Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Filmmaker Utpal Borpujari is marking the birth centenary of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika with a feature-length documentary. Titled Manuhar Gaan, the 82-minute film explores how the maestro used music to challenge social injustice. It serves as an academic study of his career. The project aims to bring Hazarika’s work to audiences well beyond Assam and Bengal.
Borpujari spoke on the artist's limited reach outside his home region. "While the entire of India knows him as a great musician, except for his ‘Dil Hoom Hoom Kare’ and ‘Ganga Behti Ho Kyon’, very few outside Assam and Bengal know the depth of his social commitment as an artist." The director released the film's poster and trailer alongside Manisha Hazarika, president of the Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust.
The film was eight years in the making. It faced significant funding delays during the Covid pandemic. Production began in 2018, with the final segments shot last year. Producers Dolly Borpujari, Prabhat Chandra Borpujari, and Abhijit Bhuyan backed the project under 92X26 Films. Producer Abhijit Bhuyan noted that unused interview footage will eventually hit YouTube for researchers.
The documentary tracks Hazarika’s life across Assam. It features interviews with late figures including Dr. Dilip Kumar Datta, Sudakshina Sarma, Hrishiraj Sarma, Ratna Ojah, and Dilip Hazarika. Musicians Kamal Kataki, Rupam Talukdar, and Loknath Goswami appear alongside grassroots singers like Manik Chandra Bordoloi, Molan Gogoi, and Chaokhun Gogoi. Additional contributors include Nayan Axom Koliaboriya, Asha Sarmah Kataki, Bipul Kathar, Ranjan Kumar Dutta, and Dr. Samudra Gupta Kashyap.
The creative team includes cinematographer Chida Bora, editor Diganta Bora, sound designer Debajit Gayan, and assistant director Uday Bhaskar Patar. Rituraj Shivam handled second-unit camera work. The late Bhaskar Jyoti Das served as associate director and editor. Samudra Kajal Saikia designed the poster.
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