Written, directed, edited, produced and shot by one-woman show Rima Das, National Award-winning Assamese film Village Rockstars has been selected as India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars. A selection committee comprising of 12 members of the Film Federation of India reportedly came to the decision unanimously, as shared by committee head and director-producer Rajendra Babu at a press conference. Village Rockstars was selected from the 28 films under review which included Raazi directed by Meghna Gulzar, controversial Padmaavat directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Hichki by Siddharth Malhotra, Love Sonia by Tabrez Noorani and Manto directed by Nandita Das, among others.
Village Rockstars follows the story of 10-year old Dhunu who forms a rock band with boys in a remote Assamese village. When the boys begin to give up on their music dream, Dhunu’s wish to own a guitar only grows stronger. The film was made over the course of three years during which Das patiently developed the story and captured an authentic picture of life in a small village. The talented casts compromises of non-professional actors, including her own cousin, who plays a powerful lead and has inspired much of the story. The charm of the film lies in its unsentimental treatment and the serenity with which it unfolds for the audience.
The film has reserved immense praise at festivals around the world and already has a number of accolades to its name, including the National Award for Best Feature Film this year, Best Child Artist for Bhanita Das in the lead role.
You can watch the film’s trailer here, it is set to release across India in theatres on September 28.
Feature image courtesy of Rima Das | Village Rockstars
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