Artistes From Northeast Who Made the Cut in Bollywood

By Shaheen Parkar

With the 'Mary Kom' biopic featuring artistes from the North-East, we take a look at the talent pool from the region

The upcoming Priyanka Chopra-starrer Mary Kom, based on the boxing champ, has put the spotlight on the North-East and its presence in Bollywood.

Patralekha, who starred in Citylights, hails from Shillong in Meghalaya. She wonders why people always want to know where she is from
Several local actors have been roped in to play supporting roles in the film. There may not be too many Hindi films releasing in many states in the region, or as many actors, musicians, filmmakers from the region that have made — or are trying to make — an impact on the big screen.

Finding a foothold
Adil Hussain, who is from Goalpara in Assam, essayed the role of Sridevi’s husband in English Vinglish (2012).


Last year, Geetanjali Thapa, who hails from Sikkim, bagged the National Award for Best Actress for her performance in Liar’s Dice

Patralekha, who was seen in Hansal Mehta’s Citylights earlier this year with beau Rajkummar Rao as her co-star, is from Shillong in Meghalaya.

Geetanjali Thapa won the National Film Award for Best Actress (2013) for her performance in Liar’s Dice. She is from Sikkim and began her glamour innings after winning a beauty pageant in Guwahati, Assam. Veteran actor Danny Dengzongpa is also from Sikkim.


Model Monikangana Dutta hails from Guwahati; she starred in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish (2010) where she played Hrithik Roshan’s ex-flame
B-Town singers Zubeen Garg is from Jorhat, Assam, while Papon is from Guwahati in Assam.
Model Monikangana Dutta, who hails from Guwahati, starred in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Guzaarish (2010) playing the character of Hrithik Roshan’s ex-flame.

Meanwhile, Reema Debnath from Agartala in Tripura featured in the Salman Khan-starrer Bodyguard.

The outsiders
Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Chak De India! (2007), for one, showcased Mary Ralte (Kimi Laldawla) from Mizoram and Molly Zimik (Masochon Zimik) from Manipur — in the film, both are treated as ‘foreigners’ in the Indian women’s hockey team.


Singer-composer Papon is from Guwahati. Pic/Satyajit Desai

Being looked upon as outsiders is something that they are used to. When told that they are from the North-East, it is as if they belong to another territory.

For some artistes like Patralekha, it is a sense of déjà vu. Says the actress, “I am always asked such questions and I do not want to say anything more on that front. I am from Shillong in Meghalaya and my parents still live there.”

While Monikangana who disappeared from Bollywood after Guzaarish says, “People always ask me where my folks stay. I always tell them I am from Guwahati and my family is based there.” Incidentally, Monikangana has gone back to studies while there is a project in the pipeline.


Singer Zubeen Garg is from Jorhat, Assam. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Playing the part
Adil Hussan began his career with theatre and stand-up comedy, and eventually landed in Bollywood with roles in films such as Ishqiya (2010) and Agent Vinod (2012). He was also seen in Life of Pi (2012) and The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012).


Adil Hussain, who starred in English Vinglish, hails from Goalpara in Assam
The actor feels that these are roles that suit his salt-and-pepper look, as he “detests dyeing his hair.”
The Seven Sister states (read: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura), are often referred to as ‘Paradise Unexplored’.

If the talent in Bollywood is anything to go by, this holds true as B-town doesn’t seem to have tapped the North-East’s full potential.

Known filmmakers from the region include Jahnu Barua, whose 2006 film Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara had Anupam Kher and Urmila Matondkar; Utpal Borpujari; and singers like the late Bhupen Hazarika.

Filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi shot her Naseeruddin Shah-Shabana Azmi starrer Ek Pal (1986) in Shillong in Meghalaya and Jorhat in Assam. Her Raveena Tandon-starrer Daman was shot in Guwahati in Assam. She says, “Where a filmmaker wants to shoot is a personal choice. But to be honest, Bollywood rarely makes films with a realistic backdrop. If the reason is inadequate infrastructure, that is the case across the country. You realise this as soon as you move out of Mumbai. A lot of Assamese films are made and shot in the region.”

Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan shot the Madhuri Dixit-Shah Rukh Khan starrer, Koyla (1997), in Arunachal Pradesh. He filmed a song against the backdrop of Shungetser Lake in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang, that is known for its stunning visuals. Mani Ratnam’s 1998 film Dil Se had ULFA’s Assam liberation struggle form its backdrop. Now with the release of Mary Kom, the North-East will hopefully have a bigger presence in Bollywood.

Bru Refugees Want Durable Solution

About 35,000 Reang tribals are staying in six camps in northern Tripura since October 1997

Agartala, Aug 28 : Displaced Reang tribals, sheltered in six refugee camps in Tripura for about 17 years, on Wednesday urged a central government team to solve the ethnic problems permanently.

About 35,000 Reang tribals are staying in six camps in northern Tripura since October 1997 after they fled their villages in western Mizoram following ethnic troubles after the killing of a Mizo forest official.

“We have submitted a memorandum to the central government team to solve our 10 point demands, including permanent solution to the ethnic problems,” Refugee leader and Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF) general secretary Bruno Mesha told IANS by phone from Kanchanpur, 190km north of here.

The refugees’ demands include, economic rehabilitation to the repatriated refugees, adequate security, allotment of lands, employment, free ration for two years, and financial assistance of Rs. 150,000 per family.

The MBDPF leaders also requested the central government team pending their repatriation to Mizoram enhance their relief stuff including rice and improve their living conditions in the makeshift camps.

“Following an order of the Tripura High Court, the union home ministry has recently constituted a seven-member committee headed by Rajiv Gauba, the ministry’s additional secretary, to oversee the condition of the refugees in the Tripura camps,” Tripura’s relief and revenue department secretary Swapan Saha told IANS.

“The central team visited the refugee camps Tuesday. The committee would submit its report to the Tripura High Court Thursday or Friday,” Saha said.

He said the report of the central government team would refer four issues — sanitation and drinking water, health, educational and overall situation of the refugee camps, situated adjoining western Mizoram.

Tripura and Mizoram share a 109-km border.

The Tripura High Court passed its order June 24 following a petition filed by a lawyer.

The court asked the central government to constitute the central team, which also comprises officials of the human resource development ministry, social justice and empowerment ministry, Tripura government and representatives of three NGOs from New Delhi, West Bengal and Assam.

Right activist and lawyer Mangal Debbarma, in his petition earlier, alleged that miserable conditions of the refugees and the camps they are living in.

The refugees also demanded to provide all facilities and status to them like that of Kashmiri Pandits and Tamil refugees, allotment of lands to all the repatriated tribals, creation of model villages in Reang tribals’ inhabited areas, ensure better security and sanitation, health and education to the tribals in Mizoram.

The Mizoram government recently asked the union home ministry to take up with the Election Commission the issue of deleting from the electoral lists the names of those refugees, who are unwilling to leave Tripura camps and return to Mizoram.

“Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla earlier this month held a meeting with Home Secretary Anil Goswami in New Delhi and requested him to take action over deleting the names of those refugees who are not willing to return to Mizoram,” an official of the Mizoram government told IANS in Aizawl.

“Lal Thanhawla apprised Goswami that while the state government has done its best to take back the refugees from Tripura camps, the state government’s efforts have often been opposed by a section of refugee leaders,” the official said.

The Tripura government has been repeatedly asking the central government to take steps to repatriate the 35,000 tribal refugees to Mizoram. Only about 5,000 Reang tribal refugees have returned to their homes in the past three-and-a-half years.

Daniel Syiem To Participate in London Fashion Week

Shillong, Aug 28 : Meghalaya's eclectic fashion boy Daniel Syiem is all geared up to go global with his ethnic 'Ryndia' collections as he takes centre stage at the London Fashion Week early next month.
Syiem will be presenting his collections on September 13 next along with other top designers of the country like Delna Pouwalla, Madhu Varma, Megha Grover, Wajabab Mirza and others.

