Plot

There's nothing extraordinary about this film: no epiphanies, no dramatic twists, no self-conscious technology acting as an advertisement of itself, as is happening increasingly in Indian cinema.

But that precisely is the beauty of Jahnu Barua's elegantly told and moving film about a third-generation boatman about to lose his source of livelihood because of a proposed bridge across the Dihing river.

Just as the river flows uninterrupted in this gloriously verdant part of Assam - the Kulchi hills - Hkhagoroloi Bohu Door (It's a Long Way to the Sea) moves along imperceptibly, gently lapping against the shores of our sensibilities.

And only towards the end do you realise that the film is not about the old man and the sea, well, river - or even about the impending bridge and the inevitable change in the simple way of life of Nemuguri village that "development" will bring with it.

The film goes further than the tradition-or-modernity dilemma. Without being polemic, Barua's film shows the dangers of development which do not take into account those who will be affected by it.

The director also makes a poignant statement about the irrevocable widening of the generation gap caused by materialism. Though rooted firmly in Assam, the film is quite universal in its appeal - it has been accepted as a competitive entry in the Chicago Film Festival and is likely to be shown at Cannes this summer as well.

The film makes a clear departure from Barua's previous works like Aparoopa, Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai and Firingoti, which dealt with individual problems. Barua says that he wanted to make a more "generalised film". Assam's society is in a crisis. People with roots in the rural areas are really suffering. It is difficult for them to cope with the urban society which is caught up in materialism."

Puwal, the boatman, played with restrained dignity by Bishnu Kharghoria, represents the innocent generation for whom the bell is tolling. His son, who lives in Guwahati, has, in the process of cutting the umbilical chord with his village and father, banished even the twinges of conscience in his race to get ahead. And the third generation is represented by Hkhuman, Puwal's orphaned and gifted grandson, superbly played by Sushanta Barooah, who lost his parents to the river.

Barua beautifully depicts the relationship between the grandfather, who gradually becomes embittered and childlike, and his often petulant schoolboy grandson who attains a maturity far greater than his years.

In the end, child is the father of man - Barua's placing his hopes for the future on Hkhuman. And he does so without falling into the trap of easy sentimentality.

Sushanta Barooah




Скриншоты