Part 2.1 - Joymati and Others—Oral Histories Told in Celluloid

[Full title: Orality of the Region and Its Dimensions in Assamese Cinema (1) Joymati and Others—Oral Histories Told in Celluloid]

Like all other regional film industries of the nation, Assamese cinema also sprang up from the deep rooted social philosophies and the traditions that shaped the society at large. The beginning of Assamese cinema in 1935 with Joymati did not follow the trends of its contemporaries. Instead of relying upon mythological stories, epics or the devotional genre, Assamese cinema kicked off with a socio-political drama, based on a string of the Ahom kingdom. Yet Jyotiprasad Agarwalla very consciously explored the folkloric elements of Assamese society, throughout his narrative. The story revolved around Joymati Kunwari, mother of the Ahom king Rudra Singha, who is believed to have sacrificed her life to save the Ahom throne from tyranny. Joymati was beaten to death at a place called Jerenga Pathar (in present day Sivasagar, Assam) for not disclosing the whereabouts of her husband Godapani, who had fled to save his own life. Throughout the ages, many books, plays and other literary materials have been written in Assamese, surrounding the legend of Joymati. However the tale of Joymati Kunwari has been part of Ahom oral history and is not confirmed through written records. This oral history, which made the base for the first ever Assamese feature film, has been termed by many scholars to be folklore.

Entire reels of the film Joymati are not available. An extracted version of the film starts with a folk performance of Bhaona, where a demon is seen dancing. Moreover such folk dances have been shown in several parts of the film. The film in its entirety encompasses numerous folk elements to depict the culture of Ahom era, such as the holy shrine called thapona, use of palanquins, horse and elephants as modes of transportation, traditional bamboo hats called jaapi, Assamese traditional costumes and jewellery. Use of different household items like xoraai and bota (traditional trays), the traditional smoking barrel called hookah have also been shown. Court of the Ahom king, traditional Naga houses have also been included. Women are seen using the taator xaal or the weaving equipment. Moreover, the film shows an ancient method of stealing by thieves in which they used to dig holes (xindhi khonda) in the base of mud houses that also represent folk material culture.

The path that followed Joymati, shaped the history of Assamese cinema in a multidimensional manner. Several films made immediately after Joymati followed the trend of taking up historical backdrops to film popular legends of the region. The third Assamese feature film Manomati (1941, Dir. Rohini Kumar Baruah) was based on an eponymous novel written by Rajanikanta Bordoloi. The film unfolds a love story against the historical backdrop of the third Burmese invasion of Assam. The story is based on a popular lore and depicts Assamese society during the period of the said invasion. The fourth film Badan Borphukan (1947, Dir. Kamal Narayan Choudhury) was also based on a chapter of the Ahom Kingdom, focussing on the character of Badan Chandra Borphukan, who is considered as a traitor in Ahom history. Other historical films that have been made in Assamese include—Piyoli Phukan (1955, Dir. Phani Sarma), Lachit Barphukan (1961, Dir. Prabin Phukan, Lakshyadhar Choudhury), and Maniram Dewan (1964, Dir. Sarbeswar Chakravarty), depicting three celebrated personalities of Assam history.

The film Piyoli Phukan is based on the life and struggle of Piyoli Phukan, son of Badan Borphukan, who revolted against British occupation unlike his father Badan, who is regarded as a traitor in Assam history for paving ways for the Burmese invasion. He was sentenced to death and hanged in 1830 at Jorhat. After the Treaty of Yandaboo in 1826, Assam went under the British occupation. The film depicts how Piyoli along with Gomdhar Konwar revolted against the British colonizers by organizing community revolt against British rule. Piyoli however was arrested on grounds of conspiracy and after a trial, he was sentenced to death and hanged July 26, 1830.

