me Ramdhenu was Hiya Diya Niya, the much celebrated Assamese movie. We Hindi-speaking students found the constant chattering of our Assamese friends about the movie to be inconformity to our common college topics. We go complete blank to the Hiya Diya Niya discussion. Those were the days when their remarks, “Jatin Bora boriya acting korise…, Film boriya hoi…” fell flat to us. When they mention about Zubeen Garg? “Who is he?” was the instant question from us.

I believe the Assamese film industry has come a long way from Hiya Diya Niya to Ramdhenu. Though I am not an Assamese movie fanatic, today if I am able to associate and appreciate few of the people on whose shoulders the Assamese entertainment industry rest. I may be wrong to this conclusion; still I would support and appreciate my argument reason being there would be lakhs of people like me who are away from the gambit of Assamese entertainment. And our presence would definitely give a support to the industry which is gasping for fresh air. First is — the great ‘Yah…Ali’ singer Zubeen Garg. I take him as a complete entertainer, a poster boy, a marketer, all packaged in one. Assamese entertainment world minus Zubeen Garg, is difficult to imagine. Second is — Jatin Bora. He is the Shah Rukh Khan of Assamese film industry. Third is — Chetana Das. Watch out few of her comedy acts, it is complete paisa vasool.

Coming to the topic Ramdhenu the film, the movie is graced with the most famous actors of the Assamese film world. And it got input from Zubeen Garg, Angarag Mahanta, Sunidhi Chouhan, Shreya Ghosal, Dikshu, Raj jyoti Konwar, Jublee, and Rupjyoti. It is directed by Munin Barua, the same person who had directed Hiya Diya Niya. We see in the production of the movie, nothing was left loose in the pursuit to create a history in the 75-year-old Assamese movie industry. There were no strings attached in producing the movie. Shooting of Ramdhenu took place in the picturesque locations, out of Assam. Before the release of the movie, News Live had clear cut agenda — to push Ramdhenu through news, advertisement, interviews, and every tactic available in their arsenal. Post-Ramdhenu release, News Live hit back hard, sending reporters to take bytes of jubilant moviegoers.

I had one wish that Ramdhenu should not be remembered as one of the costliest movie that didn’t get its return on investment. Ramdhenu would create history if it earns profit. Since it is profit, only profit that will give impetus to the Assamese film industry and not story, star cast, singers, director, camera, item songs, locations that would matter for long.