Assam has always been in the news. May it be the riot that happened recently, the floods or even the illegal immigration of Bangladeshis, Assam has always grabbed the media attention. 

One thing in Assam that is not getting the much-required acknowledgment is the Assamese film industry. Assam is the only film producing state among the seven sisters of India these films are extremely diverse in their narrative. 

Started in 1935, the Assamese films never really managed to break through the national scene in spite of having a good number of national awards to their credit. Since the release of Joymoti, directed by Jyoti Prasad Agarwal, the industry is quite struggling to create its own mark in the world of Indian cinema.

 When we think of regional cinema, the first thing that comes to our mind is the south Indian cinema. And after that Marathi and Bhojpuri maybe. Assamese never comes to our mind when we think of or acknowledge the regional cinemas of our nation. And thus, many great pieces of art by Assam go unnoticed by the non-Assamese audience. 

The young female director Rima Das’s film Village Rockstars gave a soul to the flow of Assamese films. Having traveled the world, attending different film festivals and winning awards, Village Rockstars is like a revival to this industry. Being India’s official entry for the 2019 Oscars shows that Assamese films are slowly gaining popularity and acceptance in the country.

Village Rockstars

Aamis is yet another wonderful Assamese film that released recently. Telling a tale of two people who fall in love out of wedlock over food (unusual meat to be specific, as the title translates) has its tenderness at the beginning which towards the end, fades away turning the entire mood into a dangerous and eerily realistic thrilling mocktail. Aamis is surely a movie with an amazing storyline. It’s hard to give away the full story of Aamis so do remind yourself to watch the film.

Aamis

Aamis details the subjective romance, exploring both its beauty and ugliness. Starting off as a love tale outside the morals of the society, what the film gives you is a totally unexpected and bizarre turn to the plot. The newbie actors have done a wonderful job transcending the boundaries of newcomers. They do have a good future. It is rare that a film with only newcomers create such a discussion in the industry.

With eminent and extremely skilled filmmakers like Rima Das and Bhaskar Hazarika (who grabbed the National Award for his first film), the good days for Assamese films are on the way. Pretty soon, the industry will create a new wave in Indian cinema and will be acknowledged as a premium regional cinema in our country.

They are also inspiring young filmmakers from different parts of the country to transcend the boundaries and venture into film making.

PS- If you are planning to watch these films let me warn you, Aamis can get a bit disturbing unlike Village Rockstars but trust me it is a masterpiece!!!

Do you have more good collection of Assamese movies? Drop it in the comment section!