SHILLONG: National Award winning film Onaatah which is running to a packed house at Bijou and Anjalee cinemas here, also bagged three awards at the Prag Cine Awards at Tezpur on Sunday.
The best actor (female) went to Sweety Pala who shared the award with Tonthoi from Manipur.
The best director award went to Pradip Kurbah and best film to Onaatah.
Arvind Goenka, owner of Anjalee Cinema says he is happy to see a Khasi film playing to a packed hall and hopes that Onaatah sets the benchmark for ambitious film makers of the State.
On Sunday there was an overflow of cine goers at Bijou Cinema, many of whom could not get tickets for the show.
Onaatah is filmed in the lush green rural settings of Meghalaya with excellent cinematography by Pradip Daimary.
It is for the first time that a Khasi film has used the Nongkrem dialect to convey a subtle message of the simplicity and innocence of village life and its therapeutic effects on a rape survivor (Onaatah).
The role of the village rustic Duh played by Merlvin Mukhim created ripples of laughter in the hall.
Said a cine goer, “Onaatah portrays the virgin landscapes of Meghalaya hauntingly, and brings a rare freshness with the unhurried narrative of simple village folks. Superb cinematography, and effortlessly acted by both Mervin Mukhim (Duh) and Sweety Pala (Onaatah) to a beautifully drawn out storyline that pits the cunning and soulless city against the innocence and eternal hope that the countryside holds out.”
Delhi based journalist Ninglun Hanghal who watched the film at the India Habitat Centre on Sunday remarked, “It is commendable that the cast and most importantly the central character is devoid of make-up. This is a laudable attempt in making a ‘different kind of cinema’ in the era of highly stereotyped ‘entertainment’. Making a woman-centric film was a risky venture but Pradip Kurbah made it!”
