Crossing Bridges (film)

Last updated

Crossing Bridges
Crossing Bridges Film Poster.jpg
Film Poster
Directed by Sange Dorjee Thongdok
Written bySange Dorjee Thongdok
Produced bySange Dorjee Thongdok
Tenzing Norbu Thongdok
Starring Anshu Jamsenpa
Phuntsu Khrime
CinematographyPooja Gupte
Edited bySanglap Bhowmick
Music byAnjo John
Production
company
Easel Films
Distributed by PVR Director's Rare
Release dates
  • 27 September 2013 (2013-09-27)(MIFF)
  • 29 August 2014 (2014-08-29)(India)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryIndia
Language Shertukpen
Budget Rs 3,500,000

Crossing Bridges is a 2013 Indian film directed by Sange Dorjee Thongdok. It is the first feature film ever to be made in the language of Shertukpen, which is an indigenous dialect native to the state Arunachal Pradesh in India. [1] The film premiered on 27 September at the Mumbai International Film Festival in 2013. It received the National Film Award for Best Film in Shertukpen in 2013.

Contents

Synopsis

A middle-aged man named Tashi returns to his native village in Arunachal Pradesh after losing his job. As he waits for word of any new openings in the city, the culture and history of his people begins to have a profound effect on him and force him to reconsider his life and career choices.

Production

Director Sange Dorjee's idea for the film started when he was considering the social and economic displacement of tribal peoples of India. He mentioned that "My generation has had to leave home to get better higher-education and employment outside as the north eastern region doesn’t have the required infrastructure. The huge cultural difference we faced outside was always a shock to many. Coming back home has always been a difficult proposition, as after years of adjusting to the life outside we suddenly feel like an outsider in our own culture." [2]

Due to the film's microbudget, which was wholly funded by the director's father who "believed it was important for the community of Arunachal Pradesh", Dorjee decided to shoot the movie completely with a Canon 5D camera. He was surprised by the quality of such a standard personal use camera that he and cinematographer Pooja Gupte went ahead with it. [3]

Critical reception

Crossing Bridges opened to positive acclaim amongst critics. Pooja Gupte's cinematography and the theme of 're-discovering home' were particularly praised, while the films limited appeal to mass audiences but large appeal to film enthusiasts and cinephiles were noted.

Suprateek Chatterjee of FirstPost praised the film's simplicity in its production and compared the film to Swades stating, "At a time when movies are pulling every trick in the book in an attempt to lure in audiences, Crossing Bridges relies on getting the basics right and transporting its audience to another world" [4]

Subhash K. Jha of Odisha Sun Times gave the film a rating of three out of five saying, "It’s that supreme serenity, the splendid synthesis of ambiance and mood that qualifies and eventually absorbs our interest. These dull lives are unique in their absolute lack of affectations." [5]

Johnson Thomas of The Free Press Journal gave a positive review and praised the cinematography stating "The cinematography by Pooja Gupte, who shot the film in Cannon 5D is simply breathtaking, allowing for a gradual cultural immurement in the land and its spiritual enchantment. The narrative is kept spare and economical by editor Sanglap Bhowmick , while the story-telling limits itself to being drawn on realism rather than melodrama. Needless to say, this film is a completely enveloping experience." [6]

Pronoti Datta of Mumbai Boss e-magazine gave the film a rating of three out of five and stated, "The state is shown in all its picturesque glory: rolling green valleys, Buddhist monasteries, tribal dancers, phlegmatic villagers with faces weathered by the elements, fast-flowing brooks, snow-dusted trees and so on. But it’s not just pretty images. Thongdok’s quiet film in Shertukpen, a dialect spoken in the western part of Arunachal Pradesh, is about a man seduced by his own homeland, which circumstances compel him to revisit." [7]

E-magazine India News Hub summarized the film as "an honest, return-to-roots story set against a captivating backdrop." in a positive review. [8]

BollywoodTrade an online trade magazine was much more critical of the film, giving it a rating of 1+1⁄2 out of 5 mentioning how the film has a very little appeal to India's mass audience saying, "many of the short, interesting, dramatic, and visually appealing occasional glimpses are not well integrated into the main narrative. That’s why the film looks disjointed and incoherent." [9]

