Majuli residents in for a movie treat

GUWAHATI: Majuli's cup of joy is running over. After making headlines on Thursday by becoming the country's first island district, it will now host a film première for the first time ever.
Kothanodi, a national award-winning film which is getting rave reviews in the festival circuit, will be screened at the Uttar Kamalabari Satra at 6 pm on Tuesday. The river island, the hub of neo-Vaishnavite culture in the state, does not even have a cinema hall.
"We shot major portions of the film in Majuli so it makes sense to screen the film there before showing it in the rest of the state," said director Bhaskar Hazarika.
Kothanodi is based on events and characters in Assamese folk stories as compiled by literary doyen Lakshminath Bezbaroa in Burhi Aair Xadhu. It features Adil Hussain, Seema Biswas, Zerifa Wahid and Urmila Mahanta, among others, and has already been screened at the Busan International Film Festival and the British Film Institute's 59th London Film Festival.
The screening in Majuli will be attended by a host of dignitaries, including family members of Bezbaroa and by the film's cast and crew.
"This is definitely the first time that an Assamese film will be screened in Majuli, a place where there are no cinema halls! It is a commendable and innovative initiative by the producers," said New-Delhi based film critic Utpal Borpujari.
"We are very happy that the film will have its première in Majuli. We thank the entire team for this and pray for the film's success," satradhikar of the Uttar Kamalabari Satra Janardan Goswami said.