Ringing in positive news for the entertainment and cultural fraternity of the state of Assam, Assamese animation film titled ‘Mahapurush Sri Sri Madhabdeva’ has been receiving high praise and critical acclamation in various film festivals held around the world. The film, produced by Ramani Chitramm Memorial Trust, is conceptualized, scripted and directed by noted promoter, preserver of Sattriya culture and philanthropist, late Dalim Pathak.
The film has bagged the Best Animation Film at the prestigious Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival, 2022, for the month of January and the Special Mention award for Music at the Tokyo International Monthly Film Festival 2022. Besides being a final nominee at the prestigious Budapest Film Festival, it has been officially selected to Kwetu International Animation Film Festival (KIAFF), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Festival del Cinema di Cefalu held in Sicily, Italy, Lift-Off Filmmaker Sessions @PinewoodStudios, among others.
The film has hit the right cord with the international audience and achieved praises for showing the life of Sri Sri Madhabdeva through the new genre of animation, thus offering something unique and transcendental to the keen cinephiles, who were deeply engrossed by the incredible life and times of the revered 15th-century scholar and Vaishnavite saint Madhabdeva, widely known as an important preceptor of the Ekasarana Naam Dharma and for his contributions to the legacy of Sankardeva.
With the love and appreciation received for this film, it truly holds a optimistic future for filmmakers and cinephiles who are looking forward for more animation movies in Assam.
The goal of the movie is to raise awareness of Mahapurush Madhabdeva’s intellectual and spiritual heritage as well as the necessity for the next generation to retain traditional values, which have significantly degraded. The songs are performed by the Burha Sattriya of Barpeta Satra Basistha Dev Sarma, the Deka Sattriya of Barpeta Satra late Nabajit Das Pathak, Gunindra Nath Ojha, Hemen Das, Jiten Basumatary, Madhusmita Bhattacharya, Krantika Sandilya, Jonali Ojha Basumatary, Rabindra Nath Das, and Dinesh Das.
Animation Master created the animation in the film. A team of animators poured their hearts and souls into the project, going through the difficult process of creating and finishing each and every other animated scene, resulting in an accurate representation of the revered saint.
Abani Ranjan Pathak is the film’s associate director. Dipmoni Chutia is the film’s assistant director. ‘Mahapurush Sri Sri Madhabdeva’ includes a number of deeply moving traditional Borgeets and Ghosas, such as ‘Aalo bhai chalo Aais,’ ‘Aalo moi ki kohbo dukh,’ ‘Muke ebar karuna,’ ‘Narayan kahe bhokoti koru,’ ‘Pawe pori Ranjan Bezbaruah (Madhavadeva), Nipon Goswami, late Sadhan Hazarika, Dinesh Das, Ashim Krishna Boruah, Syed Sadullah, Surnjit Malakar, Arati Kalita, Anamika Bordoloi, Jayanta Bhagawati, Abani Bora, Nayan Prasad, Nikumani Barua among others.
The film also owes a great deal to late Narayan Chandra Goswami, satradhikar of Natun Kamalabari Satra, and late Harekrishna Mahanta, satradhikar of Barangajuli Satra, who generously provided their invaluable input and guidance while making this movie.