Made in Assamese and shot in the beautiful landscapes of Assam, Kothanodi unfolds four folk tales based on the common thread of motherhood but with a dark, hidden meaning embedded in grandma’s tales. Based in pre-colonial India, the tales are woven into a single narrative.
In many ways, Kothanodi explores some of Hazarika’s favourite genres. “Sci-fi, horror and fantasy — my muse goes mad with joy in these three genres,” he says. While there’s no sci-fi in Kothanodi, it is horror and fantasy in equal parts.
After a long stint in documentaries for FTII, UN, and the Government, he finally cut his first film, a long standing dream. “I did my masters in Film & Drama from the University of Reading. I have been writing and directing documentaries and TV series in Mumbai and Delhi. Kothanodi is my first feature film as a director,” he tells you.
The fact that the Assamese film industry is quite fund-strapped was a major problem. “If I could only play back the sniggering I received from investors who were nonplussed that I was making an Assamese film when I had dates of actors like Adil Hussain and Seema Biswas!” Hazarika recalls, but sans regret. “I got incredibly talented technicians from the Assamese film industry. Without their tenacity, experience and skill, Kothanodi would not have been possible,” he adds.
A commercial release of the film is expected soon but he has been busy taking Kothanodi to international film festivals, and to wide acclaim. Whether it is a conventional ‘indie’ film (it certainly has that raw indie spirit) is debatable but Hazarika says, “Kothanodi is an experiment to test if films from the North-East can expand their box office reach through content that appeals to global audiences. So far, we have got appreciation from a diverse audience,” he says.
Hazarika is one of the lucky few who managed a successful crowd funding campaign. “We held a crowd funding campaign for our second schedule. Raising money from the crowd not only validated the creative idea of the film but also freed me from worrying too much about stuff like recovery.”
Higher budgets, he says, allows experiment. “For my next film, I would like to get any Bollywood star. That is the best way to get at least a decent budget for your movie,” he jokes.
His next project is another multi-narrative project based on four stories by Edgar Allan Poe.
The article also got published in The Pioneer Newspaper – http://www.dailypioneer.com/sunday-edition/sunday-pioneer/backpack/river-of-fables.html
