5 min readOct 15, 2022 12:00 PM IST
First published on: Oct 15, 2022 at 12:00 PM IST
THE latest film by Rima Das, Tora’s Husband, marks her return to familiar settings — her neighbourhood in Assam’s Chhaygaon — under unfamiliar circumstances. Restless after being isolated in Mumbai during the first lockdown, when Das returned home in 2020, she spent about a month keenly observing how the lives around her had changed. The humdrum of everyday life was replaced with uncertainty and uneasiness in this small town. Though Das initially started writing it as a family drama, the feature film eventually became an insightful narrative about adapting to new realities as livelihoods were lost and relationships turned sour.
Over the years, Das has established herself as a talented filmmaker, who deftly handles different responsibilities such as directions, writing, cinematography and editing. Here too, she repeats that feat. However, with her fourth feature film, Das thematically breaks away from her previous two outings — widely-acclaimed Village Rockstars (2017) and Bulbul Can Sing (2018) — that had adolescent and teenage protagonists. “This time, I wanted to deal with adult characters, to have a protagonist who is exposed to a larger world and has tackled bigger concerns,” says the National Award-winning director, explaining why she has opted for a different vibe for her newest work, even though the world of her movies remains the same.
Even though the narrative of Tora’s Husband was primarily inspired by trials and tribulations faced by small-town residents during the pandemic, Das worked on finding an emotional core and developing the characters’ fictional journey. Amid loss and lockdown, the protagonist Jaan tries to stay positive and support others. But it’s tough to fight the effects of a sluggish economy. He ends up juggling his underperforming business and strained personal relationships. “There were several improvisations and tweaks carried out in the script as the filming progressed,” says Das. Some of these changes were necessitated by the unpredictable nature of the pandemic. Other changes were made keeping the cast, which mainly comprised non-actors as is the case with all of Das’s movies, in mind.
Leading the cast is Abhijit Das as the sensitive and hassled Jaan. He also happens to be the writer-director’s brother. “I had earlier shot something with him that didn’t work out. This time, however, he was perfect for the role of a small-town restaurateur struggling to keep his business afloat as well as take care of his family,” says the director-writer. The casting choice, which also included several local people, worked out logistically, too.
A still from Tora’s Husband
Through her unique method of grooming and nurturing local talents, Das has previously drawn out compelling performances from the casts of Village Rockstars and Bulbul Can Sing, especially from those essaying their lead characters Dhunu (Bhanita Das) and Bulbul (Arnali Das), respectively. Such convincing performances result from working closely with the actors over a period of time. During the early days of Tora’s Husband’s shoot, Purbanchali Das, who plays the role of Jaan’s daughter Manu, enacted the scenes as compared to Bhuman Bhargav Das, who plays her brother. However, as the filming progressed she started losing interest while Bhuman started doing better. That made Das expand his scenes.
After the festival rounds, the next task before Das is to release the film in theatres. “We visualised the film to be watched in theatres, not laptops. Watching a film in theatres evokes a community feeling and that’s something we all cherish,” says the independent filmmaker, who calls Tora’s Husband her most challenging film. She has one regret: Not having a proper production design and lighting team. “This film needed better art direction. Since we had financial constraints, we could not afford a bigger team,” she says.
Das, who is already working on another project, wants to take a break once her current assignments are wrapped up. She then intends to approach her future projects with a fresh mind and perspective. “I wish to re-discover things,” says Das, who has made remarkable contributions to Indian independent filmmaking with her ingenuity and refreshing storytelling.
Rima Das worked on finding an emotional core and developing the characters’ fictional journey 
A still from Tora’s Husband
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