Having debuted at the Indian Fashion Week last year presenting a collection of 'organic and ethnic Ryndia' or eri silk, Syiem's collection has had applause from top fashion aficionados for their unique western touch in simplicity in style.

"The idea of an ethnic design wear was always on my mind as I grew up in a state which has so much to offer in this regard. I am glad that I will be able to present my collections at the LFW 2014," Syiem said.

Many have a conception that ethnic wear is very traditional and stiff, but it was a challenge well taken as our collections will break that notion, he said.

Stating that the ethnic design collections will have all the essence of traditional cloth, the young designer believe that a little touch on the curves and lines will make it extremely fashionable and flexible clothing.

Syiem's collections are known for their fasteners-less lines (less of zippers and buttons etc) and have detailing like knotted fabric on shoulders, bows, the way the Khasi tribals like to wear their clothes.

Most of his designs are a collection of earthy colour palate playing with neutral tones in off white and dull gold enhancing the drapes and styling.

The other unique quality of Syiem's collection is that all materials are sourced from Umden village in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district where the 'Ryndia' is produced from the Eri silkworms.

Syiem who co-founded the Daniel Syiem Ethnic Fashion House along with his long time friend Janess Pyngrope as a business head also founded "Weaves" society where they are actively attempting to revive back this age old tradition of hand weaving and vegetable dying and also trying to create a network for their products.

Over 1.2 Million Affected By Flood in Northeast India

New Delhi, Aug 28 : Over 1.2 million people have been affected by floods in the northeast Indian state of Assam where the rivers, including the Brahmaputra and its tributaries, continue to rise above danger level, said officials Wednesday.

At least 10 people have died over the past 10 days in flood- related incident while over 1,260,000 people were affected due to floods in the ravaging waters of Brahmaputra and its tributaries which flooded over 2,000 villages in 16 districts of the state, said the State Disaster Management Authority in Guwahati, state capital of Assam.

Meanwhile, 163,000 people are taking shelter in over 200 relief camps set up by the government.

Authorities have sent the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force to the area with over 100 boats.

Mizo Students Federation protests frequent changes of Governors in Mizoram

Aizawl, Aug 27 : The Mizo Students Federation today accused the NDA government of using the state as a "dumping ground" of governors appointed by the UPA government and said it was not going down well with the Mizo people.

Stating that Mizoram had four governors in two months, the students' body chief Lalhmachhuana said that they would lodge a written complaint to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.

"It is unfair for the Mizo people," he said. Since the transfer of Mizoram Governor V Purushothaman on July 6 to Nagaland, he said, the other governors during the period were former Gujarat Governor Dr Kamla Beniwal, Manipur Governor V K Duggal who was given an additional charge and Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan who resigned soon after he was appointed on Saturday last.

Poor Conditions in Camps, Bru leaders say Mizoram ‘wants us to leave’

By Adam Halliday

 

A Centre team visits Reang refugee camps in Kanchanpur on Tuesday. (Source: PTI)

Aizawl, Aug 27 : Residents of these camps are neither entitled to work under the MGNREGA nor are given farmland to earn a livelihood.

Even as an MHA-appointed committee travels to six relief camps in Tripura to study the living conditions there, leaders in these camps say the conditions have been abject because Tripura wants them to leave.

The seven-member committee, headed by Additional Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, landed in Agartala on Monday. The panel was appointed on the orders of the Tripura High Court following a PIL which had complained about the “inhuman conditions” in the camps.

The relief camps are mostly populated by rehabilitated Bru tribals who fled to Mizoram in 1997 following ethnic conflict. According to the court order, of the 21,312 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in these camps, each adult gets Rs 5 per day plus 600 grams of rice. Minors, meanwhile, get Rs 2.5 and 250 grams of rice. Each family is also given Rs 10 per month to purchase cooking oil.

Residents of these camps are neither entitled to work under the MGNREGA nor are given farmland to earn a livelihood. The court had also observed that they are not being issued birth or death certificates.

