Indie Rockstar Steals the Show

Self-taught Assamese filmmaker Rima Das says her journey till the National Film Awards was not an easy one
A still from the movie; (below) Rima Das
A still from the movie; (below) Rima Das

Assamese film Village 
Rockstars has stolen the show at this year’s National Film Awards, winning in four categories—the best feature film (Rima Das), best editing (Rima Das), best location sound recordist (Mallika Das) and best child artist (Bhanita Das). “I have no words to express my joy. It’s a huge recognition for us,” Rima says. These awards speak volumes about the self-taught filmmaker, whose penchant for acting marked her arrival in Mumbai, but it was her love for cinema that helped her learn the nuances of making films, and honing the craft with every project that she set her eyes on. “It happened spontaneously,” she adds.

The young filmmaker, who was born and raised in a small village in Assam, made her first short film Pratha in 2009 and its selection in short film festivals gave her the confidence. “The films that I have made have taught me the basics of filmmaking,” she says. And then one day, binoculars at a friend’s place fascinated her to write her next, Man with the Binoculars (Antardrishti).

She started writing in 2011, shooting began in 2013 and the film was ready by 2016. It went on to become a festival favourite too. “It may seem like a fascinating journey, but it was not an easy one with little money and a small team. But then I remind myself that life is made of fragments of an impossible reality.” 

Village Rockstars took shape while she was filming her first. “I came across these kids while shooting for Man with the Binoculars in my village Chhaygaon and decided to tell their story,” says Rima, who took care of writing, directing, producing, editing and shooting the film, besides handling art direction and costume designing. 

“I started off casually, shooting the film and writing its script in between. I showed the first few shots to a few people in Mumbai, and they liked it. It boosted my morale,” she says. It has had more than 50 outings at film fests, and won critical appreciation and awards wherever it went, including the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles 2018, winning the Grand Jury Award for Best Feature Film there.  

Making movies is Rima’s profession, and she is passionate about it to the core, and with the kind of cinema she has given, she’s taken the word indie filmmaker to a new height. Having done it all alone so far, she says, “It feels good to see my work being recognised and appreciated.” 

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