Unit 12 Assamese Cinema And Theatre UNIT 12 : ASSAMESE CINEMA AND THEATRE UNIT STRUCTURE 12.1 Learning Objectives 12.2 Introduction 12.3 Background of Assamese Cinema 12.4 Trends of Assamese Cinema: From Jyoti Prasad Agarwala to BhabendraNathSaikia 12.5 Mobile Theatre 12.6 Let Us Sum Up 12.7 Further Reading 12.8 Answers to Check Your Progress 12.9 Model Questions 12.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES After going through this unit, you will be able to- • discuss the background of the Assamese cinema, • describe the trends of Assamese Cinema from Jyoti Prasad Agarwala to BhabendraNathSaikia, • discuss the development of mobile theatre in Assam. 12.2 INTRODUCTION Cinema and drama are integral part of cultural life of any civilization. These are regarded as one of the best way to reflect the public life at a public platform. In this unit we shall discuss the growth and development of Assamese cinema and theatre. 204 Cultural History of Assam Assamese Cinema And Theatre Unit 12 12.3 BACKGROUND Assamese cinema had a kaleidoscopic growth. The first Assamese film was Jyoti Prasad Agarwala’s ‘Joymoti’ released in 1935. ‘Joymoti’ was made at a time when there was no infrastructure available for such ambitious efforts. Jyoti Prasad took up this mammoth project after he was exposed to Bengali films while he was at Calcutta. This initiative made him establish a small temporary studio at factory office of the Bholaguri tea estate. However, all his toils did not yield lucrative result as his maiden venture failed on the audience. But he did not lose heart and went on to make ‘Indramalati’, his second film in the year 1939. Notably, a little over 300 films in Assamese language and other dialects of Assam have been produced so far since the time of the first Assamese film “Joymoti”. Out of the lot some of the films could earn national recognition. The themes of these films ranged from mythological to love story, historical to comedy, patriotic to horror and gave the audience an overwhelming experience of celluloid. It is worthwhile to mention that Assamese films have won awards at the national as well as international level from time to time. Films like ‘PiyaliPhukan’, ‘Mak Aru Maram’, ‘Tezimala’ produced in the fifties were awarded President’s Silver Medal. Similarly, during the same period ‘Puberun’ got international acclaim in the Berlin Film Festival. The golden era of Assamese film Industry: The golden era of Assamese film industry was marked by proliferation of film activities in Assam. This period not only saw an increase in number of films produced per annum but also uplift in the kind of films produced in terms of themes and other cinematic techniques. It all happened during seventies and eighties in which films like ‘Jug Biyug’, ‘UpajaSunarMati’, ‘Bhaiti’, ‘ChameliMemsaab’, ‘Meghamukti’, ‘Duronir Rang’, ‘AjoliNabau’, ‘Sendur’, ‘GharSansar’, ‘Buwari’, ‘Sunmaina’ and host of other hits and super hit films were produced. Cultural History of Assam 205 Unit 12 Assamese Cinema And Theatre Some of the popular film makers of Assam are Jyoti Prasad Aggarwal, Bishnu Prasad Rabha, Phani Sharma, Parbati Prasad Baruah, Kamal Narayan Choudhury, Dr.Bhupen Hazarika, Shiva Thakur, AjanBarua, PadumBarua, Nip Baruah, SailyaBaruah, BrajenBaruah, Abdul Majid, JahnuBaruah, DrBhabendraNathSaikia, MuninBaruah, Manju Bora, Rima Das to name a few. 12.4 TRENDS OF ASSAMESE CINEMA: FROM JYOTIPRASAD AGARWAL TO BHABENDRA NATH SAIKIA The name of the Jyoti Prasad Agarwala shines gloriously in the annals of Assamese film for his being the pioneer of Assamese film industry. An artist of composite talents he was equally apt at composing songs, giving music, play writing, film making, besides writing poetry and excelling in other creative fields. This has made him a cultural icon of Assam. With his first film ‘Joymoti’ he set the trend for Assamese film industry in the year 1935. He studied music at Edinburgh and Cambridge but introduced the traditional forms of Assamese music in his plays and films. With the passing away of Jyotiprasad, the Assamese film scene witnessed a temporary lull for about a couple of years. But things changed with the onset of World War II, Taking advantage of this, Rohini Kr. Baruah made a film on a relevant historical topic called Manomati in 1941. It was followed by films like Parvati Prasad Baruwa’s Rupahi (1946), Kamal Narayan Choudhury’s BadanBarphukan (1947), Phani Sharma’s Siraj, Asit Sen’s Biplabi, PrabinPhukan’s Parghat and Suresh Goswami’s Runumi.Bhupen Hazarika also produced and directed his first film Era Bator Sur. Bhupen Hazarika made his musical Shakuntala in 1961, which proved equally successful with critics and the press, winning the president’s silver medal. Following this, a chain of films went into regular production and got released, including Nip Barua’s Narakasur, 206 Cultural History of Assam Assamese Cinema And Theatre Unit 12 Another notable film maker of Assam was BhabendraNathSaikia, who made seven films during his short career as a film maker. A physicist from London, Saikia was not only an established film maker but also earned as an established short story writer and play wright of great excellence who can claim credit for laying the solid foundation of Assamese film industry after the initial efforts of Jyoti Prasad. BhabendraNathSaikia will always be remembered for his contribution to Assamese film movement through his films like Sandhyaraag (1977), Agnishnaan (1985), Kolahol (88), Sarothi (‘91), Abartan (93), Kalasandhya (97) and Exploration (95). It is significant that in all his films he made sensitive and sympathetic portrayal of women. 