Jahnu rekindles Big Bs Assam link
- National award-winning filmmaker to cast Amitabh Bachchan in his next Hindi
film A STAFF REPORTER Telegraph India League of
extraordinary gentlemen: Barua and Bachchan 1975: The angry young man of
Hindi cinema makes his debut in Assamese cinema with a masala action film,
Sonti. A distributors tiff, however, ensures that the film never sees the
light of day.
2007: Fingers crossed. The Big B magic may just light up the screen for
Assamese industrys very own Jahnu Barua.
Guwahati, May 15: Thirty-two years after an unreleased film ended Amitabh
Bachchans tryst with the Assamese film industry, the Big B of Assamese
cinema Jahnu Baruah has cast him in the lead role of his yet-to-be-named
Hindi film.
And the year could not have been more special.
This is the 25th anniversary of Baruas career as a filmmaker. The
calendar-count, however, does not seem to interest Barua, who would rather
concentrate of his biggest venture so far.
For me, the 25th year will be just another year, But yes, I have lined up a
film with the biggest name in Bollywood, Barua said over phone from Mumbai.
I take each day as it comes, he said. I dont feel anything special about
completing 25 years in film industry.
There is nothing to celebrate. In fact, each day is a battle for survival,
he added.
The filmmaker, who found his place in the Hindi film industry with the
highly-acclaimed Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara, said the film will also star
Shiney Ahuja.
He, however, refused to reveal anything else.
I dont want to talk much about the film now. The script is ready but the
shooting dates are yet to be decided, he said.
But cinema enthusiasts can hardly wait for the project, which will bring the
two Bs together.
Both are masters. If Amitabh is the Big B of the Hindi film industry, Barua,
too, is the undisputed Big B of the Assamese film industry. It is because of
Barua that Assamese cinema received international recognition, said film
critic Utpal Dutta.
An alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, Barua
made his celluloid debut with Aparoopa in 1982.
It fetched him the National Film Award in the best regional film category.
The film was followed by Papori in 1986 and Halodhia Choraiye Baodhan Khai
(The Catastrophe) in 1987.
And with them came the National Award for the Best Film, the Grand Prix
Leopard, the World Ecumenical Award at the Locarno International Film Festival
and screening in the Best of Asia category at the Tokyo International Film
Festival.
Hkhagoroloi Bohu Door (Its A Long Way To the Sea) in 1994 fetched him the
National Award for best director (Golden Lotus) in 1995, 15 international
awards, including the World Peace Prize at the Chicago International Film
Festival, award for best director at the International Film Festival of
Independent Filmmakers at Brussels and invitations to 42 prestigious film
festivals worldwide.
With Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara in 2005, Barua joined the league of
mainstream Bollywood films.
In search of greener pastures to carry forward his experiments in cinematic
art, Barua shifted base to Mumbai a few years back.
But the master denies that his attachment with Assamese film industry is
over.
Home will always be home. Currently, I have no plans to make films in
Assamese. But in the future, it will definitely happen.
I am a filmmaker and I want to continue with this journey of making films
after films. The medium or language of the films doesnt matter to me. What is
important is the quality of work that I do, Barua signed off.
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