Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: National Award-winning director Hiren Bora released Burkha – The Veil in 2025. It targets the struggles of a young, academically gifted girl in a rural Assamese char area. Reshma fights for education against her father’s rigid religious views and his push for early marriage. The film aims to address patriarchy and state-level crusades against child marriage. It misses the mark. The drama feels hollow.
The writing relies on tired tropes. Reshma is a constant victim, and her father is a flat, authoritarian villain. The script ignores the internal conflict that could have grounded their relationship. A local village headman acts as an exaggerated antagonist, stalking the girl and driving a schoolteacher to suicide through false accusations. Critics note that the film lacks the nuance of works like Secret Superstar or What Will People Say. The movie, as the review states, is one where “the story is plain, and the filmmaking approach is boring and done to death.”
The production features Rodali Bora as Reshma, Jatin Khanikar as the father, and Durgashri Borah as the mother. The cast includes Adrita Parasha Mahanta and Dipankar Bora. Naren Patgiri wrote the screenplay, Jitumoni Bora provided the story, and Tarali Sarma handled the music. While the resolution feels like an abrupt escape fantasy, cinematographer Papu Deka delivers strong visuals during flood sequences on a boat.
The film appeared in the National Competition on Indian Languages at the 30th Kolkata International Film Festival in 2024. It serves as a rare look at religious minorities in Assamese cinema, yet fails to earn emotional payoff. Its pacing is rough and its resolution is rushed. Progressive intentions cannot save a dull script.
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