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[Full title: Orality of the Region and Its Dimensions in Assamese Cinema (3) Folktales in Assamese Cinematic Narratives]

Apart from the myths and legends, Assam has a rich treasure of oral narratives such as tales. However this aspect of oral folklore has not been able to attract too many filmmakers of the region. In spite of that, a few films have been made in Assamese language, based on popular folktales.

The folktales compiled in Lakshminath Bezbaruah鈥檚 Burhi Aair Xadhu (Grandma鈥檚 Tales), a compendium of popular Assamese folktales, have been presented cinematically through films. The tale of Tejimola has been produced numerous times in the form of stage plays, short films and videos, apart from feature films. The tale of Tejimola reflects the atrocities of a step-mother on a young girl, when the father is away for business. Tejimola is killed and dumped in the soil, from where she turns back as plants in the backyard. When she becomes a bird, her father brings her back to life. This tale of magical-realism was filmed as Tejimola (1963, Dir. Anowar Hussain) in Assamese, which was the recipient of the President's Silver Medal.

Two other folktales from Bezbaruah鈥檚 Burhi Aair Xadhu that moved to the celluloid, apart from other forms of visual media, are that of Sarabjan, who gained popular belief of knowing almost everything under the Sun, and the story of two sisters named Tula and Teja, who were step sisters. The films which were made on the plots of these two tales are Sarabjan (1985, Dir. Hiren Choudhury and Suprava Devi), and Tula Aru Teja (2012, Dir. Jonmoni Devi Khound) respectively.

In 2015, the film Kothanodi (The River of Fables) caught the attention of both audiences and critics. Kothanodi, which won several awards including the National Award for Best Feature Film in Assamese, is based on characters and events picked up by story writer and director of the film Bhaskar Hazarika from Burhi Aair Xadhu. Four fables from the book are combined in a unique manner to present a single stranded dark narrative, reinterpreting mainly the female characters. The four fables referenced in the film are Tejimola, Champawoti, Ou Kuwori (The Outenga Maiden) and Tawoir Xadhu (The Story of Tawoi). This is first of its kind retelling of folktales in Assamese cinema.

The discussion of the influence of folktales on Assamese cinema would not be complete without the mention of the film Pratidhwani (1965, Dir. Dr. Bhupen Hazarika), which had won the President鈥檚 Silver Medal. The film was based on a Khasi folktale about the relations between the people of hills and plains. The film depicts a popular legend of the Khasi tribe unfolding the tragic love of a young shepherd whose beloved is carried away for serving him as a concubine. Apart from the main narrative, the film also shows how the chieftains of the hill tribes and the kings of the valleys maintained cordial relationships through exchange of goods and people. In one scene of the film, there is a conversation owing to such exchanges, in which the king of the valley would send farming specialists, weavers, carpenters and a group of Gayan-Bayan musicians to the Khasi chieftain as part of a friendship agreement. In return the Khasi chieftain would offer return gifts in the form of kind and people.

Each geographical region tends to have its share of unique dark elements like ghosts and witches. Such spooky elements have captured the imagination of a few filmmakers from Assam as well. Venturing into the world of folk beliefs, an interesting treatment of superstition has been executed by director Chandra Mudoi in Baakar Putek (2012). The film is based on a popular belief surrounding a water ghost often known as 鈥榖aak鈥� in Assamese folklore. Belief has it that this ghost often haunts fishermen and has a sack tied to its belly. It would follow a person and kill at the first instance and after killing, it would bury the person upside down. Baakar Putek explores the socio-political aspects of superstitions and its impact on life of the rural poor.

Another major socio-economic problem prevailing in Assam is that associated with the tabooed issue of witch hunting. Two films based entirely on the malpractices of witchcraft and its dire consequences are Aei Matite (2017, Dir. Dr. Sitanath Lahkar) and Ishu (2018, Dir. Utpal Barpujari). In both these films, the directors have explored the backgrounds leading to the tagging of a person as a witch. The films have been based on tribal societies of Assam, where witch hunting has been an age-old social menace. Ishu went on to win the National Award for Best Feature Film in Assamese.