Anup Pandey of e-magazine W14 gave the film a rating of 3+1⁄2 out of 5 saying, "For many such metaphors that the film is built on, Crossing Bridges is quite a revealing journey of a search for identity and to find answers to where does one actually belong." [10]

Siraj Syed of FilmFestival.com gave the film a rating of three out of five saying, "If you are likely to be moved to deep emotions and tears by the idea of a Mumbai-based IT professional rediscovering his remote countryside roots in North-East India, and making the life-defining move of permanent homecoming, you will most likely feel you have a seen a minor classic." [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Mohenjo Daro</i> (film) 2016 Indian film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker

Mohenjo Daro is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language period action-adventure film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. It was produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur for UTV Motion Pictures and The Walt Disney Company India and Sunita Gowariker for Ashutosh Gowariker Productions (AGPPL), and stars Hrithik Roshan and Pooja Hegde. It is based on the ancient Indus Valley civilization, and is set in the city of Mohenjo-daro, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This film marked Pooja Hegde's debut in Hindi cinema.

<i>Swades</i> 2004 film directed by Ashutosh Gowariker

Swades: We, the People (transl. Homeland) is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language drama film co-written, directed and produced by Ashutosh Gowariker. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi and Kishori Ballal while Daya Shankar Pandey, Rajesh Vivek, Lekh Tandon appear in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gegong Apang</span> 3th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh

Gegong Apang is an Indian politician from Arunachal Pradesh. He served as the 3rd Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh from 18 January 1980 to 19 January 1999 and again from August 2003 to April 2007. He is a member of the Janata Dal (Secular) and was a member of the Indian National Congress before 2016. Apang is the Arunachal Pradesh's longest serving Chief Minister and also the fourth longest serving Chief Minister of an Indian state after Pawan Kumar Chamling of Sikkim, Jyoti Basu of West Bengal and Naveen Patnaik of Odisha.

<i>Baghban</i> (2003 film) 2003 film by Ravi Chopra

Baghban (transl. Gardener) is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Ravi Chopra, co-written and produced by B. R. Chopra. It tells the story of an elderly couple, Raj and Pooja, who have been married for 40 years. After Raj retires, they reunite with their four sons to discuss who will support them. None of the sons want to take care of both parents, causing Raj and Pooja to live separately.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pawan Hans</span> Central Public Sector Understaking

Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) is a transport service operated as a central public sector undertaking based at Noida in Delhi NCR, India. It is a Mini Ratna-I category PSU under the ownership of Ministry of Civil Aviation of the Government of India. It has cumulatively flown more than 1 million hours and has had 2.5 million landings on its fleet since its formation. The registered office is located in New Delhi. The corporate headquarter is located at Sector-1 in Noida with regional office at New Delhi, Mumbai and Guwahati. The operations are based at the Juhu Aerodrome in Vile Parle (West), Mumbai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of India</span>

The following outline is provided as an overview of, and topical guide to, India:

<i>Kaminey</i> 2009 action film by Vishal Bhardwaj

Kaminey is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language action film written and directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and produced by Ronnie Screwvala under UTV Motion Pictures, featuring Shahid Kapoor in a dual role, alongside Priyanka Chopra and Amole Gupte in the lead roles. Set against the backdrop of the Mumbai underworld, Kaminey follows a rivalry between a pair of twins, one with a lisp and the other with a stutter, over the course of a single day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mechuka</span> Town in Arunachal Pradesh, India

Mechukha or Menchukha is a town, assembly constituency and subdivision, situated 6,000 feet (1,829 m) above sea level in the Mechukha Valley of Yargep Chu/ Siyom River in Shi Yomi district of Arunachal Pradesh state of India. Before the 1950s, Mechuka valley was known as Pachakshiri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raj & DK</span> Indian filmmaking duo

Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K., collectively known as Raj & DK, are an Indian filmmaker duo. They are best known for their work, specifically as creators, directors, writers, and producers of the Amazon Prime Video Hindi-language thriller series The Family Man (2019–present), Farzi (2023–present), Guns and Gulaabs (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jarbom Gamlin</span> 6th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh

Jarbom Gamlin was an Indian politician and a leader of the Indian National Congress political party in Arunachal Pradesh and briefly served as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh.

