Not a Hero

In addition, Das was on the International Jury of the Generation 14plus in 2020, so this is her fourth official outing here. Das’ direction is confident in a world she knows — most of her films are shot with family members and neighbours (mostly non-actors) — in her village, Chhaygaon in Assam. Bhuman Bhargav Das, who plays the lead, is superb: he is Das’ nephew, while Sukanya Boruah, who plays Pahi, is a professional actor. Das’ screenplay is more interested in moments of emotional resonance, than a narrative plot structure, which is reflected in the cinematography and editing. Das has mostly been a one-woman army, being writer, director, producer, cinematographer, production designer, editor and a casting director on most of her previous films. This time, she has Aditya Varma do the cinematography — and he does a fine job, with a gentle pace, and mostly a fixed camera.