Private Project

ISHU

Happy-go-lucky Ishu’s world in a remote, tribal village in Assam, Northeastern India, revolves around his friends or Bhalu, his pet puppy. His days are spent with them, and with his favourite Ambika “Jethi” (aunt) . But one day, this happy world of Ishu turns topsy turvy as the village “Bej” (quack), in a conspiracy hatched with Ishu’s another Jethi Bhadreswari, declares Ambika as a witch. Beaten up by the mob and her house burnt down, Ambika vanishes, and no one seems to know where she is. Will Ishu be able to find her? What happened to Ambika?

  • UTPAL BORPUJARI
    Director
  • Utpal Borpujari
    Writer
  • Children's Film Society, India
    Producer
  • Kapil Garo
    Key Cast
  • Tonthoingambi Leishangthem Devi
    Key Cast
  • Bishnu Khargharia
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 30 minutes 47 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 11, 2017
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Shooting Format:
    Full Hd Digital (Arri Alexa Came
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:2.35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - UTPAL BORPUJARI

An M.Tech in Applied Geology from IIT-Roorkee, Utpal Borpujari won the Swarna Kamal for Best Film Critic at the 50th National Film Awards of India in 2003. As a professional journalist, apart from cinema, he has written extensively on politics, society, culture, literature, etc., while working with some of India’s top media houses. Since 2010, when he decided to turn a filmmaker, he has made several acclaimed documentary films that have been screened across the world in various film festivals. Among them are “Mayong: Myth/Reality” (2012), “Songs of the Blue Hills” (2013), “Soccer Queens of Rani” and “Memories of a Forgotten War” (2016). Borpujari has also served in international film juries as an erstwhile member of the International Federation of Film Critics, apart from having served on juries for National Film Awards and Indian Panorama. He has also curated films as well as served as a consultant for the Northeastern sections in the International Film Festival of India as well as various other film festivals. “Ishu” is his debut fiction feature.

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Director Statement

It’s Extremely Challenging To Make A Film With A Child Protagonist. And It’s Extremely Fullfilling Too. The Story Of Ishu Is Rooted In A Serious Social Malaise Facing Assam And Several Other States Of India – Which Is So-Called ‘Witch Hunting’, In Which Unscrupulous Elements Take Advantage Of People’s Superstition To Declare Mainly Women (And Sometimes Men) As ‘Witches’, Who Are Then Mercilessly Beaten Up, Thrown Out Of Villages, And In Many Cases, Even Killed. To Make A Film On Such A Gory Subject, With A Child Protagonist, Was Definitely A Challenge, But The Effort Has Been To Tell The Story From A Child’s Point Of View, And With A Fairytale Sort Of Treatment.