<i>Stanley Ka Dabba</i> 2011 Indian film

Stanley Ka Dabba is a 2011 Hindi-language comedy drama film written, directed and produced by Amole Gupte, starring Divya Dutta, Partho Gupte, Divya Jagdale, Raj Zutshi, and Amole Gupte. The film was released on 13 May 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pema Khandu</span> 9th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh

Pema Khandu is an Indian politician and the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. He is the son of former Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Dorjee Khandu. Since assuming the office of the Chief Minister in July 2016, he and his government have twice changed their party affiliation; in September from the Indian National Congress to the Peoples Party of Arunachal, and then in December 2016 to the Bharatiya Janata Party. Previously he had served as Minister of Tourism, Urban Development and Water Resources in Nabam Tuki's government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nabam Tuki</span> 7th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh

Nabam Tuki is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. He held this position twice between 2011 and 2016. His first term spanned between November 2011 and January 2016, while the second term merely lasted for 3 days in the month of July 2016. He belongs to the Indian National Congress. He is the last Congress Chief Minister to win re-election as of 2024.

One Crazy Ride is a 2009 Indian documentary film based on a 2002 route-charting expedition in India. It is directed by Gaurav Jani and produced by Dirt Track Productions. The film follows five biking enthusiasts as they journey across the Himalayas via an untried route. It was commercially released in Indian cinemas in February 2009.

<i>Nautanki Saala!</i> 2013 film by Rohan Sippy

Nautanki Saala! is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama film directed by Rohan Sippy, starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Kunaal Roy Kapur along with Pooja Salvi, Evelyn Sharma and Gaelyn Mendonca. The story is based on the 2003 French comedy film Après Vous.

<i>Rangoon</i> (2017 Hindi film) 2017 Indian Hindi-language period war film directed by Vishal Bhardwaj

Rangoon is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language romantic war drama film directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures. The project is a period film set during World War II (1939–1945) and stars Kangana Ranaut as a character that is based on Mary Ann Evans aka Fearless Nadia, Bollywood's first original stunt-woman. It stars Saif Ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor, and Kangana Ranaut in lead roles. The film was released on 24 February 2017 on the Mahashivratri weekend.

<i>Vazandar</i> 2016 Indian film

Vazandar is a 2016 Indian Marathi language slice of life film directed by Sachin Kundalkar and produced by Vidhi Kasliwal. The film stars Sai Tamhankar and Priya Bapat in lead roles. It was released on 11 November 2016.

<i>Article 15</i> (film) 2019 Indian film

Article 15 is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film directed and produced by Anubhav Sinha, who co-wrote the screenplay with Gaurav Solanki. The film stars Ayushmann Khurrana as a police detective who investigates the disappearance of three girls from a small village, uncovering a history of caste-based oppression. The supporting cast includes Nassar, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Isha Talwar, Sayani Gupta, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Sushil Pandey, Veen Harsh and Sumbul Touqeer.

<i>In the Land of Poison Women</i> 2019 Indian film

In the Land of Poison Women, also known as Bishkanyar Deshot, is a 2019 Pangchenpa language feature film from India by Manju Borah. The story is based on distinguished litterateur Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi’s much acclaimed work. The language Pangchenpa is used by Monpa tribe with a population of just around 5000, settled near the India-China border region, some hundred kilometres West of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, India.

<i>Dear Megha</i> 2021 film by A. Sushanth Reddy

Dear Megha is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Sushanth Reddy. Produced by Arjun Dasyan under Vedaansh Creative Works, the film stars Megha Akash, Adith Arun and Arjun Somayajula. A remake of 2020 Kannada film Dia, the plot follows the triangular love story. The film was released on 3 September 2021.

References

  1. ↑ "Crossing Bridges to Release in August". DearCinema. Archived from the original on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  2. ↑ "Interview with Sange Dorjee". DearCinema. Archived from the original on 8 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Interview with Sange Dorjee". DearCinema. Archived from the original on 8 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "Crossing Bridges is Swades in the Northeast". FirstPost. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  5. ↑ "Small Film, Big Heart". Odisha Sun Times. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ↑ "A Haunting Engagement". The Free Press Journal. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  7. ↑ "Nuanced Tale of Homecoming". Mumbai Boss. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  8. ↑ "Coming Home". India News Hub. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "For Indie Film Fans Only". BollywoodTrade. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  10. ↑ "Homecoming". W14. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  11. ↑ "Country Roads, Take Me Home". FilmFestival.com. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.