The Wait

‘The Wait’ unravels the fragile interconnections that link lives and design people’s destinies. Set in idyllic rural Assam of the 90s, when a volatile secessionist movement was at its peak; the film tells the story of two ordinary young people, Rajen and Kunjo. Rajen and Kunjo have know each other for years and share a special bond. They are soulmates but they don't know it yet. Rajen’s older brother Khogen joins the rebel movement much to the sorrow of his grandmother who always pines for him. As the film progresses we get a peep into the simple sources of joy in the village. Tragedy strikes when Khogen kills one of his comrades, steals some money from the rebel group and his comrades come looking for him.

Historically, northeast India connected to mainland India by a chicken’s neck, has not been part of the national imagination. I am from Assam, India and I have been working in the Hindi film industry, popularly known as Bollywood but always yearned to tell stories that don’t find expression in mainstream media, from this part of the country. ‘The Wait’ is set in an indigenous marginalized tribal village in Assam and depicts the ordinary lives of these people in the backdrop of insurgency in the 90s. I have made a concerted effort to bring the culture of this tribe to the fore by presenting their dance form as well as their music in my film. The dancers, singers and musicians are talented locals from the village. The film also has an all women-singing group (naam). The cast and crew of the film is an all-Assamese one, representing different ethnicities of Assam. This is my debut as an independent writer, director and producer and I hope that I have been able to tell a good story.