Lachit Barphakun (24 November 1622 -25 April 1672) was an army commander in the Ahom kingdom of Assam. Under Lachit’s leadership, the Ahoms fought against the Mughal forces under the command of Ramsingh I, who wanted to take over the Ahom kingdom. Famed as the Battle of Saraighat, this battle was fought in 1671. The valiance of Lachit Barphukan in the Battle of Saraighat was portrayed in the celluloid for the first time in the film Lachit Barphukan (1961, Dir. Prabin Phukan, Lakshyadhar Choudhury).

The film Maniram Dewan (1964, Dir. Sarbeswar Chakravarty) is about an Assamese nobleman Maniram Dewan, who was hanged to death on charges of conspiracy against the British during the uprising of 1857. This has been credited as a classic, not only in terms of the narrative but also the rich music which was musically designed by Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, who very carefully picked up folk tunes from the hills and valleys of Assam to create a masterpiece in terms of the music album. The music of the film has been discussed in detail in a later part of this chapter. It is worth mentioning that mournings of the people on Maniram Dewan’s death even found place in ballads (maalita) of Assam. 

One example of such a ballad is given below (this ballad is sung in the tunes of Bihu songs)—

Gupute gupute dhorile Maniram
Gupute gupute neele
Holroyd Sahabe tokolai paarote
Gupute faansi dile…(Sarma: 2015: 113)

(Meaning: Maniram was caught secretly, he was taken secretly to the banks of the Tokolai river and hanged at the orders of captain Holroyd, then Commissioner of Sivasagar, Assam)

For a long time, as newer elements entered into films, family drama became the dominating genre in Assamese cinema. These family dramas were mostly set in rural backgrounds and hence were instrumental in depicting the folk culture of the region. Very few historical films have been produced in Assamese, and that too with very little commercial success. After a considerable gap, it was only in 1998, when acclaimed director Jahnu Barua made Kuhkhal (released in 2001) depicting the martyrdom of Kushal Konwar during the Indian freedom struggle in 1942. The film won the National Award for Best Regional Film in Assamese.

The life of Swahid Kanaklata Baruah, a teenage girl who was shot by the policemen while marching to hoist the Indian flag at Gohpur in Assam, has been filmed in Kanaklata (1990, Dir. Kuntala Deka) and later in Epaah Phulil Epaah Soril (2015, Dir. Loknath Deka).

Anal (1999, Dir. Dr. Paramananda Rajbongshi) is a film based on the peasant rebellion of Assam when British open firing killed protesting peasants at Patharughat in Darrang district, Assam. This incident took place on 28 January 1894. While records of the British Raj say that only 15 peasants were killed in the firing, local history has some other story to tell. As per verses composed by a certain Narottam Das, the number of peasants who lost their lives stands at 140. These verses that represent local history along with the socio-political landscape during the period, are known as Doli Puran, a class of historical ballads. Anal has been filmed as per the verses of the ballad, maintaining even the dialect of the area. During the firing scenes, a make-believe bhaona where young boys playfully enact scenes from the battle of Mahabharata have been incorporated as a metaphor.

Another biopic titled Lokabandhoo was released in 2015 (Dir. Dhiraj Kashyap), which has depicted the life story of Dr. Bhubaneshwar Barooah, a physician of repute and a humanitarian who is remembered for his yeoman service to the society.

In 2006, the story of Joymati Kunwari was again brought to celluloid by director Manju Borah through her venture Joymati. In the later years, a few biopics on historical figures and saints were made in Assamese language.

Aajan Fakir Saheb (2008, Dir. Asif Ikbal Hussain) based on the life of Ajan Fakir, the Sufi saint and poet from the 17th century, who is believed to have come to Assam from Baghdad. He is particularly known for popularizing two forms of devotional songs called Zikir and Zaari, that draw ingredients from local musical traditions of Assam.

In 2013, a film titled Bir Chilarai (Dir. Samarendra Narayan Dev) was made under the aegis of Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Assam. This is a biopic on the life of Shukladhwaja Singha the younger brother and commander-in-chief of Nara Narayan, the king of the Kamata Kingdom in 16th century Assam. Shukladhwaja Singha was fondly called Chilarai in honouring his fast pace of troop movements on the battlefield, which seemed like the flight of a chila (kite/eagle).