Kothanodi

Director: Bhaskar Hazarika
India | Assamese
2015 | 115min | Colour 
Subtitles: English
Saturday, Nov 7 TIPA, 11:00 AM

Once upon a time, Senehi, a woman who loathes her stepdaughter, plots her murder when her husband is called away on a distant trip on business. Her husband – Devinath – encounters a woman called Keteki who has given birth to an outenga (elephant apple), which rolls around after her. Devinath resolves to unearth the mystery of the outenga. Meanwhile, in another village – a rich woman named Dhoneshwari is getting her daughter Bonlotika married to a python – a wedding that has dire consequences for the girl. As these three stories unfold, another mother, Malati, resolves to save her newest born from the clutches of her husband Poonai and his uncle, who have sacrificed all three of her previous babies. In doing so, she unearths a shocking truth.

Bhaskar Hazarika

Born in 1975, Bhaskar Hazarika is from Dergaon, Assam and graduated in History from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi. He completed his Masters in Film & Drama from the University of Reading, England. He has since worked extensively in Indian film and television, writing for television shows as well as films. He has co-written the screenplay for Abbas-Mustan’s Players (2012). Bhaskar has also co-directed the documentary Live From Peepli (2010), a film on the making of Peepli [Live]. He has also produced and directed documentaries for the Film & Television Institute of India, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Government of India. His 2007 documentary Nobody’s Perfect was awarded at the 2nd National Film Festival on Disability Issues, 2008. His debut feature film – Kothanodi (The River of Fables) – has received the Asian Cinema Fund’s Post Production Award, and received its world premiere as an official selection of the 20th edition of the prestigious Busan International Film Festival. The film had its European premiere at the 59th British Film Institute London Film Festival.

Credits

Director: Bhaskar Hazarika
Producers: Anurupa Hazarika, Utpala Mukherjee
Screenwriters: Bhaskar Hazarika, Arupa Patangia-Kalita
Cinematographer: Vijay Kutty
Editor: Suresh Pai
Sound: Jatin Sharma
Music: Amarnath Hazarika 
Production Company: Metanormal Motion Pictures
Cast: Seema Biswas, Adil Hussain, Zerifa Wahid, Urmila Mahanta, Kopil Bora, Asha Bordoloi, Kasvi Sharma, Monisha Bhuyan

Festival Appearances & Awards

Busan International Film Festival 2015
BFI London Film Festival 2015
Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2015