Bodo filmmaker Rajni Basumatary writes open letter to chairman of National Film Awards jury

Actress, writer and filmmaker Rajni Basumatary has written an open letter to the chairman of the jury for the National Film Awards, N Chandra, drawing attention to the lack of Bodo films among the winners.

The awards were announced in New Delhi earlier this week.

Basumatary has appeared in mainstream films Mary Kom (2014) and The Shaukeens (2014) and written, directed and produced the feature film Raag (2014), starring Adil Hussain and Zerifa Wahid.

Her Bodo-language film Jwlwi: The Seed (2020) examines the insurgency in Assam and the consequences of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) while highlighting the lives of the families who are left behind when men make certain radical decisions for themselves. The film has been screened at several international film festivals and has won recognition as well.

In her letter to the jury chairman, the filmmaker pointed out that although the government promised to “protect the language and culture of Assam”, in reality, the actions state otherwise.

She pointed out that her own film, Jwlwi: The Seed, was submitted for consideration for the National Film Awards this year. “A film based on Assam’s insurgency days, when thousands of families were impacted by gun violence, Jwlwi: The Seed has garnered rave reviews in the media and immense love from the audience," she wrote. "This film, therefore, has to be more than a decent film. Moreover, Bodo films rarely make it to the limelight outside the region, and maybe only once in a decade, and entering a competition for National awards is even more seldom.

"Therefore, it is distressing not only for me and my team but also for hundreds of thousands of Bodos who were keenly expecting a rightful recognition of our film by you, Hon’ble Chairman, and your jury members.

"In the wake of the government’s promises to the people belonging to smaller communities that their cultures and languages will be protected, preserved and promoted, it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that an eminently important Bodo film not being selected for the Bodo language category is a failure of the jury members selected. It indicates their lack of awareness of the region, its people and their history. If this was not the case, they would have behaved more responsibly in contributing towards the fulfilment of the government’s promises in regards to our language and culture and not making it look like doing just lip service.”

Basumatary pointed out that the issue is larger than simply her film not winning an award. “I urge you, Hon’ble Chairman, not to dismiss this letter as the whining of a losing fighter," she wrote. "I am writing to you with utmost responsibility and I know what I am saying. This is not my first film that did not win a National award. I did make a film in 2014, which was in the Assamese language and had been submitted for consideration. I accepted the decision of the jury members wholeheartedly as I knew there were better films in the competition. But this time around, Jwlwi: The Seed not winning an award cannot have a logical conclusion.”

The entire text of the letter has been published on eastmojo.com.