‘Baruar Xongxar’ (The House of Baruas), a documentary film on the famous Assam-type house at Latasil, Guwahati, which was screened to much acclaim at the coveted Indian Panorama of the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in November last, will have screenings all over Assam.
The 71-minute-long film was directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Utpal Borpujari and produced by Nayan Prasad, Jemini Phukan and Dibyajyoti Saharia under the banner of socio-cultural organization Surjya and Jemini Phukan Production.
Stars of the house:
The house on the eastern flank of the historic Latasil playground completed a century in 2023, and has been the home to legends like Ramen Barua (musician), Dwipen Barua (cricketer-turned-singer), the late Brajen Barua (filmmaker-actor-musician-singer), Nip Barua (filmmaker-footballer-artist), Dibon Barua (filmmaker) and Girin Barua (entrepreneur-sports organizer-politician) and Niren Barua (actor-radio personality) and several others.
Constructed by engineer Chandranath Barua of Bihdiya village located near Baihata Chariali, the house of Baruas at Latasil ground was built in 1923 with a mix of materials imported from the UK as well as sourced locally.
Works and performance:
Starting with ‘Smritir Parax’ (1955) directed by Nip Barua, members of the family have given 30 feature films in Assamese, Bengali and Hindi, including ‘Ronga Police’, ‘Dr Bezbarua’, ‘Lalita’, ‘Mukuta’, ‘Ajoli Nabow’, ‘Kokadeuta Nati Aru Hati’, ‘Shakuntala Aru Shankar Joseph Ali’, ‘Jog Biyog’, ‘Toramai’ and ‘Ajala Kokai’ among others.
In the sporting arena, Girin Barua shone as a cricketer and represented Assam in the Ranji Trophy for 15 years, including as captain, while Dwipen Barua played in the Ranji Trophy and even captained the junior East Zone team before the songs of ‘Dr Bezbarua’ made him an overnight sensation in 1969, leading to a shift to a singing career.
On the other hand, Nip Barua played football and captained Assam in the Santosh Trophy even while making films.
Special screening:
The film had a special screening at the Rudra Baruah Auditorium of Jyoti Chitraban on February 24, followed by a ticketed show which received an enthusiastic response from viewers.
Both Ramen and Dwipen Barua expressed their happiness after the screening. “Our entire family is very happy that this documentary has chronicled the story of our family in a year when our house has completed its centenary,” said Ramen Barua. “The film will take the story of our family to people not only within Assam, especially those of the present generation. That is a matter of great satisfaction for all of us,” said Dwipen Barua.
At the screening, the film’s crew, producers Nayan Prasad and Jemini Phukan, director Utpal Borpujari, chief assistant director Bhaskar Jyoti Das, cinematographer Rituraj Shivam, editor Jhulan Krishna Mahanta, sound designer Debajit Gayan and researcher and assistant director Manaswinee Mahanta were present. Renowned musician Rupam Talukdar has recreated some of the immortal compositions of Ramen Barua on accordion specially for the film.
More screenings in Assam and elsewhere:
The film will be screened in ticketed shows in collaboration with likeminded organisations so that people at large, especially the present generation, get to know about the immense contribution made by the Barua family towards Assamese cinema, music, culture, sports and society over the years, its producers said.
“We feel that this is a film that needs to be seen by every culturally conscious person in Assam. There has been no other family in India who has made such a huge contribution to such a wide spectrum of the overall socio-cultural space in modern Assam. We request organisations and educational institutions in Assam, which want to organize screenings of the film, to get in touch with us via email ids [email protected] and [email protected],” said Nayan Prasad, one of the producers of the films and renowned theatre and film personality, after the screening.
“Documentary is an important genre of filmmaking, and it is important that people watch documentaries as a responsible audience, especially when it comes to subjects like this. That is why we want to organize such screenings in different places,” said Jemini Phukan.
Director’s take:
Director Utpal Borpujari, who has earlier made the acclaimed feature film ‘Ishu’, the short film ‘Xogun’ and documentaries like ‘Mask Art of Majuli’, ‘Memories of a Forgotten War’, ‘Songs of the Blue Hills’ and ‘Mayong: Myth/Reality’, said that part of the proceedings of the screenings would be shared with Ramen Barua and Dwipen Barua.
“That will be the least we can do to show our love, respect and gratitude to them for their contribution to Assamese society,” he said.
“I hope the government would also consider the two living legends for the state and Central civilian awards, such as Asom Gaurav and Padma Shri respectively. There are very few more deserving people than Ramen Barua and Dwipen Barua for these honours in Assam,” Borpujari said.
