The makers of the Assamese film ‘Prastawana – The Preamble’ recently unveiled the film’s poster, trailer, and soundtrack at an event held in Juripar, Panjabari, Guwahati. The upcoming Assamese film, a directorial collaboration between Dilip Borah and Manik Roy, is now ready for release after being announced last year.
Inspired by the acclaimed novel ‘Yatra’, written by the esteemed Dilip Borah, known for his work as a novelist, short story writer, essayist, and columnist, the film ‘Prastawana – The Preamble’, based on true events and produced by Borah himself along with Dr Rabin Saikia, garnered significant attention from viewers with the release of its three posters, a trailer, and three songs. The film will undoubtedly serve as a testament to Dilip Borah’s creative influence, with his original storytelling and insightful narratives that continue to inspire and engage audiences through the years. Co-directing alongside Dilip Borah is Manik Roy, a prominent figure in Assam’s amateur theatre community and the founder of Guwahati Shishu Natya Vidyalay in 1998, who contributes his expertise from directing acclaimed state and national-level theatre productions to the film.
‘Prastawana – The Preamble’ explores the current social and political landscape of the nation and analyses its impact on students who are entangled in the intricacies of the political system. The film presents a candid and unvarnished depiction of the ways in which political interference can compromise the fundamental objectives of education, illuminating the underlying injustices and exploitative dynamics that emerge as a result of such interference.
At its essence, the film serves as a rallying cry for today’s young generation. It emphasises the importance of vigilance in safeguarding democratic values and seeks to educate the public on the ideas of justice, equality, liberty, and fraternity, which are enshrined in the Indian Constitution and represent the spirit of the world’s greatest democracy.
Dilip Borah stated that the objective is to release ‘Prastawana – The Preamble’ within a timeframe of two to three months. “The film is crafted with the objective of addressing and portraying prevalent issues in contemporary society, including the growing distrust, communal unrest, caste-based judgments, and the attempts to mislead the younger generation”, Borah remarked. Through this cinematic endeavour, Borah seeks to bring these critical issues to the forefront. “The main theme of ‘Prastawana – The Preamble’ is based on justice, equality, liberty and fraternity. It is my hope that this message will be favourably received,” Dilip Borah adds.
Actor Tapan Das reflects on his involvement in the film, stating, “This represents a novel experience for me. I have previously engaged with Dilip Borah’s highly regarded and celebrated novel ‘Yatra’, which captivated me upon reading. The character I portray poses a considerable challenge, and I have strived to meet all expectations under his guidance.”
The story and screenplay of ‘Prastawana – The Preamble’ have been written by Dilip Borah himself. Cinematography is handled by Bitul Das, while Anmol Raj Saikia and Bhaskar Dutta serve as assistant directors. The film is edited by the National Award-winning editor A. Sreekar Prasad along with the talented Jhulan Krishna Mahanta. The soundscape of the film has been designed by Arnab Bora, sound mixing has been done by Debajit Gayan, art direction is handled by Gulok Saha, and Sumon Phukan oversees the costumes. Color grading for the film was handled by Ghanashyam Kalita, and the VFX & CGI work was carried out by Mrigank Pratic Parashar. Uttam Deka serves as the production controller, while the film’s still photography has been done by Nilakshi Neog. The film features three musical pieces: “Swahidor Kesa Rocktere”, composed and performed by Satya Ranjan Bhuyan, “O Maji Re”, with music, lyrics, and vocals by Hiteswar Ray, and a Jeng Bihu song, performed by well-known artiste Manjyotsna Mahanta with lyrics from Amarjyoti Kakoty and Swapna Jyoti Thengal. The film’s background music has been scored by Quan Bay. The film stars veteran actor Tapan Das in the lead role, supported by a talented cast including Paarvee Baruah, Hillol Kumar Pathak, Debajit Mazumdar, Aswini Kumar Bhuyan, Abatosh Bhuyan, Kaushik Nath, RK, Simanta Raj Sarma Kondoli, Manik Roy and Antara GG Choudhury.
—Prantik Deka