Critic, filmmaker Altaf Mazid gets two National Awards

New Delhi: Critic-filmmaker Altaf Mazid is at ease with both his jobs and has been awarded with national film trophies in the two fields.While his writings fetched him the best film critic award, his "Boliay Pitaier Sohoki Sootal" in Assamese won the best anthropological/ethnographic film award.

The jury in the critic section said, "A straight-laced expression marks Altaf Mazid`s works. His simple narration of subjects is backed up by a researcher`s keen eye. He talks of the specific in a universally-acceptable manner. "No flourishes, he focuses on Assamese film industry with steadfastness and perseverance. Quite appropriately too, for an industry that is now celebrating its Platinum jubilee." Excited over the recognition, he told reporters: "It`s wonderful to get awards in both the fields and that too at the same time." Mazid shared the critic award with RK Bidur Singh of Manipur. "Boliay Pitaier Sohoki Sootal" is a film that uniquely depicts the long arduous struggle of a community to build embankments using their indigenous engineering skills. "It is a real story of a real situation. It is about man-made embankments. It is about the safety and prosperity of 6.5 lakh villagers living in the southern side of Pagladia river in Assam along the Indo-Bhutan border," he says. The river runs from the west to the east in contrast to the locations of the villages in the south. The ethnic Bodos engage in pushing the river down south every year, for every use of water - drinking, household, irrigation as there is no other source like tube well, dug well, or water stream. Since the 1920s, they have constructed over 10 embankments with materials like boulders, stones, sand, trees, tarpaulin and even plastic sheets. The film was shot for a little over a year and covering four seasons of the river, Mazid says. The protagonist in the film is a poor farmer Suren Bodo who lives in the village with his wife and three children. One day, during the embankment work, Suren learns that his wife has labour pain. He rushes and takes her to a hospital where she delivers a baby boy. Meanwhile, the villagers have nearly completed repairing the embankment and are preparing to flow the water. The next morning when the water reaches the channel near Suren`s house, his wife performs ablution of the baby with the water of the river, which the parents believe is a blessing for the newborn. Mazid writes for various newspapers and periodicals. At present he is also into restoration work of some old movies, whose prints were found in damaged conditions. At the awards, announced yesterday, a documentary on the controversial anti-terror law ? Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act ? "AFSPA 1958" was adjudged the best non-feature film for he courageous depiction of the non-violent resistance of the people of Manipur. "Mon Jai" was named the best Assamese film. PTI