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Jatin Bora is one of the most popular actors in Assamese cinema. He is also a director and has worked with several Assamese mobile theatre groups. Some of his best-known films include Suren Suror Putek, Kanyadaan, Raamdhenu, Doordarshan Eti Jantra, and Ratnakar. Recently, Enigmatic Horizon had a conversation with the actor regarding his upcoming film, Raghav. Let us take a look.
How did you get involved with the movie Raghav? Can you tell us about the story of the movie?
After the success of Ratnakar, I decided to use the alphabet ‘R’ in my movie titles, which turned out to be lucky for me. However, due to the COVID-19 scenario, there were delays, and I had to wait for a long time. Ratnakar was released in 2019, and Raghav is scheduled for release in 2023. I don’t want to reveal much about the upcoming movie, but I can describe my character. In Raghav, I play the role of a driver. The character goes through moments of happiness, sadness, laughter, and tears, progressing step by step. With 32 years of experience in this profession and having worked with great directors, I have been learning a lot. After Ratnakar, I decided to create Raghav, which has been a dream role for me. It is a commercial movie that I believe will not disappoint the audience. I am giving my best to deliver a beautiful film, drawing from the experiences I have gained working with talented directors like Bhupen Kalita, Jayanta Baruah, etc. Through observation and diligent work, I have learned and grown in the Assamese film industry, and Raghav is a movie that I am confident all families will enjoy because it provides a lot of entertainment.
The name of your previous movie, Ratnakar, was also related to The Ramayana, and now Raghav is linked to The Ramayana as well since Raghav is another name for Sri Ram. Can you explain the significance of this?
In the Ramayana, the character of Ram has influenced so many people. Ram sacrificed fourteen years of his life, spending them in the deep forest, for the sake of his father. In Raghav, the character also goes through sad moments to make others happy, which has a resemblance to Ram’s character in The Ramayana, as both represent sacrifice. Ram sacrificed fourteen years of his life in the deep forest for the sake of his father and faced numerous challenges in his life. In a similar way, I believe Raghav’s character shares a touch of similarity with Ram’s character.
Can you tell us the budget for Raghav?
Compared to the Bollywood industry and other film industries, our industry is small. With a lot of struggle and hard work, we managed to produce the movie with a budget of around 1.5 – 2 crores. We cannot go beyond this budget, but we have made sure to utilise it effectively. The budget for our movies may seem small when compared to other industries like Bollywood, but we try to make the most of it.
The Assamese film industry has shown some improvement, but there is still a long way to go. What are your thoughts on this?
The Assamese film industry has had its ups and downs. Zubeen Garg has achieved commercial success with movies like Mission-China and Kanchan-Jangha, after which I also achieved some success with Ratnakar. After that, many producers began to enter the industry, but the COVID-19 situation caused setbacks. However, we are slowly recovering and moving forward. Movies like Sri Raghupati and Dr Bezbaruah achieved a level of success. I have produced this movie with the support of my wife, and I have put my best efforts into creating a good and beautiful film. With the blessings of God, I believe the audience will love this movie.
You have acted in and directed the movie Raghav. Can you tell us about the obstacles and difficulties you faced while doing both at the same time?
There were numerous obstacles and difficulties throughout the process. I began my directorial journey with the film Adhinayak, followed by Ratnakar, and now Raghav. I want to emphasise that Raghav is not just about me; it is an effort involving an entire team. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone involved in the movie. I offer my special thanks to the editor, Pratim Khamol, who played a vital role in the making of this movie. We had many young stars involved in this movie as well
Where did you shoot the movie, and did you face any inconveniences?
We shot the movie in various locations in Assam, including Jorhat, Shillong, Cherapunji, and even Kashmir, for 14 to 15 days. During the shoot, we faced difficulties like having to climb up to high locations. I have shared some of the challenges we faced on Facebook and YouTube. Due to landslides and snowfall, we encountered significant troubles and had to halt the shoot for five days. Despite the expenses and challenges, we managed to complete the shooting successfully with a team of seventeen people. Zubeen has sung a new song for this movie, which we are sure will delight the viewers.
Is there something unique in this movie that the audience will appreciate?
Technically speaking, there has been uniqueness in the storytelling and story-making processes. Nowadays, everything is digital, and we have made use of phantom digital cameras to capture scenes, and these come at a cost of 60,000 rupees per day. We have made sure to fulfil all the requirements necessary to create a successful movie like Raghav.
What are the current challenges in the Assamese film industry?
In the Assamese film industry, we face challenges regarding the lack of facilities for satellite broadcasting. Unlike Bollywood, we don’t have a big budget. We take on many risks to produce Assamese movies and need to recover our investments through digital copyright protection.
In your opinion, will the movie Raghav be better than Ratnakar?
Ratnakar was a movie that I directed, and there was a bit of nervousness while making it due to the risk factors involved. We had planned to shoot in Kashmir but couldn’t do it. In terms of location variations within our budget, we aim to present a great movie with Raghav. We have experienced and talented individuals working on this movie. I am optimistic and pleased. During Ratnakar, I felt a little apprehensive, but the audience loved it. Although I feel both movies are good, the screenplay and storyline in Raghav will be even better. Both movies have their own uniqueness.
In the movie Raghav, who else has acted alongside you?
After a long time, our audience will see Mridula Baruah. I asked her a lot to play a role in the film. Briju Phukan, Nipen Goswami, and Mridula Baruah are well-known names in the Assamese film industry. Since people have always loved watching them, I brought her back to play the role of my mother. She has been a great inspiration to me, and she has played her role beautifully in the movie. Our heroine is Nishita Goswami. There are many other well-known actors in Raghav, but I can’t mention them all. But I will say that when it came to selecting the cast, I didn’t make any compromises.
Do you have any messages for the audience regarding your upcoming film, Raghav?
I have only one thing to say – Jatin Bora today could come and give an interview in front of you because the viewers of Assam have chosen me, given me love, and brought me to this position. I believe that all my well-wishers will definitely watch this movie, and I won’t disappoint them!
