Puppetry, occultism & symbolism: All strings attached with Assam filmmaker's latest opus

By Chirasmrita Devi

Personal experiences often serve as strong and effective catalysts for new creative frontiers. In the words of John Dewey, 'art is a dynamic human experience that involves both the artist and the audience'.

"When the audience encounters art, they are connecting with the artist's experiences and transforming the meaning of the art with their own", he says.

Also Read: Exclusive: List Of Attendees To Join CM’s First Conference On Minorities Of…

Assam's young short film-maker Chinmoy Barma is exploring on the same lines creating short films that touch upon certain unexplored aspects infused with elements inspired from his personal experiences.

[caption id="attachment_95794" align="alignleft" width="240"] Chinmoy Barma[/caption]

In Barma's own words his works are his 'childhood experiences accumulated in the stories through artistic expression".

His latest opus in making is '

">Tezor Tukura' (translated as 'A Piece of Blood) which is a unique symbiosis of occultism and symbolism which is executed through another unique process of 'String Puppetry'.

String- Puppet theatre was once an integral part of the socio-cultural life in Assam. Meant especially for children, the shows used to be educative depicting stories mostly from the epics. However, with the booming of modern day entertainment options, the folk art lost its value leaving the artists with an uncertain future.

Speaking about using puppetry in his film, Barma said, "When I was young, once my maternal grandfather was invited for a puppet show. I went along with him. I was so intrigued by what I saw that I needed one of the puppets at any cost. I cried and threw tantrums but the group left the very next morning shattering my dream to own a puppet".

"Since then, I never got to watch any more puppet shows. It was then I realised that the folk art was dying. Hence I thought of using the art for my short film", adds Barma who hails from Nalbari district.

Barma revealed that the initial idea was to make it a one take short film. However, the COVID restrictions came in the way as it wasn't possible to complete the shoot in one take before the commencement of the curfew hours.

Although Barma wanted to use puppet artists for the film, he rarely found any artists.

"The ones we found lived very far from our shooting location and it wasn't possible for them to come all the way to do the shoot and leave before the curfew", he said.

Also Read: Meghalaya Farmer Lauded For Gifting Home-Grown Maize To COVID-19 Vaccine Team

"My artistic sister came to the rescue. With her help we created puppets as well as a minimalistic set. There were many limitations including limited time because of the COVID restrictions. The set was minimalistic hence we had to be extra careful while handling it. We damaged it quite a lot of times and had to rebuild it.

Also, we didn't have the lenses required for shooting small subjects. To arrange the lenses amid the pandemic and restrictions was just impossible for us. But with the help of my two mates Hirak and Upam we continued the shooting with what we have. Also, I am grateful to our producer Reeky Sharma (Eastside productions) who backed us even during these trying times across the globe.", adds Barma.

The short film depicts 4 generations starting with a 120-year-old woman to her great-grand son. They have to break a curse that had been there in their family since 1000 years otherwise their generation will not continue.

Also Read: Akhil Gogoi Calls NIA ‘A Joke’; Claims It Tried To Recruit Him For BJP, RSS

The entire film has been shown using the puppets instead of human characters controlled by Barma himself and Hirak.

Along with puppetry, Barma has infused elements of occultism, touching upon the issue of 'tabooing' the process of menstruation.

"During my childhood I noticed that girls going through menstruation were kept in isolation especially in rural area of the state. They were not allowed to touch anything or even enter the kitchen. They were treated as 'untouchables'. At least that's what my young mind saw them as. Later when I grew old I came to know that it's a biological process and there was nothing to 'taboo' about it."

"As I always try to incorporate my personal experiences into my work, I thought using this element as well", he said.

This is not Barma's maiden tryst with fantasy and mystical elements. He has pieces like 'Ghorapak' in his kitty which was widely appreciated by the audience.

">Ghorapak is one of the most feared legend/ghost in Assamese folklore.’Ghora’ means horse. This ghost is part horse and part human.

In 'Ghorapak' too, Barma weaved the lost art of 'Ojapali' as the background score in the film which again was an unusual treatment adding more the 'enchanting' cinematography.

The teaser of 'Tezor Tukura' is out which is sure to compell the audience into thinking "what is actually going on here?".

Many metaphors and symbolism have been incorporated in this horror tale that magical enough to enchant the audience. At first it might be a bit difficult to grasp the teaser as it acts a splash of fresh water for the Assamese audience. However, once you dive deeper into Barma's mystical world, the magic is sure to enchant you.

The innovation and and the unique execution makes it a must watch.

All set to release in beginning of 2022, 'Tezor Tukura' will definitely be something to look forward to. It will also be featured in the film festivals in the next 6 months.

With this short film, we can expect a wind of innovation that can make its way into the hearts of the Assamese audience and beyond.

 

Follow us on Facebook