What a joke

By nominating renowned Janu Barua in the category of best debutant film director for the Star-Screen Award for his classic Maine Gandhi Ko Nehi Mara, the organisers have proved that how ignorant they are about North-East and its people. For the people of North-East the nomination is nothing but a joke.

Among the Indian film makers in India Janu Barua is one of the most popular names. Mr. Barua, beyond doubt, is a worthy successor of the late Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen. How talented this Assamese film director is can be judged from the fact that he had won several national and international awards for his works. Over the years, Janu Barua has won so many awards that once another film director in a lighter vein commented that others should not expect an award when Janu Barua is in the race.

But the ignorant judges of Star-Screen Award have crossed all limits by nominating Janu Barua for best debutant director category. Maine Gandhi Ko Nehi Mara is not Mr. Barua’s first film in Hindi. Earlier also he made Hindi film. It’s a pity that an established film magazine like the Screen is not aware about the fact. One thing is sure that the magazine would not have made such a mistake in the case of Mumbai-based film directors. What is more disturbing is the fact that so far the organisers have not offered apology for making such a blunder. Perhaps this is the reason why Janu Barua’s latest film did not do well in the box office. Though critics praised the film, there was not enough publicity. Many movie watchers are not aware about the fact when the picture was released and when was it withdrawn. To say the least, any B grade Bollywood movie gets much more publicity than Barua’s film.

Here lies the root cause behind the sense of neglect prevailing in the North-East. Ignorance of the mainland populace about the region and its people has created a gap of information and understanding between the North-East and the mainland. Kargil war heroes belonging to North-East are forgotten. Janu Barua is still a newcomer in Bollowood despite making quality cinemas for the last 20 years or so. Same is the fate of the great sports persons of international repute, the region has produced. Thus the talk of oneness is terribly one-sided.

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