OSIAN’s Cinefan Film Festival: Sanjay Suri speaks on ‘As The River Flows’
Sanjay Suri and National Award winning documentary filmmaker Bidyut Kotoky graced Day 4 of OSIAN’s with their presence and spoke, in detail, about their film ‘As The River Flows’.
|Last Updated: Jul 31, 2012, 10:27 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Ananya Bhattacharya
Delhi: Amidst a power failure that crippled the entire northern part of the country, the fourth day of the 12th OSIAN’s-Cinefan Film Festival opened to a fair number of people. Neither erratic power failures nor the uncalled-for rain could dampen the spirits of movie lovers and people were seen amassed at the Siri Fort Complex. Renowned actor Sanjay Suri and National Award winning documentary filmmaker Bidyut Kotoky graced Day 4 of OSIAN’s with their presence and spoke, in detail, about their film ‘As The River Flows’. The film saw its World Premiere on the 29th of July, 2012 at the ongoing festival.
Inspired by and loosely based on the life of Sanjoy Ghosh, an activist who was abducted by the militant groups operating in Assam and for seven years, nobody noticed his absence. Bidyut Kotoky’s film is a socio-political thriller that deals with the life of Journalist Abhijit Shandilya (essayed by Sanjay Suri) who begins to investigate how his friend went missing. The film stars veteran actor Victor Banerjee and newcomer Bidita Bag alongside Sanjay Suri. The film is a bilingual one, and has the usage of Hindi and Assamese.
The film documents, in painful detail, the plight of the people caught at the crossroads of militant groups against the police. The fact that Kotoky’s roots are based in Assam, one of the most strife-torn places in the country, added to the nuances of the story. And actor Sanjay Suri belongs to a state which has known only violence since the year 1989. When the actor moved out of Jammu & Kashmir in 1990, the state was already ravaged by violence. Belonging to conflict zones, both on the part of the filmmaker and the lead actor, went a considerably path in crafting to brilliance the creation called ‘As The River Flows’.
The film revolves around a sensitive issue, shot at a place which is known for its amount of sheer violence. Majuli Island in Assam, the largest river island in the world and the only one in the country, is on the verge of extinction. Plans of UNESCO designating the island a World Heritage Site have still not been able to see the light of the day.
Capturing on camera a place ravaged by neglect and bearing the burden of bloodshed for about three decades wasn’t exactly an easy task for Bidyut Kotoky. The cast and crew were faced with opposition from every possible sphere and had to tackle obstacles ranging from being silent about the subject of the film to grenade attacks. In the face of such hostility, the perseverance and hard work of the brains behind the film finally saw it through, and Kotoky’s tribute to Majuli deserves a standing ovation. Sanjay Suri and Bidyut Kotoky both hope that they are able to release the film commercially soon.
Follow @nanya116
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.