‘RONGEEN’ – A Unique Collaboration Between Movie Director Shankar Borua and Rap Artiste Kussum Koilash

At long last, the people of Assam will get to savour the beautiful colours and electrifying music of the widely awaited Assamese film ‘RONGEEN’. Scheduled for a March 15 theatrical release, the people of Assam are expected to throng the movie theaters to watch  ‘RONGEEN’ this election season.

 

In director Shankar Borua’s words: “RONGEEN is a political musical with 8 songs, primarily what we would call as Assamese rap music. The content is fairly local and reflective of the political mood on the ground in Assam at this moment, just the right time to take this powerful movie with a strong political message to the people of Assam. A down-and-out guy who manages singers for a living gets an Assamese rapper to defeat his arch enemy in a bye-election to settle an old personal score – that is ‘RONGEEN’ (Colourful) in one line.”

 

A unique cinematic experiment conducted by Borua, ‘RONGEEN’ will also showcase rapper Kussum Koilash in his first movie appearance.

 

Borua further said: “I feel this is precisely the time for ‘RONGEEN’ to hit the theaters, before the elections coupled with the political situation on the ground here in Assam.”

 

A compelling and uplifting narrative, ‘RONGEEN’, set in rural Assam, is a simple tale of a wronged man seeking justice through participatory democracy. Domboru Borbora (played by Upamanyu Boruwa) with the help of Assamese rapper Pobitro Sonowal (played by Kussum Koilash) and Middle English (M.E.) school teacher Digombor Rajkhowa (played by Ranjit Baruah) makes the devious Puna Saikia (played by Hiren Sarma) eat humble pie.

 

“It is essentially a David versus Goliath tale where an ordinary guy from a humble background, in his effort to avenge an old wound inflicted on his family, attempts an extra-ordinary feat by taking on a powerful guy in a bye-election in the interiors of Upper Assam,” said Borua.

 

“I ventured to craft it as a musical to reach out to a wider audience across the length and breadth of Assam,” said Borua. “Music is a fantastic vehicle not just to deliver a political message overtly but also to showcase the splendour of this beautiful land – Assam,” Borua adds.

 

Born and raised in Duliajan, independent filmmaker Shankar Borua has continued making cinema with a distinct sensibility and a signature style, working largely guerrilla-style with non-actors and extremely low budgets. As an actor, he goes by the screen name Upamanyu Boruwa and has played the lead in all his recent films – ‘Grief on a Sunday Morning’ (alongside the legendary Biju Phukan), ‘The Curiosity Shop’ and now, ‘Rongeen’ (Colourful).