IT News
Imphal, Jan 23:
A book, ‘Film Appreciation on Cinemas (1980 to 1990) of Jahnu Barua: Social, Economic, Political and Cultural Perspectives,’ was released at the 37th Day Session of Global Communication Education Conclave (GCEC) held under the aegis of the Global Media Education Conclave (GMEC).
The book is penned by Dr. Juhi P. Pathak, an academician from Assam who works as an Assistant Professor at Sharda University, Uttar Pradesh.
Padma Bhushan Jahnu Barua commented on the book: “It always makes a filmmaker happy when people discuss or write about film appreciation. I appreciate Dr. Juhi P. Pathak’s work in bringing out… a comprehensive analysis of my films. This book will also be a handbook for film students to understand how to appreciate films from multiple dimensions, not only from the perspective of cinema but also the rubrics of politics, economics, culture, and society apart from others that Dr. Juhi has tried to highlight through her exhaustive works. This book will go a long way in celebrating the rich customs and diverse culture of Assam.”
In the introduction of the book, Bollywood film director Arunaraje Patil, who is also a winner of 5 National Awards, wrote, “Everybody talks of Jahnu’s work – his cinema and the accolades he has received over the years. In fact, this book is about that!”
Jahnu Barua is an Indian filmmaker of International repute. This book explores the man and his message through an in-depth analysis of his films from 1982 to 2014. The research study considers a span of 32 years. This research project considers 12 Assamese feature films of Jahnu Barua and excludes the Hindi Language feature films and other short films. The entire research was conducted under a project of the Altruist Centre for Research, Training and Development (ACRTD), a wing of Capt. Ayush Purusartha Foundation (CAPF). The Research Project made way for mammoth data that has been divided into three books. This book is the first of the trilogy.
The expected outcome of this book is to document and preserve Assamese culture and help understand the various facets of the Assamese society in detail. The book has brought out the macro-environmental factors like representing social, economic, political, and cultural aspects of Assamese society or change. While films reflect society, this attempt to document the message in Jahnu Barua’s films, which are largely focused on issues of human interest, will act as a ready reckoner for anybody who would aspire to delve into the intricacies of Assamese society, its people, and culture.
Apart from this book, Dr. Juhi Pathak has authored two books – ‘Introduction to Media Laws and Ethics (1st Ed 2014, 2nd Ed 2017)’ and ‘Television Advertising Ethics and Human Rights (1st Ed 2018)’ and co-authored ‘Contemporary Media Discourses: Trends, Issues and Prospects’ (1st Ed 2021).
