Jahnu to film Mamoni

Apart from completing his second Hindi feature film; Jahnu Barua is also making a 27-minute documentary of Indira Goswami. 

On the request by Sahitya Akademi, Jahnu Barua will shoot a 27-miniute documentary on the life of Dr. Indira Goswami. The documentary is part of a project launched by Sahitya Akademi to document the lives of all Jnanpith winners.

Sandeep Banerjee

At the start of this year, Assamese cinema got a great exposure when Assam State Film Finance and Development Corporation (AFFDC) organized the first ever Assamese film festival in the national capital. Otherwise, it is again Jahnu Barua who is crafting the entire stir in the film world. It may have taken the maestro 23-long-years to debut in Hindi with Maine Gandhi Ko Nehin Mara, but the Anupam Kher starrer did receive its share of critical acclaim. Jahnu Barua was really peeved when the 12th Star Screen Awards nominated him for Maine Gandhi…. Mara, in the debut film category. Both Barua and Kher boycotted the function.

Starting with Aparoopa in 1982, Jahnu Barua has so far won 10 national and 23 international awards at prestigious film festivals such as Locarno, Chicago, Brussels and Tokyo. He received Padmabhusan in 2003 for pioneering work in film making and contribution to Indian cinema.

But putting all these behind him, Jahnu Barua went on to complete his second Hindi film Butterfly chase set in the backdrop of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Five-year-old Niyar Saikia of Guwahati plays the role of a deaf and mute Kashmiri girl. The film narrates how her life is interlinked with that of terrorism. Niyar has essayed her role with the help of only sign language and facial expressions. She is brilliant in the film so is Barua in his direction. Saudesh Saudilya has scored the music for the film, shot partly in Mumbai and partly in Sikkim. Like Maine Gandhi…… Mara, the script of Butterfly Chase has been penned down by the director himself. The film is ready for release.

But Barua is not a man to sit back and enjoy. The filmmaker has already finished the script for his third project which will hit the floor after the release of Butterfly chase. Barua is working on another significant project. On the request by Sahitya Akademi, he will shoot a 27-miniute documentary on the life of Dr. Indira Goswami. The work on the project is believed to have already started. The documentary is expected to be complete by May this year. The documentary is part of a project launched by Sahitya Akademi to document the lives of all Jnanpith winners. Once completed, the series will also be telecast by Doordarshan. It is learnt that the Akademi was flooded with offers from filmmakers who wanted to document Dr. Goswami’s life. But the Akademi wanted Barua to do it for his expertise and also for the fact that he belongs to Assam.

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