12.5 MOBILE THEATRE Jatra The jatragroups that acquired great popularity in Bengal found their wayinto Assam with the coming in of the Bengali babuswho were employed by theBritish administration. Local jatragroups, modeled upon the Bengali visitingjatragroups, began to emerge. The basic meaning of the word jatrawas to travel from one place to the other particularly on a special occasion or festival. In such group travels, different kinds of entertainment and acting was done to help the travellers relax and enjoy. At thesecond level, it means festivity. At the third level, jatracame to mean drama or acting. Generally, in festivals some kind of dramatic performance was organized. Though at first the jatratroupes performed only Bengali drama, laterAssamese translations were done and after that original Assamese plays were performed on the stage. In this regard the role played by Mr. AmbikagiriRaichoudhury, who was a poet, radical thinker and nationalist, to wipe out thetrend of performing Bengali dramas or in Bengali in the Barpeta region. It was he who first wrote the Assamese play Jayadratha-badhand performed it on stage in 1910 thus rooting out the tradition of Bengali jatraperformance in Assam. Cultural History of Assam 207 Unit 12 Assamese Cinema And Theatre The Assamese jatratroupes performed mythological and historicaldramas and this led to the creation of original Assamese plays like Purushottama,Maya Nari, Debala Debi, Prayachitta, Nagakonwar, Madan- Basanta, Nal-Damyanti,Harischandra, Sri Ramchandra, Kalapahar, etc. Another pioneer of Assamese theatre was BrajanathSarmah, he actually contributedtowards the professional development of Assamese theatre.Unfortunately lackof proper preservation led to the manuscripts as well as the names of manyplaywrights being lost with time. Mobile Theatre The shift from jatra to mobile theatre was initiated by the jatra actor SadanadaLahkar when he established a modern jatratroupe, Nataraj Opera, in 1959 in Pathsala. The main architect ofthis transformation was Mr. AchyutLahkar, who wanted to bring in something new into the scenario. He did not likecertain aspects of opera, like, male actors enacting female roles, delivery ofdialogues through singing, wrong pronunciations, misrepresentation of socialissues in translated dramas, lack of drama based on the settings of Assamesesociety,etc. He thought about the financial security of the artists. The establishment of Natraj Theatre was the turning point in the History of Assamese Theatre. Nataraj Theatre was to be ‘mobile’ in every sense of the term. Every required paraphernalia was to be movable. A proscenium stage made of wooden planks that could be set up and dismantled, an auditorium in the form of a huge tent that could sit at least a thousand people- basically a set up that would travel all over and take theatre to the masses instead of vice-versa. The performances presented would be modern drama and not jatraor opera. Nataraj Theatre would have its own light and sound equipments, generator for power supply, everything necessary for music and acting, like, instruments, costumes, Makeup, etc. Thus the concept of modern mobile theatre in Assam was initiated and shortly a number a mobile theatre parties were developed which in course of time became a larger cultural industry in Assam. 208 Cultural History of Assam Assamese Cinema And Theatre Unit 12 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Answer the following questions: Q. No 1: ………………………………was the first Assamese Cinema. (Fill in the blank) Q. No.2: Who produced Siraj? ……………………………………………………..……………………… Q.No.3: Name the first film of Dr.Bhupen Hazarika. ……………………………………………………………………………… Q. No.4: Sandhyarag was produced by……………….……………… (fill in the blank) 12.6 LET US SUM UP After going through this unit, you have learnt • the history of Assamese film. • contributions of Jyoti Prasad Agrwala to the Assamese film industry. • development ofJatragroups in Assam. • growth and development of mobile theatre in Assam. 12.7 FURTHER READING 1. Sharma Babeeta (2014): The Moving Image and Assamese Culture: Joymoti, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, and Assamese Cinema, Oxford. 2. KakotiSangeeta (2018): Dimensions of the mobile theater of Assam, PhD Thesesdigital library, KKHSOU Cultural History of Assam 209 Unit 12 Assamese Cinema And Theatre 12.8 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Answer no 1: Joymoti Answer no 2:PhaniSarma Answer no 3: Era Batar Sur Answer no 4:Dr.BhabendraNathSaikia 12.9 MODEL QUESTIONS A) VERY SHORT QUESTIONS (Answer each question within 50 words) Q.