Assam sound technician Debajit Changmai is awestruck working with celebrated Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi in the latter’s maiden film in India ‘Beyond the Clouds’. Another Assam girl Urmila Mahanta based in Mumbai is also part of the film which was completed recently.
Majidi is known for his masterpieces like ‘Children of Heaven’, ‘The Color of Paradise’ and ‘The Song of Sparrows’ among others.
“Majid Majid is unbelievably simple and which makes him very special just like his films. That simplicity transforms into his works. That is the most striking feature,” an elated Changmai who did the sound re-mixing for the Majidi film told The News Mill from Mumbai.
Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor’s younger brother Ishaan Khatter makes his debut with ‘Beyond the Clouds’ which explores the themes of loneliness, siblings, love and complicated human relationships like most of the Majidi films.
National award-winning Changmai who has been part of several major films of Bollywood in the recent past said that working with the Iranian legend was itself a learning experience.
“It’s an eye-opener for me. What I learnt from him was even after doing such brilliant works and being such a big name how one can be so grounded…His way of seeing at the things is also very simple. He never tries to exaggerate things and this reflects in his films as well,” said Changmai who has worked in films like ‘Baahubali 2’, ‘Bhag Milkha Bhag’ and ‘Haider’ among others.
He won the national award for re-recording of the final mixed track of Hindi film ‘Ishqiya’ in 2011.
‘Beyond the Clouds’ was the inaugural film at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa in November last year.
On the treatment of the subjects, Changmai said that the way Majidi has portrait Mumbai in his film awesomely depicts the city.
“I don’t remember anyone depicting Mumbai as did by Majidi in spite of the fact that he is an outsider to the city. The sound treatment while showing Dhobi Ghat is as real as it can be. Things like this make him apart from the others. This is definitely one of the most significant points of my career,” Changmai added.
Besides, Urmila Mahanta who was born and brought up in Sonapur has already established herself in the tinsel town with her commendable work in Hindi and South India films over the last several years will be seen playing a role in the film.
