South Assam Film Festival 2023 kickstarts in Silchar

Silchar March 26: People of Assam, Tripura and West Bengal are closely webbed by the rich heritage of culture and the South Assam Film Festival (SAFF) in Silchar will go a long way in fostering the ties between the film, theatre personalities and artists at large in the coming days, said popular actor from Bengal Film industry Rudranil Ghosh.

Organised by Club Icchedana and Adya Maa Productions, the two-day long South Assam Film Festival kickstarted at the Banga Bhawan auditorium amidst a galaxy of cine stars and literary personalities on Saturday. Talking to The Assam Tribune after the inaugural ceremony, Ghosh said, “there is no territorial boundary for art and artists and as close neighbours, I feel people of Assam, Tripura and West Bengal need more of platforms like the SAFF which brings the art and artists closer to each other. I firmly believe the festival will go a long away and State Government of Assam led by honourable Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma is having a close look at all the positive steps taken to bind people together and the festival with good films, documentaries will reach far and wide across this beautiful state.”

On the other hand, when asked about his feelings about visiting Silchar, the second biggest urban sprawl in the state known for its rich legacy of poets and poetry and also about the folk researcher and musical genius late Kalika Prasad Bhattacharjee, Abir Chatterjee said, “losing Kalikada is a big setback and irreparable damage for all of us who fondly miss him every day. We must work to bring more folk music, folk musicians to the mainstream and carry forward the rich legacy of the folk musical brilliance of Kalikada. The Film festival will encourage all of us to exchange cultural and celluloid ties across the riverine shores.”

Elated with witnessing a first of its kind move by the organizers, Prof Tapodhir Bhattacharjee felt this to be a great beginning for the cinema lovers of this part of the region and wished for more of such events. Sharmistha Deb, the chairperson of the event and president of Club Icchedana thanked everyone for responding to the event.

Prajapati, Maya Kumari, Abar bochor kuri pore, Kadambari Ajo are some of the films which would be screened at the festival