Tribute to Jyoti Prasad Agarwala

Gauhati Cine Club paid a rich tribute to the first filmmaker of the state Jyoti Prasad Agarwala and vowed to help in creating a culture of watching films to motivate youths towards cinema. “Inspired by the socialist realism of cinema of the 1920s Jyoti Prasad Agarwalla made the first Assamese film ‘Joymoti’ in the year 1935, in which he tried to achieve these endeavours,” said noted film critic Altaf Mazid addressing a gathering of film enthusiasts on the occasion of 6th Jyoti Prasad Agarwalla memorial lecture.

“By doing that he attempted at Assam’s filmic genre, the ‘realistic’, creating an immediate connection between society and cinema which is in practice till today,” the national award winning filmmaker said adding that this is a cinema of somewhat different manifestation compared to the rest of the country although the size of the cinema is small.

Over the last 76 years Assam has produced around 350 films. Filmmaker Santana Bordoloi who won the Best Regional Film National Award and Jury’s Special Award for her film ‘Adajyo’ in 1996 said the habit of watching films should be made from an early age. “Movie clubs like Gauhati Cine Club should be more in numbers and should screen various films from different parts of the world to help the youths make a habit of watching films,” said the director who is a doctor by profession.

On the occasion, critically acclaimed short films from around the globe were screened for the watching pleasure of the spectators. “Gauhati Cine Club is always committed to develop the culture of watching films. For that we have several plans in the coming days. We are also planning to go to the rural area to make the people aware about cinema,” said GCC secretary Kanak Chandra Kalita.