Rima Das’ fourth Assamese feature Tora’s Husband had its world premiere at the ongoing 47th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) where it received a heart-warming response.
This is the filmmaker’s third feature to premiere at TIFF in a row and the first to be selected in the Platform section, named after Chinese filmmaker’s Jia Zhang-ke's ground-breaking feature, Platform (2000).
Tora’s Husband, starring Abhijit Das and Tarali Kalita Das, is a story of a loving father and a kind neighbour, who struggles to keep his small-town business afloat while his relationships deteriorate, amidst loss and lockdowns during the pandemic.
Writer-director-producer Das made the film independently, with a small crew, during the lockdown in the past two years.
Speaking about the film’s journey, Rima said, “Tora’s Husband was my most challenging film. It is also different from my other films, longer as well. Shooting during the pandemic took a toll on the cast and crew emotionally. Even at the edit table, I was struggling because the film reflected the same restless state of mind."
She explained, “[Filmmaker] Agnes Varda once said, ‘I'm fighting a struggle, which is to make cinema alive and not just make another film.’ That thought kept motivating me to keep going, take risks and to be true to myself. I am thankful that TIFF selected this film. It means a lot for all of us who worked really hard to make this film happen.”
She was present at the premiere and walked the red carpet with lead actor Abhijit.
“After two years, I am at a film festival in person,” she added. “And it gives me immense joy to see such a large and diverse audience, distinguished artists, journalists, buyers and sellers gather to celebrate cinema. It's a grand event with the same community feeling as watching a sport or a concert. How much I missed the echo of laughters, the silent tears, the goosebumps – knowing that you’re in it together.”
Ravi Srinivasan, senior manager of TIFF festival programming; South and South East Asia Canada, stated, “With careful attention paid to the unique pressure faced by small-business owners, Das’s purview extends beyond the middle class, capturing the crisis with impressive scope and documentary-like attentiveness, pointing to the societal fragilities that preceded - and will follow - the effects of the pandemic itself. With remarkable authenticity, Das illuminates both the dignity and vulnerability of ordinary people in one of the defining films of our historical moment.”
The Canadian festival ends on 18 September. After Toronto, Tora’s Husband will travel to the 27th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) for its Asian premiere in the Window to Asian Cinema section. The festival is being held from 5-14 October.