Assam's most celebrated voice to come alive on screen

The voice of Assam's most celebrated singer and balladeer Bhupen Hazarika will come alive on screen on Friday with the release of the feature film "Akhon Nedekha Nodir Sipare".

Millions of fans across the globe will be able to hear the voice of the legendary singer in the film "Akhon Nedekha Nodir Sipare", titled "As River Flows" in English. The Hindi version, which will also be released soon, will have the same title.

Produced by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and directed by Mumbai based Assamese director Bidyut Kotoky, the film has a poem recited by the most popular Hazarika, who passed away Nov 5, last year in Mumbai.

Kotoky, who had been working on the project for a long time, recorded Hazarika's recitation of the poem for his film in February 2010.

"The poem represents the voice of the river Brahmaputra through the voice of the music maestro. Late Hazarika is known for his passion for the mighty river and is called the 'Bard of Brahmaputra'. So, when I needed someone to represent the voice of the river in my film, I immediately decided to approach Dr. Hazarika," said Kotoky.

"He was ailing and not well when I approached him for recording the recitation for my film. However, he agreed to lend his voice and we finally recorded the recitation in February 2010," he said, expressing his gratitude for the music maestro.

"It was also a dream to work with the music maestro, with whom I am closely associated since my childhood days, but when I started shooting for the film, he was not in a position to direct the music for the film due to ill health," said Kotoky, adding that he was very lucky to have Hazarika's voice for his film.

The film is shot in the background of Assam's river island Majuli, which was ravaged by insurgency, and the infamous case of kidnapping of activist Sanjoy Ghosh, who was first abducted in 1997 by the ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom) rebels from the river island and subsequently killed.

Kotoky said the film is about the story of a missing character - Sridhar Ranjan - in Majuli and his friend's search for him.

"The film portrays the insurgency ravaged Majuli, its people who are stuck in a conflict situation," he added.

The cast of the film includes acclaimed actors like Victor Banerjee, Sanjay Suri, Bidita Bag, Raj Zutshi, Nakul Baid and Naveed Aslam.

Kotoky said Preeti Jhangiani and Jubin Garg directed the music for the film, and National Award winning cinematographer Madhu Ambat is associated with the film.

"Akhon Nedekha Nodir Sipare" hit the news headlines after the jury of the National Film Awards rejected the film for an award claiming that it was not an Assamese film though the censor board certificate clearly listed it as an Assamese film.

The film received an overwhelming response from global viewers at the Osian's Cinefan Film Festival held in New Delhi and the cultural affairs department of the Maharashtra government organised a special screening of the film to mark Bhupen Hazarika's birth anniversary on Sep 8 in Mumbai.