Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Filmmaker Utpal Borpujari is tackling the limited public understanding of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika. His 82-minute documentary, Manuhar Gaan, hits screens as Assam prepares for the finale of the singer's birth centenary this September. The film argues that audiences outside Assam and Bengal often overlook the depth of Hazarika's social commitment.
Borpujari lived in Delhi for years. He realized most people only knew a few songs like Dil Hoom Hoom Kare and Ganga Behti Ho Kyon. “While entire 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 artiste,” Borpujari said.
The film tracks how Hazarika used music to challenge social injustice and represent marginalized groups. It took eight years to finish. Production faced hurdles during the COVID-19 pandemic. Producers Dolly Borpujari, Prabhat Chandra Borpujari, and Abhijit Bhuyan backed the project under 92X26 Films. Singer and trust president Manisha Hazarika released the trailer and poster on August 22.
A wide cast appears on screen. The film features the late Dr. Dilip Kumar Datta, the late Sudakshina Sarma, and Hrishiraj Sarma. Associates Ratna Ojah and Dilip Hazarika contribute, alongside musicians Kamal Kataki and Rupam Talukdar. The documentary also captures grassroots voices like Manik Chandra Bordoloi, Molan Gogoi, and child singer Chaokhun Gogoi. Journalists and authors including Dr. Samudra Gupta Kashyap and Loknath Goswami round out the participants.
Crew members include cinematographer Chida Bora, sound designer Debajit Gayan, and editor Diganta Bora. The late Bhaskar Jyoti Das served as associate director and editor. Samudra Kajal Saikia designed the poster. The team plans to upload unused interview footage to YouTube for researchers. It is an academic effort to widen the view of a massive creative legacy.
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