Calling the conditions “ridiculous”, the court had said, “Tripura expects that sooner or later these refugees will go back to their homeland. That may be true but we cannot lose sight of the fact that for the last 17 years this problem has not been resolved.” Bru leaders in the relief camps echo the HC’s view.

“Their (Tripura government’s) aim is to make life as hard for us as possible so we will have no choice but to go home to Mizoram,” said Bruno Masha, General Secretary of the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF). “In Tripura, tribals are a minority…The dominant community is Bengali.

They are scared of us staying here forever. So the non-tribals often tell us to go home,” he added.

Masha said the insufficient relief and the unavailability of employment has forced Brus in the camps to settle for any kind of work at low wages. “At times, we settle for Rs 100 for work a local can earn Rs 200 for,” he says.

Assam Sinks Into Anarchy

A NEW FORMAT NEEDS TO BE DEVELOPED IF BORDER DISPUTES IN THE region CAN NO LONGER BE RESOLVED BY OLD METHODS, SAYS PATRICIA MUKHIM


Any of the North-eastern states have been carved out of Assam, with which state Nagaland, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh have simmering border tensions. While Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh have been, and are at the receiving end of the Assam police in border skirmishes, the people of Nagaland along the borders of Merapani and Golaghat have defended their territory with a belligerence that is unprecedented. They are dismissive of the Assam police’s attempts to cramp their style. In fact, it is interesting to note that the Nagas have been able to inflict casualties on the neighbouring state on several occasions but the latest border flare-up has resulted in a huge toll for Assam.

The chief ministers of Assam and Nagaland, Tarun Gogoi and TR Zeliang,  were summoned to Delhi by the Union home ministry to discuss the matter. Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju has been told to sort things out between the two states. Now this is an interesting development. Gogoi is a senior Congress leader and was a Union cabinet minister at one time. That he should be summoned to the national capital and be told to speak to a junior minister could not have been music to his ears. Of late, Gogoi has been at the receiving end of public criticism after the inability of the state police to control mob violence, thereby leading to three unnecessary deaths.

Gogoi has not been on top of thing for some time now. Dissidence within the Congress and the government had gained ground and a leading cabinet minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, resigned in protest after the parliamentary elections when the Congress did poorly. The party high command, however, does not have the grit for any change of leadership in Assam at this juncture, since Gogoi is an old faithful while his bete noire, Biswa Sarma, is a young Turk whom the high command has not learnt to trust.

In any case, the Congress at this juncture is too burdened by its own existential dilemma. It has neither the time nor the inclination to mess up with Congress chief ministers. But this is precisely the problem with Assam. Gogoi is no longer the most popular leader who has the confidence of the public. The election of seven BJP members of Parliament out of 14 was a verdict against the Congress and the Gogoi government and its litany of failings. Barring the voters of Kaliabor, who opted for Gogoi’s son, Gaurav, the large majority of people have no more patience for a government that has evidently failed to provide governance.

Like every other politician in the party, Gogoi, too, is promoting dynastic politics. Gaurav Gogoi, a foreign returned heir to the Assam throne, had contested the parliamentary elections and won the seat despite the general poor performance of the Congress. He is very active on social media and, following his Facebook posts, one can gather that he is not exactly popular among his peers. They are seeking accountability from the father-son duo. They are fed up with the alibis trotted out by the chief minister each time there are incidents of killing and communal violence in Assam. The border skirmish with Nagaland is just one of the many problems Taun Gogoi is facing and it seems like he is a tired man who is fire-fighting on several fronts without trusted lieutenants who can take flak for the government. Add to this the fact that Biswa Sarma could be using his clout to create problems for Gogoi on different fronts.

