HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Jan 18: Assamese cinema has begun the year on a high note with Aakash Heno Nodir Naam (Ballad To The Winds), directed by noted filmmaker and actor Sanjib Sabhapandit, winning the Best Film Award in the Indian Cinema category at the 22nd Asian Film Festival held in Mumbai.
The latest honour adds to the film’s growing list of accolades on the festival circuit.
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Earlier, Sanjib Sabhapandit had received the Best Screenwriter Award for the film at the 8th Sailadhar Baruah Film Awards.
The film also won Best Music Director for Dr Saurabh Mahanta and Best Actor for Bishnu Khargharia at the NIRI9 International Film Festival 3.0 in Hyderabad.
Ballad To The Winds features Bishnu Khargharia, Reena Bora, Atul Pachani, Atanu Mahanta and Chanku Niranjan in key roles. Sabhapandit has served as both director and screenwriter, while the film is produced by Utpal Kumar Das under the banner of Canvascope Production.
The technical team includes Dr Saurabh Mahanta as music director, Parashar Bora as cinematographer, Rukmajit Baruah for sound design and Saurabh Dutta as editor.
The film explores the enduring tensions between tradition, culture and belief systems on one hand, and modern outlooks on the other.
Through its narrative, it examines social and personal conflicts, giving the story a wider and universal resonance.
Sanjib Sabhapandit is a well-known name in Assam’s cultural sphere.
He was instrumental in the establishment of Assam Jatiya Bidyalay at Noonmati, Guwahati, and was also associated with Assam Polyester Mill Limited (APOL), a Government of Assam initiative.
His earlier films include Juye Pora Son, Jatinga Ityadi, Jangphai Jonak, Jiya Juri’r Subas and Dikchou Bonot Palash.
Notably, Jangphai Jonak was the first Assamese film shot on a high-definition camera under the Canvascope Production banner.
In 2004, Juye Pora Son won the Best Film Award in the Environment Conservation category at the 51st National Film Awards and was also selected for the Indian Panorama.
While global cinema, particularly from Hollywood and Europe, enjoys wide visibility in India, acclaimed Asian films often remain underrepresented.
The Asian Film Foundation, through the Third Eye Asian Film Festival, seeks to address this gap by bringing notable Asian cinema to Indian audiences.
The recognition of an Assamese film on this platform is being seen as a significant milestone for the state’s film industry.
