Private Project

An Evening Ballad

This film showcases the raw village landscape, natural calamities, friendship and ever changing bonds, as well as the resilience of a single mother navigating a patriarchal society. Mwnabili, a widow and a single mother, who faces the daily struggle of life without her husband. In this story, age is shown to be irrelevant when it comes to matters of the heart. Love can blossom between people of any race or religion, transcending societal boundaries. The film portrays the soft, mesmerizing light of dusk and dawn to paint a vivid portrait of Mwnabili's life as she stands at the cusp of adulthood. The poetic eroticism contrasts with the authentic scenes of daily life in their Indian villages, where carefree men and women face a pitiless reality. The experience of aging love puts people under pressure of high expectations and strict moral principles. This Bodo language film, which is about social commentary and how minor disagreements are accepted as a normal part of life rather than as conflicts, is set in a small village on the border between India and Bhutan.

  • Bishal Swargiary
    Director
  • Bishal Swargiary
    Writer
  • Bishal Swargiary
    Producer
  • Renu Basumatary
    Key Cast
    "Mwnabili"
  • Abhijit Gayar
    Key Cast
    "Orkhi"
  • Haren Baro
    Key Cast
    "Bidang"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Mwnabili
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 34 minutes 54 seconds
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    Bodo (India)
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Bishal Swargiary

Northeastern Indian independent filmmaker Bishal Swargiary (born on 30 December 1998) was raised in the small village of Paschim Rihawari in the Assam, Baksa District. He oversees Duphang Pictures, a company that supports locally based indie films. He uses amateur actors in his independent, realistic films. He firmly believes that art and culture may affect local social transformation! He has starred in the Assamese feature film "Iron Girls" directed by Rajen Das. At the Bajali College, he pursued a degree in Tourism and Travel Management. At the Melbourne Indian Film Festival in 2022, "Gosain: The Colours Of Spring" had its world premiere and was showcased at the International Documentary and Short Film Festival Kerala (IDSFFK), 2022.
MWNABILI his debut feature film

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Director Statement

I was raised in the far-off village of Paschim Rihawari in the Indian state of Assam's Baksa district. The language of the movie is Boro, also called Bodo, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken primarily by the Boro people of India, Nepal and Bangladesh. It is an official language of the Indian state of Assam, predominantly spoken in the Bodoland Territorial Region.
When I was 12 years old, the village sent me to a hostel in the city. As a result of the slightly different sports performed by city kids, it was a new world for me, and I found myself missing my hometown and the way we played there. As i graduate tourism, I gained knowledge of the environment and over time, i maintained regular contact with the kids in my village.
Grandpa passed away three years ago. My grandmother felt abandoned after my grandfather passed away. Age is irrelevant to love. Any race or creed can inspire love in anyone. However, a local community wants to label it as a crime if a widow falls in love with another man once more. And i made the decision to use them to tell the tale of my incomplete childhood as well as the loneliness and love of a widow.
First of all, Capturing the entire year's seasons. During the shooting, weather played a significant but time-consuming impact. As you can see, rainstorms, seasons and floods—which are out of my control—play a significant role in the setting and story of MWNABILI (AN EVENING BALLAD). So, waiting for these natural occurrences takes time. This prolonged the process of creating and researching this film at the beginning. Everything is filmed in actual circumstances such as rain, floods, firefly, children's everyday activities, and widow's daily activities. He chats with them and their naughtiness. I didn't have a camera, was pressed for time, and had a limited budget, I also shot a few scenes with an iPhone 13 Pro Max. The children were taken for the childhood character so that i can capture these on camera. If i had waited for the funding and done the shoot a year later, the kids would have changed in age as well as body shapes and voices that i couldn’t recreate. I utilised the iPhone belonging to my cousin's brother for that. I assembled a crew and finished filming this film when the money arrived.
My love and respect for humanity are shown through MWNABILI (AN EVENING BALLAD), which also serves as a silent protest against traditional irrationality.