Director of the Assamese film Sikaar, Debangkar Borgohain, recently opened up about getting banned for 10 years from the UK. It so happened that faced bureaucratic obstacles when the UK visa office in Kolkata rejected visas to the entire filmmaking team from Assam, including lead actress Dhyani Mohan. As the director of the film could not travel to the UK due to the rejection of the visa and the 10 year ban, the UK section of the film was shot by Sam Bhattacharjee.
Talking about the incident, the director said, “I just wanted to tell a story, but the process became a battle against a system that appeared to question our ability to make this film". Producer Sam Bhattacharjee, based in London, sought assistance from Iain Smith, then a Member of Parliament, but even his intervention could not reverse the visa decisions. “It was a strange and frustrating experience”, Bhattacharjee recalled. “But we turned those challenges into motivation to push the boundaries of what was possible”.
For the unversed, the film is now set to be released on September 20.
Sikaar was however still completed through a series of 4-5 production schedules, making it the highest VFX film in Assamese cinema history. The film was produced by the British company Unicorn Motion Pictures, with post-production handled by Do It Creative Ltd.
Sam Bhattacharjee said, “Sikaar is not just a film; it's a statement. As the first Assamese film to be extensively shot and produced in the UK, it stands as a testament to the resilience and creativity of its team”.
(With inputs from IANS)
