God on the Balcony | |
---|---|
Directed by | Biswajeet Bora |
Written by | Biswajeet Bora |
Produced by | Noorul Sultan |
Starring | Harish Khanna Pranami Bora Porinandhi Jima Sultana |
Cinematography | Sitanshu Khamari |
Edited by | Biswajeet Bora |
Music by | Vishal Khatri |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Assamese |
Budget | 10,000,000 |
God on the Balcony (Balconit Bhogawan) is an Assamese film written and directed by Biswajeet Bora and produced by Maina Productions. [1] [2] [3] [4]
In a far-off Assamese village, the movie is set. Farmer Khagen, his wife Numali, and their daughter Kuwali are central figures in the story. Unfortunately, Numali perishes after being fatally crushed by wild elephants. In the hospital, where Khagen transports her, she passes away. The narrative details his arduous efforts to ride his bicycle, while an ambulance was unavailable, to transport his wife's body from the hospital back to their home. The two reporters he encounters on his journey into the narrow streets carrying the body and his young daughter become embroiled in an entirely different conflict as a result. [5] [6] [7] [8]
The movie is set in the Majuli district of Assam, where the infrastructure is appalling. [9] With a genuine, flesh-and-blood approach, Harish Khanna gives Khagen Das more depth as a character. The movie stands out for its lengthy silences and few speeches. This explains why Harish's performance was so flawless. The lighting and cinematography in Khagen's home, where Numali prepares meals using an indigenous bottle topped with a lit cotton wick, contrasts sharply with the brightly lit and garishly colored frames of the Ras Mela, which are accompanied by traditional folk theatre, music, and dances. The transition between different settings, eras, and moods is skillfully done without jerks at any point in the editing. The music in this songless film is nearly entirely minimalist, focusing on a single thematic musical stroke that imbues the entire journey the father and daughter take with a lyrical tone of loss and sadness.[ citation needed ]
According to Bora, the movie is based on a newspaper article on an identical incident that happened in Odisha. He said, "I kept the news inside my heart for a long time because it disturbed me." Bora compared Odisha to the rural Assam where he had grown up. [10]
Year | Award | Category | Result | Recipient | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | 26th Kolkata International Film Festival | Best Director | Winner | Biswajeet Bora | [11] [12] [13] |
2021 | 12th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne | Best Director | Nominated | Biswajeet Bora | [14] [15] [16] [17] |
2021 | 13th Bengaluru International Film Festival | Best Asian Film 2020 | Winner | Biswajeet Bora | [18] [19] [20] [21] |
2021 | 10th Washington DC South Asian Film Festival | Best Actor Male Feature Film | Winner | Harish Khanna | [22] [23] |
{{cite web}}
: |last=
has generic name (help){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}
: |last=
has generic name (help){{cite web}}
: |last=
has generic name (help)