Award-winning Assam filmmaker Bobby Sarma Baruah’s latest film ‘Mishing’ in Sherdukpen language which is based on the novel of the same name written by Sahitya Akademy award-winning author Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi will compete at the 24th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) in the competition of Indian language films.
KIFF is one of the prestigious film festivals in the country which begins on November 10.
“I’m glad to have my film at the KIFF competition section which is one of the widely respected festivals in the country. This is the maiden appearance for my film. I’m hopeful,” Bobby told The News Mill.
The shooting has been completed in various locations of Arunachal Pradesh. Mishing deals with the folklore of among the Sherdukpen people. Mishing means the spirit of dying people that appear before their near and dear ones. The plot of the film is based in the 1980s.
“I quite like the novel. So, I decided to make the film in Sherdukpen language. But it’s very difficult. I just can’t copy the novel as it is. I have taken the story and tried to script it in a creative way. At the same time I also need to keep it in my so that the essence of the story in the novel is not missed,” added Bobby.
Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi who has won number of awards for his literary works said that he is highly hopeful that the director will be able to do justice to the story.
“Many people in the past have approached me for making films on my novels but I was never keen to allow them. I have become choosy. But after watching her (Bobby’s) work, I’m sure, she will be able to do it properly,” Thongchi had said recently.
He also thinks that the film will also help in preserving the Sherdukpen language which is in the threshold of the extinction. Sherdukpen language is spoken by just around 4000 people in some parts of Arunachal Pradesh.
Bobby’s previous film ‘Sonar Baran Pakhi’ (The Golden Wings), a biopic based on the life of legendary folk singer Pratima Barua Pandey of Assam has won accolades from different parts of the globe in 2017.
