Recasting Feminine Identity in Assamese Cinema: Joymoti

Joymoti: The First Assamese Talkie

Nothing would deter Jyoti Prasad from the object of producing the first Assamese film, not merely directing but engaging in every other creative aspect of film making from scripting, penning lyrics, composing music to training the actors male and female. Indeed to embark on the filmmaking project, Jyoti Prasad had first to establish a production house by the title Chitralekha Movietone. Joymati was made at the cost of rupees fifty thousand and as a consequence had incurred a loss of twenty-eight thousand. Intending to give an authentic experience about Assam, Jyoti Prasad went to great lengths leaving no aspect unattended. Right from the architecture of the Ahom monarchy, to their attire, gait and lifestyle all were researched through books, documents and consultation with domain experts by the auteur himself.

The craft of film making for Jyoti Prasad was not merely a medium to dabble with and tell a story. It was a project attached with showcasing the distinct nature of Assamese arts and culture as well as to serve as a tool for archiving Assamese uniqueness for posterity. In doing so, Jyoti Prasad felt that film making through Joymati was a cultural project of Assamese identity and sub-nationalism.