A Bridge above troubled waters, a film portrays the difficulties during floods in Assam

Kripal Kalita’s Assamese language film ‘The Bridge’ throws light on the devastations and hardships that

floods

bring to Assam villages every year at the 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI). “There is no solution in sight for this problem. I, being a farmer’s son hailing from rural Assam, have faced this”, said Kalita, which was featured in the Indian Panorama Feature Film. Every year, the mighty

Brahmaputra

and its tributaries flood many villages and ruin cultivation. Kalita said that the film’s

protagonist Jonaki

goes through an unusual struggle caused by floods. Her plight gets aggravated by the absence of a

bridge

over the river. But, in the end, she becomes empowered, signifying “life must go on”. Kalita, an independent film-maker, coming from a theatre background, have taken mostly newcomers as crew and cast for the film. “Shiva Rani Kalita who plays the role of ‘Jonaki’ was chosen after a screen-testing done on 300 college-goers and theatre artists. The film, made with limited resources, was shot in a real flood situation in Upper Assam. For a particular shot, the crew had to remain submerged in flood-water for seven hours. Even real scenes of people struggling in the flood waters have been used in the film.” “Many theatres are remaining closed because of the lockdown due to COVID-19.” In reply to a media query, he expressed the desire to make a big-budget film on Ahom King Chaolung Sukaphaa who came from Thailand in the 13th century and set up an Assamese kingdom, especially given that the king too had to face the problem of floods caused by Brahmaputra and its tributaries.