Guwahati: Not many from Assam would know that the State still has a stretch of tropical wet evergreen rainforest in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts bordering Arunachal Pradesh. Much of this precious forest has been lost due to illegal logging and encroachment before a part (111.19 sq km) of the once-sprawling greenery teeming with biodiversity was finally accorded the status of a wildlife sanctuary.

Barsharanya – the Rainforest, which was premiered at Anuradha cinema here on Thursday night centres around Assam’s rainforests and depicts the struggle of a community living in the forest fringe and an upright forest officer in protecting the last vestige of pristine rainforest from destruction triggered by human greed.

The narrative revolves around the lives and activities in the fringe locales of the rainforest. This is an account in contrast, as one group of people led by the resolute retired forester takes on the timber mafia in saving the jungle. Deep-rooted corruption among those mandated to save the precious flora and fauna, too, is laid bare. The film ends on a positive note, with the local community successfully resisting the depredators of forest wealth and stopping the ruthless exploitation of the bountiful jungle.

At the brief function that preceded the premiere, veteran actor Abdul Majid said the film was unique in the sense that it did not follow the beaten track and was successful in delving deeper into a bold and new theme, backed by an innovative treatment. “The main objective of the film is to create awareness among the masses to save nature. The film successfully conveys the message. The viewers should like this movie,” he said.

Film director Diganta Mazumdar said that the endeavour was different, as the film did not have a protagonist in the conventional sense; rather, it’s the life-giving rainforest that dominates the narrative as its central figure.
In another departure from convention, the film avoids background music and instead relies heavily on sound effects. This has ensured that the viewer gets the perfect rainforest ambience.

“Sound effects which have been done by Resul Pookutty and Amrit Preetam, and the thoughtfully-designed soundtrack enhances the character of the forest which happens to be the core element of the narrative,” Mazumdar said.

Produced by Ikramul Majid, the film is based on a story written by Jiten Sarma. The narrative also borrows from the book Namchangor Anteshpur by conservationist Soumyadeep Dutta. The cast of the film includes Tapan Das, Arun Nath and Debojit Mazumdar, while Tanthoi Devi of Manipur plays the lead female role.