And while Assam is in a state of near anarchy with the government looking like a lame duck (not taking the blame for what has happened in the state but blaming the Modi government at the Centre for not stepping in with Central forces to control the recent rioting), the Congress is also looking at largescale dissidence in the next assembly elections, due in 2016. Just as the party high command is in denial about most things and has refused to take steps to address the reasons for its recent rout, Gogoi, too, lives in a state of denial about most things happening in Assam and the failure of his government machinery. When he appears on local television channels he is utterly dismissive about the rising tide of public anger against his government and says that other states also have similar problems so Assam does not fall into a special category as far as such problems are concerned. What he has failed to appreciate is that people elect a particular government because they expect it to deliver on a few key areas of their lives such as water and sanitation, safety and security, good communication networks to their villages, agricultural support, etc. These have evaded Assam in the three tenures of the Congress-ruled government and people want change — if only to see whether other parties can deliver. As for the border clashes between Assam and its neighbours, the problem can no longer be allowed to fester. In fact, proper research might throw up interesting evidence about the link between the claims for a greater Nagaland — the long standing demand of the NSCN(IM) and the belligerence of the Naga people settled along the Assam-Nagaland borders. Now that the Modi government has taken over at the Centre, most states want to draw his attention to their long standing grouses.

There is a tendency to push the border talks to chief secretary-level officials of the states in conflict. This has not proved to be too effective, going by the Assam-Meghalaya model that has remained intransigent. Other methods and strategies are needed at this point in time. There have been suggestions from experts in the Central government that disputed areas should be turned into special economic zones, health hubs or educational centres that would benefit people from both sides of the border. This suggestion has not received traction. Perhaps it is time for the Union ministry of home affairs to step in and come up with tangible action plans to avoid future inter-state boundary skirmishes that take a toll on human lives.

People living along the borders often suffer the most neglect since development evades them most of the time. If we look at the Assam-Meghalaya border for instance, people on both sides tend to gravitate towards the state that offers them more options in terms of communication, security and recognition. Meghalaya has not been able to develop roads to take governance to the last mile. The Assam government, on the other hand, has been quite active along the border. It’s a different matter that Assam has settled people of Nepali origin in the Langpih areas and they have taken up very aggressive posturing.

A new format needs to be developed and border disputes can no longer be resolved by old methods. There is need for a new line of thinking. I doubt, however, that the Gogoi government has the time and energy for that. It is fighting too many battles on several fronts and the aggression will only intensify with the onset of the next assembly elections.

THE WRITER IS EDITOR, THE SHILLONG TIMES, AND CAN BE
CONTACTED AT patricia17@rediffmail.com

Fake Reporter Promises Petrol Pump, Dupes MLA From Arunachal

By Vishnu Sukumaran

New Delhi, Aug 27 : An MLA from Arunachal Pradesh was duped of Rs 25 lakh after a man claiming to be a journalist promised to get a petrol pump and  gas agency set up for him in his constituency.

Congress legislator Rajesh Tacho holds the Anini seat in the remote Dibang valley.A case of cheating under Indian Penal Code was filed by Delhi Police after the MLA's wife Andre Keche filed a complaint, police said.

Andre told police that due to the absence of any petrol pumps in the entire district, the MLA was taking steps for the people of his constituency.

She identified the mastermind of the fraud as Ashu Kumar, a resident of south Delhi’s Mahipalpur Extension.

Ashu met the politician at Arunachal Bhawan in south Delhi’s Chanakyapuri in 2013, introducing himself as a journalist with The Times of India. He claimed that he covered Parliament and had strong links with senior officers in the Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry.

“Ashu said he would provide everything for setting up a petrol pump and gas agency at Anini and for that he demanded an initial payment of Rs 5 lakh,” Andre told police.This was given to him in July 2013.

Ashu later demanded more money and the politician paid Rs 5 lakh in August 2013 and Rs 10 lakh in November 2013. He visited Anini twice to survey the promised set up along with a man named Arun Pandey, who claimed to be an employee of the Land Division of the Petroleum Ministry.

The MLA paid more cash which Ashu said was required for a licence and other expenses.

The politician also provided air tickets for Ashu and Arun’s journey to Arunachal Pradesh.

“However, Ashu did not set up any petrol pump or gas agency, and has been untraceable. We have Ashu and Arun’s mobile phone numbers and photographs, and are working on leads to nab them,” a police officer said..