First film in Arunachali dialect screened at IFFI

Panaji, Nov 29 (UNI) It was a very special day for the regional Indian cinema at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) here today when 'Sonam', the feature film made in Monpa, the first in any Arunachali dialect, got world exposure.

The film was screened in the Indian Panorama section of the IFFI after a presentation made by Director Ahasan Muzid. The main cast of the film was introduced to the audience on this occasion.

'Sonam' is from the remotest corner of the country--the Himalayan abode of the Monpa tribe on the India-China border.

A team of adventurous filmmakers has captured on celluloid the lifestyle and traditions of tribal people living at heights of up to 15000 feet in Arunachal Pradesh.

The film was completed after 45 days of gruelling trekking at those heights.

"In fact, I would rather say that it was as much an expedition as filmmaking as our unit with all the paraphernalia and gadgets trekked to those rarefied heights. I am happy that braving all odds, without any power supply or the basic infrastructure and logistical support, the unit completed the film," Mr Muzid said.

Sonam is about the life and culture of the Monpas where the tradition of polyandry-the practice of a woman having more than one husband- turns the life of a couple into a nightmare.

Though the Monpas practice monogamy, the Yak herdsmen of the tribe, traditionally known as the Brokpas, are used to polyandry.

The director has portrayed the poignant situation of a husband who offers to accept the lover of his wife as co-husband. However, with the coming of the new husband, he feels sidelined and becomes unbearably lonely.

Sonam, the wife of the duo, also starts suffering due to the complex situation. Being a Buddhism, she goes in for a total and ultimate atonement in her own death.

"When I was doing research for the film in the Monpa society at Tawang, Dirang and Kalatang districts of Arunachal Pradesh, I met many persons who had suffered a lot due to the practice of polyandry which they accepted as their destiny," Mr Muzid said.

The breathtaking beauty of the snow-capped Himalayas, the exquisite monasteries located at great heights, the extraordinary lifestyle of the tribal people and many more things have been brilliantly depicted in the film.

Of the 27 artistes in the film, 23 are from Bomdila, Dirang and Twang who were groomed a 15-day acting camp organised by Garima mountain Hives, the producers of the film. The music has been composed by Archna Bhattacharjee Ahasan.

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