In what might be a first of sorts, Rima Das’s Village Rockstars, India’s nominee this year for the foreign film Oscar, has been picked by American Cinematheque, Los Angeles and Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York, as part of their annual Oscar contender screenings: one of the ‘innovative, influential’ films they’ve picked as having ‘lasting historical significance’. With awards season about to roll, it’s the perfect endorsement for a tiny, simple and quiet film that’s a lovely ode to a young girl’s dream of owning a guitar and forming a band.
Rima’s Facebook wall these days is plastered with happy pictures from L.A. as she promotes the film with lead actor Bhanita Das (who plays the free-spirited and rebellious Dhunu) and her cousin, sound recordist and ‘backbone’ Mallika Das.
When I caught up with Rima just before she left for L.A., she was distracted and stressing about visas for Bhanita and Mallika. The only thing she was sure of back then was that they were “going to do the best” for the film.
Village Rockstars is pitted against 87 films from around the world. “For us it’ll be all about creating visibility. We need to push the boundaries. People should know there’s a film called Village Rockstars ,” she said.
The campaign hasn’t been cheap: It’s taken ₹1 crore from the Assam government, ₹5 lakh from Asom Gana Parishad, ₹10 lakh from Manish Mundra of Drishyam Films, and ₹5.5 lakh from various others to get this far. She was hoping a big corporate house might chip in and see them through. “If that happens all our problems will be solved.”
The Oscar game is new to Rima, but the nomination didn’t come as a surprise. The national award did. “When that happened, I had a feeling we would be going to L.A.”
I asked her about her chances. “ Burning , Roma , I Am Not A Witch and Shoplifters — they all seem unique,” she said, “but there is something special about Village Rockstars too. I am not saying that because it’s my film. I am very critical of my work. But I have seen it more than 40 times in theatres, and there’s a magic to it.” Screengobblr.com has already called the film India’s best chance at the Oscars this decade.
There is indeed something beautifully organic, unadorned and pure about Rima’s self-taught film-making. “I watch movies minutely; I read,” she said. The most striking aspect of Rima is how she has subverted gendered expectations in her films. Her heroines are not your typical girl-next-door. Her refreshing portrayal of adolescent friendships transcend man-woman divides.
Rima shot the film entirely on her own. She wrote, directed, edited and also took on the roles of cinematographer, production designer, “spotboy and driver”. She co-produced the film with her mother, with cousin Mallika helping with location sound. The locale was Chhaygaon — the village in Assam where Rima was born.
The money she made from corporate and wedding films partly financed her first two films, while the award money for Village Rockstars has gone into Bulbul Can Sing. Her camera is her biggest support and companion, “more than a boyfriend,” she said.
Still from ‘Village Rockstars’.
Coming from nowhere, travelling to more than 80 festivals worldwide, winning over 40 awards, Oscar feels like the right culmination for this incredible journey of Village Rockstars . “Sometimes I wonder what is happening. It’s like a dream, a fairytale... I am surprised by how warmly people have responded to it,” she said.
Village Rockstars is not a structured film, and without a background score, Rima had wondered how Indian audiences would take to it. But “it has made history. All age groups are watching it. I didn’t expect it. It’s a very good sign for indie cinema,” she said. And this mattered as much, if not more, than an Oscar.
With one foot in Malad in Mumbai, another in Assam, and now travelling the world, it’s been a peripatetic life lately for Rima. But it’s also made her a pro at travelling light, knowing just what to pack, and that’s mostly saris and the Assamese mekhla-chadar.
Our interview dissolved into Gujarati thali and ice-cream by Juhu beach, where Rima finally began to look more relaxed. “I need to slow down. I haven’t had a moment like this.”
namrata.joshi@thehindu.co.in
