National Award-winning 'Kothanodi' awaits September release

GUWAHATI: Assamese feature film 'Kothanodi', which won the National Award a few months ago, will be released next month with the expectation of bringing back the audience to the theatre and breaking the box office jinx that for long has been plaguing the local film industry.
Based on characters and events from a compilation of folk stories called ' Burhi Aair Sadhu' (Grandma's Tales), by Assamese literary giant Lakshminath Bezbaroa, the film revolves round four tales, ' Tejimola', ' Champawati', ' Ou Konwari' (The Outenga Maiden) and ' Tawoir Sadhu' (The Story of Tawoi).
The film is scheduled for a September 16 release. The fables have been popular bedtime stories for over a century but each tale has a hint of macabre. It dwells on hidden human emotions and explores the darker side of man - why he turns superstitious and why he turns to murder.
"Kothanodi can also be looked upon as another example of the dark undertones that lie under the surface of almost every bedtime story across the world. This is part of the global trend of alternative adaptations of classic folktales," said Bhaskar Hazarika, director and writer of the film. The film features prominent Bollywood actors Adil Hussain, Seema Biswas and Urmila Mahanta, who was recently seen in 'Manjhi-The Mountain Man' along with Assamese actors Zerifa Wahid, Kopil Bora, Asha Bordoloi, Monisha Bhuyan and Kasvi Shrama.
"This is a revolutionary way of telling a story. Four stories have been woven into one," said Adil Hussain.